Learning Unlimited - Sharpening the Saw

To live is to learn. I see no other option.

This is why I've felt compelled to quit jobs within the first 6 months or so.

The learning curve flattens out, and I get bored.

Though you can upgrade your brain domestically, traveling and relocating provides unique conditions that make progress faster.

The different surroundings act as a counterpoint and mirror for your own prejudices making weaknesses easier to fix.

I rarely travel somewhere without 1st deciding how I'll obsess on a specific skill.

Here are a few examples:

Resistencia, Argentina in 2003: Spanish, Tango, and Soccer



Acapulco, Mexico in 2004: Spanish and Scuba Diving



Penticton, Canada in 2008: Triathlon



Manila, Philippines in 2011: Tagalog and Muay Thai Kickboxing



I tend to focus on language acquisition and one kinesthetic skill sometimes finding the latter after landing overseas.

The most successful serial vagabonds tend to blend the mental and physical.

Language acquisition is the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.

Quite aside from the fact that it is impossible to understand a culture without understanding its language, acquiring a new language makes you aware of your own language: your own thoughts.

The benefits of becoming fluent in a foreign language are as underestimated as the difficulty is overestimated.

It is possible to become conversationally fluent in any language in 6 months or less. At 4 hours per day, six months can be whittled down to less than 3 months.

It is beyond the scope of this blog post to explain applied linguistics and the 80/20 of language learning, but resources and complete how-to guides can be found under "language" at www.fourhourblog.com.

Gain a language and your paradigm shifts. You gain a second lens through which to question and understand the world.

Learning different sports is a skill that you can practice domestically and still be able to transport that skill to another country. Instant social life and camaraderie.

It need not be a competitive sport - it could be hiking, chess, or almost anything that keeps your nose out of a textbook and out of your apartment.

Sports just happen to be excellent for avoiding foreign-language stage fright and developing lasting friendships.

Don't miss the chance to double your life experience :)

Adapted from "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss