This is why thinking can undermine your French conversation

THIS IS WHY THINKING CAN UNDERMINE YOUR FRENCH CONVERSATION

So, have you ever done something without thinking?

What a question, no?

We all have, life sometimes catches us off guard.

If only there was a way for us to catch ourselves before we react to think!

You may be surprised, but thinking too much actually stays in the way of good conversational skills. Especially in another language.

Be sure to check out the article below for some insight into how thoughts undermine your French conversation, and watch the video for some French worth thinking about!

(This week: the verb PENSER – to think)

My Car Crash Lesson
Guest post by Josh Pais

As many of you have heard, Marie, Kuma and I were in a car crash on Sunday.

We’re shaken up, our car is totaled, but we’re lucky to have come out of it fine.

Driving down a quiet street in Venice, Ca., on our way back from picking up some groceries at Trader Joe’s, someone came barreling down an alleyway and without stopping crashed into us.

As is my nature, I ask myself, is there a lesson to be learned from this?

We’re very aware drivers, so it’s not that. However, I’m sure we’re going to be even more aware now.

Hmmm…

I have noticed that my mind is on overdrive – with one of them old stories.

The story goes something like this…

MIND:
See, when everything is going well – something always goes wrong. Life will
always be a hardship for you. Don’t rest assured that things are ever going to work out.

I know… time for a big ol’ I’m Back.

Back story:

I grew up in NYC’s East Village. At the time it was a very violent and poverty stricken neighborhood filled with artists that were very committed to be starving artists.

And one of the credos of the starving artists is that doing well as an artist means that you will lose your creativity and not really be an artist. An underlying message in all this is: the more you put yourself out into the world – the greater the chance of bad things happening to you. Stay small, struggle, and get by.

This, of course, is total bullshit.

Wait, stop…

Total Bullshit.

However, when I am in a high stress situation my mind goes back to it’s earliest ( most screwed up) stories.

So, the lesson in all this as I see it, right now…

When we’re triggered into old stories because the present moment is intense – we can use that time as a cleanse.

Like toxins coming to the surface as we cleanse, old toxic thoughts can be cleansed from our being.

Of course, our mind would love us to go into a victimization party.

But let’s remember…

Every time we “I’m Back” from an intense mental drama
we cleanse ourselves from falling into that pattern repetitively.

So, come on! We’re bigger than the nonsense in our crappy thoughts.

Let’s rise up, say I’m back, and get back to creating.

Deal?

Ok, today I’m gonna stay cozy, rest up, and would love to hear from ya.

Are there thought patterns that emerge for you – that you’re ready to cleanse out of your system?

Write them below as a way to put that nonsense in the light of day.

(If you’re like me, you’ll feel embarrassed admitting what your mind says – but that’s just a trick our minds do to keep those thoughts in circulation.)

Then, take a deep breath, see what is actually in front of you. Feel the aliveness in your body, and know you ARE BACK!

With much love and gratitude,
Josh

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Tell us in the comments below, what do you do when thoughts keep you asleep?

Let me guess.

Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?

Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.