My Four Step Process to Building a Better Vocabulary

The rate with which I learn new words on a regular basis has been inversely proportional to my age (except for the childhood years, I suppose) - until now. I either actively learnt a lot of new words when I was a child, or I am beginning to do it this year. Well, there was a phase in between when I was preparing for my MBA entrance exams - but that was more because I had to do it if I wanted a good score, rather than because I genuinely wanted to learn new words. And of course, that approach is neither much fun, nor very effective.

This time, however, I have made learning at least one new word each day a part of my goals, because I really want to have a better vocabulary. And so far, I am on track. The method I am using is working. At an average, at least. Technological tools have made this process fairly effective, and if you want to build your vocabulary - I recommend this process to you. Here are four simple steps I follow to learn new words.

Step 1: Reading: To learn new words, one needs to encounter new words. And reading is definitely one of the best ways to do that. The more I read, the more words I encounter for which I don’t know the meaning, and so there is a greater chance of me learning new words if I read more.

Step 2: Looking up the Meaning: For a rather long time, I was content with guessing the contextual meaning of words. Pure laziness, if you ask me the reason for it. But if I got a general idea of what the author was trying to say, I would just ignore the words I didn’t understand and move on. But now that I am making a conscious effort to learn new words, even if I can broadly make out the meaning of a word, I refer to an online dictionary on my phone to see what exactly does it mean. And at times, the findings surprise me.

Step 3: Remembering the Words: If I come across a word and look up the meaning, I will definitely remember it. For a few minutes, that is. But chances are, if I don’t make an effort to internalize the word through one way or another, the next time I encounter it ten days later, in the best case scenario, I will vaguely remember that I had checked its meaning, but it will not come back to me. And in the worst case scenario, I will reach for my phone to look up the meaning - all over again. And so, it is important for me to remember the words I am looking up in the dictionary, so that I don’t have to reinvent the wheel the next time they pop up. For this, I maintain a list of words that I learn, as and when I learn them, on Google Keep - which is an excellent app for taking notes and making lists.

Step 4: Remembering the Meaning: This is the trickiest part. How do I ensure that the meaning stays with me forever? I know some people use flash cards, but I have always been too lazy to use them. Getting to know the roots of the words works for some people - and I have tried it too, but it also takes up a lot of effort and I got bored. What has worked really well for me is a mobile app called “Memrise.” It is there on the web and can be downloaded on your smartphone as well, and learning words is just one of the many things you can learn there. What it does is that it teaches you the words, and then keeps asking you questions about them till you can define their meaning in your sleep. The best thing is that you can create your own course in a few simple steps - and learn whatever it is it that you want to learn. So I refer to the list I create in Step 3, and keep updating a course I have created on Memrise. And the app does the job of drilling the meaning down in my head - for all the words that I have learnt - as and when I choose to practice the words.

That’s it. I have learnt over seventy new words in 2015 so far using these steps. I don’t remember the last time I learnt so many words so quickly. But then, how would I - I must have been only three years old when that happened.

The Fear Factor

When it comes to following your dreams, fears are a natural part of the process. There are so many what-ifs and so many buts, that if you pay attention to all, you will hardly make any progress. I know I have done this for years - chosen the safer option of staying put in the corporate sector despite not enjoying it. So, it was a big step for me when I quit my job and moved to another country (with enormous support from my husband, of course - it is much easier to follow your heart when you know that someone is there to take care of the rent and bills.)

Four months have passed since I took the plunge, and I have made a lot of progress in terms of learning about what I want to do next. However, as the options have become clearer in my head, the what-ifs and buts have started to creep in. What if I am no good at doing what I am passionate about? What if I am unable to earn a living by doing things I love? What if all this turns out to be a foolish mistake? What if all I am doing is wasting my time? What if...what if...what if.

I was discussing this with my husband a couple of days back, and he asked me to write everything down - the thoughts I have, the fears that weigh me down, the reasons I continue to do what I am doing, and so on. This seemed like a good way to complete that day’s quota of 1000 words, and so I decided to follow his advice.

As I wrote my thoughts down, I realized that what I needed was a plan B. To answer the what-ifs I was facing, I just had to have an answer ready. What if I failed at following my dreams? Well - I could always go back to taking up a job, right? Right. One thing led to another, and soon enough, I found myself looking at potential job opportunities I could fall back on, if things did not work out as per plan. There was just one small problem - most jobs where I was likely to get hired were in the corporate sector - for work similar to what I had been bored of and left just four months ago.

And there I sat, shaking my head in utter despair. If things didn’t work out, I would have to go back to square one. Suddenly, a determined voice within me yelled - NO WAY! There was no way on earth I was going to go back to work in a role for which the mere act of reading my job description could put me to sleep. There had to be another way. There HAS TO BE another way.  

And so, I have found an interesting way to deal with the fears I face - to use them as fuel to fire up my dreams. I will do ALL it takes, work as hard as I can - lest I end up at a dreaded job. Looking back is not an option. The only way to go is onward.

An Update on My Goals

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have observed that I have not been keeping up with my goal of posting here at least once every week. And that’s primarily because I have not been keeping up with another goal of mine - that of writing 1000 words every day. And from what I have learnt in the last 4 months, if I don’t do a public review and commit to keep up with my goals, I will soon give them up - something I definitely want to avoid. So, here is a quick update on my goals, and the action plan for the ones I am missing.

1. Write 1000 Words Everyday: Well, as of today, when twenty eight days of January have passed, I have written ~11000 words, which is 17000 words short of my target. Now, this is not an utter failure, as 11000 words are still a lot more than what I would have written without having this target, however, it is not stellar success as well. The only way I think I can deal with this problem is by ensuring that I sit at my desk with the intent of writing 1000 words every single day, irrespective of what else I need to accomplish each day. Discipline is the key, and I have to find a dedicated slot for writing and just do it.

2. Lose 6 kgs (13 Pounds) of Weight: I intended to achieve this target by regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables, and I have made some progress in this regard. The weight seems to keep fluctuating, but I have definitely lost a couple of pounds, and that’s encouraging. I am also experimenting with including more vegetables in everyday meals, and running as a form of exercise - and have made progress in both these areas.

3. Start Living Off My Passion: Yet to get to the first dollar, and it may take some time before I get there - I am learning about a few ways in which I can do this, and will definitely share any success in this regard.

4. Launch a New Blog, and Post at least 2-3 Times a Week: Still work in progress - should be launching this in February. The target of 2-3 posts in a week can only be met if I meet the goal of writing 1000 words every day.

5. Post at Least Once a Week on this Blog: Sigh. I will improve, I promise!

6. Better Planning and Time Management: This has been going okay, though there is scope for improvement. As of now, I feel that I have become extremely greedy, and have filled my days with a hundred things that I want to do. There are four courses I have enrolled myself into, a Toastmaster meeting once a week, hiking once a week, an insatiable desire to read as much as I can, writing, and editing my book - to just name a few. And plus there are daily activities like exercising and cooking and so on. I am not sure for how long I can continue things at this rate, but as long as I am enjoying every bit of it, I don’t intend to give anything up.

7. Edit My Book: Work in progress. The initial feedback I have received from a few people I have shared a few chapters with is encouraging, and I would like to finish the editing by February end.

8. Learn About Publishing: Have started this as well, and am writing a proposal for my book as well. And honestly, I now feel that writing the book was the easy part. Attended a session on self-publishing at the local library, and that seems like an interesting option too. But for now - lots to learn and work on.

9. Learn at least One New Word Everyday: I can proudly report that if there is one goal where I have been hitting the ball out of the park, it is this one. With an increase in reading and the conscious effort to learn new words, I frequently refer to online dictionaries when I encounter a new word, and have learnt more than forty words in Jan so far.

So, this is what has been happening with regards to the goals I have set for myself for 2015 in the one month that has passed. Hopefully I will make better progress in the coming months.

Story of the Blue Folder

“I pulled out box after box, setting them haphazardly around the room. My organization lacked something -- like, say, organization ...” - Richelle Mead

It was July 2014, and my husband and I were supposed to apply for our visas to move to the US from India. There was a form to be filled online, and my husband had been reminding me to complete it, for over a week. I, of course, had been postponing it for the last minute, as is my nature. The problem was that the last minute came all of a sudden.

“Have you filled the form? We need to submit it!” My husband asked me.

“Err...no, not yet. We still have some time, right?”

“Let’s see, today is Thursday, we are traveling tomorrow, and we need to submit it by Monday.”

“Great, so we have the weekend? I will finish it then!”

“We will be traveling...are you sure?” He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, sure! I will carry my laptop, and we will have internet. No problem.”

“Okay. At least go through the form today, and see if you have all the information available with you.”

“Will do.” I assured him.

I did go through the form the same day. It was a looong form, with ten or so sections, but it seemed fairly simple to me. After looking at three-four sections which asked about my personal details, I was confident I had all the information available with me. I saved whatever details I had filled, and closed the website.

Cut to Sunday morning, which was the last day I had to fill the form. We were at my in-laws place, and I decided to finish the task after breakfast.

I sat down in a corner of the living room, switched on my laptop, opened the website, and jumped to the section I was to fill next. It was related to my work experience. That should be easy - I thought.

It was, except that I needed the exact dates when I started and ended employment with various organizations. Now, I kind of remembered the months and years, but exact dates? I needed my relieving letters for that. And of course, I was not carrying them. What was worse, was that my husband had been telling me for the previous one year that I should scan all my certificates and important documents and keep them online for reference. And what do you think I had done with this advice?

Exactly. Nothing.

So, once I realized I could not fill the form without getting back home, I started to freak out. I was extremely scared of breaking the news to my husband, because I knew that if I was in his position, I would have been ready to kill. But I had to tell him. And with great difficulty, I did.

“Hmmm.” He looked at me, calmly. Thankfully, he had been reading some books on spirituality lately, and seemed to have taken the lessons seriously. So he didn’t get angry, much to my relief - and guilt. With me, it is tougher when people don’t get angry - I feel worse about my mistakes then. 

“Okay, that’s fine. We will submit the form on Tuesday instead of Monday.” He paused. “But, do you have the certificates back at home? Or are they with your parents in Gorakhpur?”

I thought carefully. I distinctly remembered that while moving to Hyderabad from Delhi after my wedding one year ago, I had packed my certificates in a blue folder, kept that folder in a carton full of books and stationery, and sent it off to Hyderabad. Owing to my laziness, once again, I had never really gotten around to unpacking that carton completely in Hyderabad in the last one year, but I was fairly sure that the blue folder was sitting in that unpacked carton at home.

“Yes, I am sure. I have it in Hyderabad.” I told him.

I promised myself that the moment I got back on Monday night, I would take that blue folder out of that carton, and only then go to sleep. After all, what if...

Monday arrived, and we flew back to Hyderabad. We got home after 10:30 at night, and though I was too tired, I wanted to just take that folder out so as to sleep peacefully. I walked to that unpacked carton, and started looking for the blue folder. I fumbled through the pile of books, notebooks, files, etc. - and I could find everything else, except for that ONE. BLUE. FOLDER.

I vividly remember that moment, and am unlikely to forget it, ever. For the first time in the last few months, I really started to panic. The blue folder with all my original certificates (for which I had not even made copies) - was missing! I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have the courage to face my husband, and it was not even about just the visa application anymore. ALL my certificates were in there, and I could not even begin to imagine the consequences of what would happen if I didn’t find that folder. I was nearly in tears, when my husband came to see what was going on.

“It was here! I am telling you, I packed it in this box!” I was ready to howl.

“Okay, okay, calm down! Look again. Take everything out one by one, and keep all of it outside the box.” He said.

“Okay, yeah.” I said, took a few deep breaths, and started the search again. I took everything out - kept the books in one pile, notebooks in another, pens in a different place, and so on. The box was getting empty, with no sign of the blue folder. And then, I found a plastic bag. I opened it, and there it was - my blue folder!

I almost collapsed with relief, hugged the folder, and muttered urgent prayers thanking God. My husband looked at me, smiled, shook his head, and walked away. He didn’t say a word.

But that was the moment, when I decided that enough was enough. I was done with being so disorganized and cluttered in my life. I was done with losing track of things. I was done with putting important stuff off till the last minute. For my own peace of mind, I had to get organized.

Since then, I have scanned all important documents for backup and online availability. I have decluttered my life quite a bit - got rid of things I was not using, stopped buying things till I actually needed them (the fact that we were moving to another country did help a lot), and as the latest development, have even started planning my weeks and days meticulously. I will write more on this topic in future posts, but for now, I would just like to say that this has definitely helped me be more at peace, and now I know exactly where that blue folder is.

My Goals for 2015

No, these are not my new year resolutions. We all know how pointless they turn out to be, and I have given up on far too many new year resolutions to still hang my hopes on them. Therefore, perhaps for the first time in my personal life, I am setting goals that are specific and within my control. I intend to review these on an ongoing basis throughout the year, and revise them as needed. I had shared in an earlier post that I have never been very disciplined when it comes to my personal life, but since the boundaries of my personal and professional life are likely to merge in the coming months, I needed a framework to manage everything well. There are so many great things going on in my life right now, that just going with the flow contradicts the need of the hour.

So, here are my goals for 2015:

1. Write 1000 Words Every Day - It does not matter what I write, but it would be terrific if I can write so many words every day. My mantra here is that “a lot can be achieved by doing a little every day.” Annual target is over 300000 words, because there will be days when I won’t be able to write at all. (It’s 5th of Jan today, and I have only written 865 words so far.)

2. Lose 6 kgs (13 Pounds) of Weight - It may seem like a small target, but this is what I need to lose to reach an ideal weight, and I have been unable to shed any weight in the last one year despite regular exercise. Of course I am doing something wrong, and I will need to fix that. I need to learn more about the subject, work on my diet, as well as continue to exercise. Exercising five days a week has been working fine, and I plan to continue that. I need to include more fruits and vegetables in my diet - that is an important aspect I have been ignoring so far.

3. Start Living Off My Passion - I received my work permit on 1st Jan 2015 - what a wonderful way to begin the new year! So now I can legally earn money in the US. But instead of taking up just about any job, I want to start earning while doing things I love. That’s what my quest has been about in the last three months, and it will be interesting so see how things turn out. I am very excited about the prospect of earning my first dollar, outside of the corporate world.

4. Launch a New Blog, and Post at least 2-3 Times a Week - I have been working on something in the last month or so, and I am very excited about launching it. A bigger challenge would be posting on a regular basis, because that is one area I have been faltering in in the past. But with 1000 words everyday, that should be easy, right?

5. Post at least Once a Week on this Blog - Mostly updates, details about books, ideas, and people that inspire me, and various other thoughts - which is the idea behind Moments of Solitude. Because my other blog will be focused on a specific theme, I will do all the other writing here.

6. Better Planning & Time Management - As shared in my previous post - I really want to get more out of my days, because I am loving all that I am doing these days, and there seems to be not enough time. As a part of this goal, I want to rise early, keep lists, do daily and weekly reviews of my goals, keep a progress tracker, and things like that. Now, to be honest, I am a little wary of this organization zeal that seems to have overpowered me, because I have never been like this. And therefore, if I feel that this stuff is causing me stress, I might tone it down a bit. But for now, I am going all in. More details on the steps I am taking in a separate post.

7. Edit My Book - It has been a month since I finished the first draft, and I have not looked at it even once for two reasons. First, I was exhausted after finishing the novel, and did not feel like going back to it immediately. Second, it always helps me to look at my work after a bit of a gap - it helps me edit better, and I feel less upset as I criticize what I have done. A month was good enough. It is time to get back.

8. Learn About Publishing - Once I finish revising the book, I will need to understand an entirely different subject - the publishing industry. I know very little about it, and though I am not sure if or when there will be any takers for my book, my goal is to learn about the industry, and approach at least ten publishers with a few chapters. That is what I can control. The rest is uncertain.

9. Learn at least One New Word Everyday - A better vocabulary will help me in many ways, and I want to make a conscious effort to learn new words on an ongoing basis.

So this is broadly what I want to achieve in 2015. Like I said, I am a little apprehensive about how this kind of goal setting and discipline will turn out for me, but I will never know without experimenting. And I can always modify these goals as the need be; they will continue to evolve.

That’s it for now. I have just come back from a vacation and am still recovering from the vacation mode; will start work on these with full speed by 6 Jan 2014. Wish me luck...I will need it. 

The Year 2014 - In Retrospect

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would have noticed some changes around here. I had been thinking about improving the look and feel of my blog for a while now, and finally got around to doing it recently. I am not done yet, and the design may continue to evolve over time, but I like this better than what I had earlier. Do let me know what you think as well. One major change that I did was buying a domain name, so that even if I choose to move to another platform, I can maintain the same website address.

2014 has been one of the most significant years of my life. I have done so many different things, that I have a feeling I will remember this as an year that began a transformation in my life. Here is a list of things I did in 2014 that I am really proud of, and some that I am not.

THINGS I AM PROUD OF

1. Became an Early Riser: This is the biggest change and tops the list because I considered it IMPOSSIBLE for thirty years of my life. I never was a morning person, and my family and friends will still find it difficult to believe that this has changed about me. But it has. Even though I don’t get up at 5 or 6 AM every morning, I now know that I can. And that makes all the difference. I am insanely proud of this, because this opens up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

2. Wrote my First Book: As of now, only the first draft. But I finished it, and that too in 30 days, as a part of NaNoWriMo 2014. I had been planning on doing it for over two years, at least, but was always paralysed by the fear of failure. So this is a big deal for me.

3. Revived my Blog: This blog is and will always remain special to me, and after years of irregular (or zero) writing at all, I posted here with a regular frequency August 2014 onwards. I do hope to keep that up.

4. Celebrated my First Wedding Anniversary: The first year of marriage just flew, and I smiled when I thought of people telling me how difficult being married would be. It was tough at times, for sure, and I am sure there will be ups and downs in the years to come. But I am immensely grateful to be with someone with whom I can discuss everything under the sun. That in itself solves a lot of problems, I suppose.

5. Quit my Corporate Job and Moved to a New Country: This was a big step towards coming out of my comfort zone. I had been working with the same company for over six years, and though I liked the area I worked in, I was getting bored of the corporate world - I wanted more from life. So, when the opportunity came, I was ready to take the plunge. It was scary, for sure. Leaving a well paying job I was so used to for an unknown future in a new country was definitely not easy. But with the support of my husband, I decided to take some time off and figure out what I actually wanted to do. Life is not just about money, after all, is it?

6. Got into a Fitness Regime: 2014 is the first year of my life in which I have exercised regularly, for the most part. I had tried doing this earlier, but I could never sustain it. I have a tendency to get bored with things quickly, and the same was happening with exercising. Being a late riser was not helping the cause. So, along with rising early, I experimented with different forms of exercise. Now, I do a mix of various things I like - thereby reducing the chances of boredom. And it works.

7. Actively Went Out of my Comfort Zone: My biggest nightmare has always been ending up in a group of people where I don’t know anybody. I am terrible at small talk, and it takes time for me to build connection with a person, and it almost never happens in a large group. Ironically, the last couple of months have made me realize that my core skills and strengths lie in the social world - because I “get” people, and can add value to them. And that is what gives me true joy. I needed to get over my inhibitions if I ever hoped to find fulfilment in my career. Therefore, I braced myself, and signed up for various events where I had to spend some time with complete strangers. And guess what - it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t talk to everyone in the group, of course, but spoke to a few people who turned out to be fairly nice. And I listened more, because that’s my strength, as opposed to talking.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER (Also a hint on 2015 Goals)

1. Actually Rising Early: While I know now that I can get up early, and I did it several times in 2014, I didn’t consistently get up early in 2014. I would like to make a habit out of this in 2015.

2. Better Planning: I have never been much of a planner in my personal life, and think of myself as more of a person who goes with the flow/lives in the moment. And while it has its advantages, sometimes I feel I could do so much more if I just planned a little, and managed my time better.

3. Healthier Eating: I tackled the exercise bit in 2014, and even improved my eating habits to an extent. But there is a lot of scope for improvement.

4. Consistency in Writing: Despite multiple attempts, I failed at working on my novel before Nov 2014. I wrote only when I was so ashamed of my failures, that I committed to writing 50,000 words in 30 days. I did that. And if I could do that, I could have written a lot more, had I been doing it consistently throughout the year. 

Looking at the big picture, 2014 was a great year for me. I believe that it marked the beginning of a different phase in my life, and I really look forward to what lies ahead. I am working on defining my 2015 Goals, and will share them soon.

Thank you for being a part of this amazing year. The encouragement from my readers played a huge part in whatever I have been able to achieve this year, and I am immensely grateful for your support. I hope 2014 was a good year for you as well, and wish you a 2015 full of happiness, love, and laughter.

The Road Ahead

I am very, very, very excited as I write this post. The reason? Well – there are several:

1. I completed the 50,000 words in 30 days as a part of NaNoWriMo 2014. Yes, I did it. I am an official NaNoWriMo 2014 winner! They even gave me a fancy certificate :) . This also means that the first draft of my first book is ready. It is abysmal as of now, to say the least, but it has been completed. And that makes me proud
2. The course has been going well...there are a couple of more weeks to go. I have got some new ideas, and will spend the next few months working on them
3. The exercise routine has been going steady for over a month now. I just missed two days though – but I know I can easily get back in the rhythm, and I like that newly found confidence

So basically, the goals that I had set for myself two months ago, are all near completion, and that is what makes me so happy.

In my previous post, I had shared that as a part of my Live Off Your Passion course, it is time for me to choose a passion, and see if it works as a career option. The choice, for me, was not that tough, and I have decided to give writing a full fledged, whole hearted shot. Writing was a clear winner for two reasons:

1. I have always loved doing it, and left to myself, would have chosen it in any case. The course has helped me identify the kind of writing that I like to do, and my why behind it, and that helps immensely
2. I have anyway been dedicating a lot of my time to writing, lately, with the book and this blog, and it made sense to take it to the next level

Now, to be honest, I don't know how things will work out; I don't know if I will succeed; I still have some doubts about my capabilities. But somehow, I am no longer afraid. The fear of failure has gone out the window in the last two months, because I know that it is I who define my failure. And the way I see it, no failure is final. If I don't do well as a writer, I will do something else. I will find one way or another to work with my strengths, grow as a person, and contribute something to the world. Which is what success to me is, anyway.

So, this post of mine is to announce that I am going to spend the next few months improving my writing, revising my book and attempting publication, and working on a couple of other writing projects. The course also suggests that I can pursue one other interest of mine on the side, along with writing, and for that I have chosen psychology as a way of life, learning more about concepts like empathy, gratitude, happiness, peace, and love. The ideal career for me would entail a combination of these two main interests I have, plus some others, but there is still time before I get there. The journey has just begun.

It is December already, and soon it will be time to reflect on the year gone by, and make plans for the new year. I will continue to share my goals and dreams and progress on this blog – mainly because now I know for sure that this really builds accountability. In the last two months, every time I wanted to give up on my goals – whether it was completing the book or exercising, the only thing that kept me going was my public pledge – to myself and my readers. I didn't want to be someone who did not keep her commitment. And so I pushed myself, and kept going.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement all this while. It often came at times when I really needed it, and meant the world to me. I am truly grateful – thank you!