This elegant home is a perfect mix of new and old. It was designed by Archiplan Studio in 2012, and is located in Mantua, Italy in a building that dates back to the 1500s. It’s simply marvelous to see how the modern décor and the older details of the construction converge in the same place in a perfect harmony. In the living room, dark sofas were used in conjunction with..
The post New and Old Come Together in This Home in Mantua, Italy appeared first on HomeDSGN.
Bears Ears National Monument – Utah – USA (by Bureau of Land…
Bears Ears National Monument – Utah – USA (by Bureau of Land Management)
Conversion of 19th Century Cabin by Savioz Fabrizzi Architectes
This 19th-century cabin had originally been abandoned, and during its renovation process, it was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. It’s located in Praz-de-Fort, Orsières, Switzerland. Savioz Fabrizzi Architectes was in charge of completing the renovation of the 775-m2 home in 2016. Surrounded by gorgeous fields and mountains, this beautiful cabin is the perfect place to spend our most relaxing days. We would never be able to guess what..
The post Conversion of 19th Century Cabin by Savioz Fabrizzi Architectes appeared first on HomeDSGN.
5 Ways To Sharpen Up Your Would You Rather Game Questions
Would you rather is a classical social game that has stood the test of time and is among the most popular gather-around games in the world. Whoever says you can’t learn a lot about your friends over this game has probably never played it right.
In reality, the game is hilarious, engaging and informative. However, for you to reveal your friend’s deepest secrets with this game, you’ll need sharper questions that promise better answers.
Just as articles are required for a blog to rank high on Google, you need to have good Would You Rather questions to have a fun time. While some people are born with the natural ability of asking good questions without any preparations, others have to develop it through practice.
If you belong to the last group, here are 5 easy, simple and effective ways to help sharpen up your Would You Rather questions.
Find the Right Attitude
One way to improve your Would You Rather questions is to find the right attitude. Without the right mindset and attitude, a lot of people will avoid playing with you.
To start, you must first determine what makes a bad player. For one, they don’t take responsibility for their rude or inappropriate behaviors. They offend other players with big no-no questions and they curse and blame others for their own mistakes.
If you think you don’t have these traits, then you’re on the right path to improving your game.
Be Versatile
We, humans, have a tendency to keep hitting someone’s weak spot as soon as we find it. However, for the sake of fun, you should refrain from asking Would You Rathers from one category only.
The key to making the most out of the game is to be diverse and ask both serious and funny questions from as many categories as possible. As long as your intentions are friendly, you can ask any sort of question you want.
Think Twice Before You Pose a Question
Although you can ask any question you like, that doesn’t give you the right to be impolite, rude, and make others feel uncomfortable. To avoid an awkward situation, make sure you know enough things about the players, like their age, education level and personal preferences.
If you take the risk of asking a Would You Rather question without considering your friend, you may not only offend them and kill the mood, but you may lose them from your life for good. Before you start, make sure you know which questions are good to ask and to which players.
Practice Makes Perfect
As with any other games, practice is a crucial part of becoming a good player in a game of Would You Rather. There are a plenty of questions online that are conveniently sorted into different categories. You can just look them up if you want to get inspired or improve your skills.
It may be obvious that reading questions online can help you sharpen up your questions. However, it won’t be able to help you get better at creating your own. Crafting your own questions require more effort, but it is a much more effective way of getting better questions.
Prepare Yourself by Making a List Beforehand
Last, but certainly not the least, is to prepare a list of Would You Rather questions before you even set a game date. This is a better strategy than throwing random questions when you’re already in the middle of the game. Apart from letting you know more about your opponents, it will also give you more time to analyze them carefully.
See Also: 5 Sports From Fiction You Can Try And How You Can Play Them
The post 5 Ways To Sharpen Up Your Would You Rather Game Questions appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide)
You’re reading How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Learning a language on your own is not easy. But it is possible with the right strategy.
While we suggest finding a teacher or partner that can help shorten your learning curve, we also understand that not everyone has the budget or time.
Over the past few years, we’ve heard from many of our student who have tried learning a language on their own. They’ve shared from their own experience what they wish they would’ve done differently.
Know how you best learn
This is the single biggest feedback we’ve gotten from people who’ve taken the solo learning path. It turns out that some people are designed to learn new things on their own, while some of us are the contrast.
For example, some of us learn best by listening, while others retain more information when reading something (check out the 7 major learning styles). You have to reflect on your previous experience to understand how you’ve best learnt new skills in the past.
Unfortunately, most of us have been forced to learn via a limited learning style because of the traditional education system we grew up with. In short, not everyone is designed to learn new skills on their own. And by being self-aware of your shortcomings upfront, you can save yourself a lot of time, stress, and hassle.
Know why you’re learning a language
If you have decided to learn a language on your own, the biggest obstacle for most people is persistency. In most cases, learning anything on your own will take much longer than getting professional help and guidance from someone who’s done it before.
This is why you need to have a strong inner purpose of why you’re learning a language. Maybe your family speaks another language, and you want to feel a deeper connection with them. Perhaps your spouse comes from a different culture, and you want to be able to communicate with his/her family.
Understanding why you’re learning a language is what’s going to inspire you to go through that lesson manual, attend those language exchanges, and to continue grinding it out when things inevitably gets tough.
If you’ve attended our free language masterclass, then you know we’ve discussed the cycles of the mastery curve. In case you missed it, the process of mastery is never a straight upward curve, no matter how talented you are. It’s a series of ups and downs, with many plateaus that come with it.
Have a firm end-goal in mind
Once you know why you’re learning a language, you must have a firm end-goal in mind. Otherwise, you don’t have a target that aligns with your purpose.
Is your end goal to reach conversation proficiency? Or perhaps you want to become a fluent speaker.
But that’s only the first step. We also have to know in what timeframe we want to achieve our goals. If you have an overseas trip coming up in July, you may want to aim to hit your goal by May or June. If you’re learning for fun, you can be a little more lenient, but you still want to have a specific deadline.
Why do we want to do this? Because of Parkinson’s Law, which states that the amount of time that one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task. This means that often when we give ourselves 12 months to learn something, we’ll subconsciously spend 12 months learning it. Versus if we gave ourselves only 7 months, we’ll force ourselves to learn within that timeframe.
Now that we have our prerequisites, we’ll share our step-by-step process on how to learn a language on your own.
1. Find the right language tools
If you wanted to become a musician, you’ll need an instrument. If you wanted to get in better shape, you need weights and equipment. Learning a language is no different.
Language learners today have a plethora of tools and resources that we can leverage to learn faster. From mobile apps to podcasts, your options are limitless.
Check out our list of recommended language tools to get new ideas.
2. Design your environment around your language
The second is to design your environment around your language. The reason why this is powerful is because there’s two main ways to learn something: actively and passively. While active learning is more impactful, we only have so much time in the day to actively learn a language.
Examples of passive learning includes:
- Changing your electronic devices to your target language
- Reading the news in your target language
- Watching shows and movies on Netflix in your target language
- Labeling items around your house in your target language
3. Track your progress
What doesn’t get measured, won’t get better. This applies to our health life, business life, and others.
The mistake that most learners make is to measure progress in large milestones that are too far to imagine or track. Instead, we should focus on weekly, if not daily goals.
Here are a few ideas we suggest:
- Keep a daily journal (in your target language): this will allow you to see how your writing skills have improved
- Record yourself speaking every week or two weeks
- Schedule your learning times
- If you’re not seeing the results you want, you can reflect to your schedule, and judge whether you should be putting in more time
4. Find accountability partners
Having the right tools and strategy is only half the battle. Staying persistent and accountable is just as important, because learning a language is a marathon. It’s easy to say now that you’ll be able to put in an hour everyday, but unexpected events and emotions will always come up unexpectedly.
Research by professors Robert Cialdini and Tim Church states that finding a buddy that keeps you accountable is one of the best ways to motivate change. It has even shown to be more effective than finding a mentor.
An accountability partner can be a friend who’s also learning a language, a teacher, or anyone that you trust and see often.
5. Leverage the shortcuts
When learning anything, there are shortcuts that you can leverage, including languages. There are polyglots, linguists, and researchers that have laid out multiple language hacks that you should use.
Here are some that we recommend:
- Learn the 1,000 most common words: This will allow you to become familiar with 88%+ of your target language.
- Use the 8 golden sentences to master grammar
- Make cognates your best friend
6. Find time everyday to learn
Daily immersion has been proven to be powerful. It’s much more effective to learn 15 minutes a day, than to learn for 3 hours a week. And it’s much more powerful to learn 3 hours a week than 10 hours a month.
This is because consistency trumps quality, and small achievements accumulate over time. The way to do this is to find ‘hidden’ free times in your day, and schedule learning time. It can be as little as 30 minutes or even 15 minutes.
The reality is no matter how busy we think we are, there’s always empty 15-30 minute slots in our schedule. Here’s an article we wrote on how to find more time in your schedule to learn anything.
Follow up resources we recommend:
- Free Language Masterclass
- Learn a Language Challenge
- 10 Best Language Books to Read Today
- 5 Research-Backed Ways to Master Any Skill In Record Time
- The Hidden Secret Behind Accelerated Learning: Why Introverts Learn Faster
- How to Learn Any Language in 90 Days
You’ve read How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide)
You’re reading How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Learning a language on your own is not easy. But it is possible with the right strategy.
While we suggest finding a teacher or partner that can help shorten your learning curve, we also understand that not everyone has the budget or time.
Over the past few years, we’ve heard from many of our student who have tried learning a language on their own. They’ve shared from their own experience what they wish they would’ve done differently.
Know how you best learn
This is the single biggest feedback we’ve gotten from people who’ve taken the solo learning path. It turns out that some people are designed to learn new things on their own, while some of us are the contrast.
For example, some of us learn best by listening, while others retain more information when reading something (check out the 7 major learning styles). You have to reflect on your previous experience to understand how you’ve best learnt new skills in the past.
Unfortunately, most of us have been forced to learn via a limited learning style because of the traditional education system we grew up with. In short, not everyone is designed to learn new skills on their own. And by being self-aware of your shortcomings upfront, you can save yourself a lot of time, stress, and hassle.
Know why you’re learning a language
If you have decided to learn a language on your own, the biggest obstacle for most people is persistency. In most cases, learning anything on your own will take much longer than getting professional help and guidance from someone who’s done it before.
This is why you need to have a strong inner purpose of why you’re learning a language. Maybe your family speaks another language, and you want to feel a deeper connection with them. Perhaps your spouse comes from a different culture, and you want to be able to communicate with his/her family.
Understanding why you’re learning a language is what’s going to inspire you to go through that lesson manual, attend those language exchanges, and to continue grinding it out when things inevitably gets tough.
If you’ve attended our free language masterclass, then you know we’ve discussed the cycles of the mastery curve. In case you missed it, the process of mastery is never a straight upward curve, no matter how talented you are. It’s a series of ups and downs, with many plateaus that come with it.
Have a firm end-goal in mind
Once you know why you’re learning a language, you must have a firm end-goal in mind. Otherwise, you don’t have a target that aligns with your purpose.
Is your end goal to reach conversation proficiency? Or perhaps you want to become a fluent speaker.
But that’s only the first step. We also have to know in what timeframe we want to achieve our goals. If you have an overseas trip coming up in July, you may want to aim to hit your goal by May or June. If you’re learning for fun, you can be a little more lenient, but you still want to have a specific deadline.
Why do we want to do this? Because of Parkinson’s Law, which states that the amount of time that one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take to complete the task. This means that often when we give ourselves 12 months to learn something, we’ll subconsciously spend 12 months learning it. Versus if we gave ourselves only 7 months, we’ll force ourselves to learn within that timeframe.
Now that we have our prerequisites, we’ll share our step-by-step process on how to learn a language on your own.
1. Find the right language tools
If you wanted to become a musician, you’ll need an instrument. If you wanted to get in better shape, you need weights and equipment. Learning a language is no different.
Language learners today have a plethora of tools and resources that we can leverage to learn faster. From mobile apps to podcasts, your options are limitless.
Check out our list of recommended language tools to get new ideas.
2. Design your environment around your language
The second is to design your environment around your language. The reason why this is powerful is because there’s two main ways to learn something: actively and passively. While active learning is more impactful, we only have so much time in the day to actively learn a language.
Examples of passive learning includes:
- Changing your electronic devices to your target language
- Reading the news in your target language
- Watching shows and movies on Netflix in your target language
- Labeling items around your house in your target language
3. Track your progress
What doesn’t get measured, won’t get better. This applies to our health life, business life, and others.
The mistake that most learners make is to measure progress in large milestones that are too far to imagine or track. Instead, we should focus on weekly, if not daily goals.
Here are a few ideas we suggest:
- Keep a daily journal (in your target language): this will allow you to see how your writing skills have improved
- Record yourself speaking every week or two weeks
- Schedule your learning times
- If you’re not seeing the results you want, you can reflect to your schedule, and judge whether you should be putting in more time
4. Find accountability partners
Having the right tools and strategy is only half the battle. Staying persistent and accountable is just as important, because learning a language is a marathon. It’s easy to say now that you’ll be able to put in an hour everyday, but unexpected events and emotions will always come up unexpectedly.
Research by professors Robert Cialdini and Tim Church states that finding a buddy that keeps you accountable is one of the best ways to motivate change. It has even shown to be more effective than finding a mentor.
An accountability partner can be a friend who’s also learning a language, a teacher, or anyone that you trust and see often.
5. Leverage the shortcuts
When learning anything, there are shortcuts that you can leverage, including languages. There are polyglots, linguists, and researchers that have laid out multiple language hacks that you should use.
Here are some that we recommend:
- Learn the 1,000 most common words: This will allow you to become familiar with 88%+ of your target language.
- Use the 8 golden sentences to master grammar
- Make cognates your best friend
6. Find time everyday to learn
Daily immersion has been proven to be powerful. It’s much more effective to learn 15 minutes a day, than to learn for 3 hours a week. And it’s much more powerful to learn 3 hours a week than 10 hours a month.
This is because consistency trumps quality, and small achievements accumulate over time. The way to do this is to find ‘hidden’ free times in your day, and schedule learning time. It can be as little as 30 minutes or even 15 minutes.
The reality is no matter how busy we think we are, there’s always empty 15-30 minute slots in our schedule. Here’s an article we wrote on how to find more time in your schedule to learn anything.
Follow up resources we recommend:
- Free Language Masterclass
- Learn a Language Challenge
- 10 Best Language Books to Read Today
- 5 Research-Backed Ways to Master Any Skill In Record Time
- The Hidden Secret Behind Accelerated Learning: Why Introverts Learn Faster
- How to Learn Any Language in 90 Days
You’ve read How to Learn Any Language On Your Own (Step-by-Step Guide), originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Miami – Florida – USA (by Anish Patel)
Miami – Florida – USA (by Anish Patel)
mikenudelman:Here are the biggest winners and losers in Trump’s…
The Norman and Doris Fisher House in Hatboro, PA, designed by…
Tips For Happy Marriage: 7 Simple Ways To Maintain A Loving Relationship
A happy marriage or relationship can be very healthy for your physical and mental wellbeing. Science has proven that men live longer and healthier lives when they are in a healthy marriage or long-term relationship.
These things, however, aren’t the only benefits you can gain from such relationships. Fox News report that the prevalence of cancer is lower among married women and men and heart disease is less common among happily married couples. A healthy, loving relationship can also lead to lower stress levels, fewer symptoms of anxiety and a happier mood.
Unfortunately, not all relationships and marriages have happy endings. Up to 41% of first marriages end in divorce while the average person gets divorced at the age of 30.
Second and third marriages, however, have an even lower success rate. As much as 60% of second marriages end in divorce while up to 73% of third marriages fall apart. It is also reported that there are up to 100 couples filing for a divorce every hour every day.
If you think that your marriage or relationship is going downhill, then this post is for you. Here are the simplest, yet effective, tips for happy marriage.
Open Communication Is Important
The way you and your partner communicates is of utmost importance. The Better Health Channel of Australia reports that a happy relationship relies on being both a good listener and good communicator.
You should be able to openly share your feelings with your partner and listen when your partner is talking to you. Only then will you be able to truly understand each other’s feelings and find ways to improve together.
They recommend setting aside time each day to listen to each other without any distractions, to think about what you want to say, and to be open to discussing certain objects with your partner without jumping to conclusions and without being judgmental.
Don’t Forget To Hug
While this may seem somewhat insignificant, you should not disavow this idea without considering the science behind a hug. Mind Body Green reports that hugging helps to build trust. It can boost both your mood and happiness, too.
These are all thanks to the release of oxytocin, a hormone that helps to reduce feelings of anger, isolation and loneliness. Consider the benefits of a hug and you’ll clearly see how hugging on a regular basis can help you and your partner maintain a sense of trust and a healthy bond.
See Also: How to Hack Relationships: 3 Ways Physical Touch Helps
Have Sex… As Frequently As Possible
Having sexual intercourse with a partner on a regular basis has many health benefits for the both of you. Sex can improve your immune system, contribute to better heart health, and cause your blood pressure levels to decline. It makes an excellent form of physical exercise.
Sex can also be an excellent way to reduce pain as well as the risk of developing prostate cancer. It can improve your sleep quality and many people find that sex helps lower their stress levels.
Sex can also help a couple bond. It can make both individuals feel appreciated and sexier. If you suffer from a condition such as premature ejaculation, a lack of libido or erectile problems, then seek help from a doctor to prevent these health concerns from causing problems with your sex life.
Have Dinner Together
We all live busy lives and with schedules that are packed with tasks and activities. This can often lead to two partners living past one another and spending less time with each other.
To stay connected, two partners have to make time for one another. Start by having dinner together every single night. While this may seem like a very small step, it would allow both you and your partner to spend more time with each other thus creating an excellent opportunity to maintain your connection.
Better Sleep Cycles
When our lives are busy, our sleep cycles often become disrupted. Sleep is important and has many functions in the body. Ensuring you gain an adequate amount of sleep every night is really important.
When you do not have healthy sleep cycles and become sleep deprived, both your body and mind may suffer. Sleep deprivation can cause cognitive dysfunction, impaired mental activity, memory problems, moodiness and can even lead to depression. This can take a toll on your health and your relationship.
Smile… And Laugh
Something as simple as a smile can make a difference, especially if you and your loved one are going through a tough time. Laughter can be thought of as powerful medicine.
Science has proven that laughter can strengthen your immune function, provide relief in pain, reduce stress levels, and even boost your mood. Laughter has been scientifically proven to strengthen the relationship between two people so try to smile and laugh more with your partner.
Spend Time On Yourself Too
Lastly, you should never forget that even though you are in a relationship, you are still an individual with feelings, emotions and body. Some people tend to forget that they should spend time on themselves as well if they plan on maintaining a healthy, loving relationship.
Small things like making sure you are always well-groomed and decent can show your partner that you still care how they feel about you.
Conclusion
Being happy is a wonderful experience, but being in love can be an even more powerful experience. Unfortunately, love does not last for everyone – as we already discussed, more than 50% of all marriages end up in divorce. Luckily, there are ways to maintain the love and happiness in a relationship.
One of the best tips for happy marriage is to act together. Both partners need to act together to make their relationship last.
See Also: 6 Stepping Stones Of A Successful Married Life
The post Tips For Happy Marriage: 7 Simple Ways To Maintain A Loving Relationship appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
Sig Nordal 