30 day challenge: Italian

I love challenges that are 3-4 weeks in nature. These short-term challenges feel achievable and it also feels like enough time to get your feet wet trying something new. I typically know if I want to continue pursuing something or not after that amount of time.

I added Austin Kleon’s 30-day practice template to my junk journal to keep myself accountable.

In a recent weekly roundup, I shared my love for Austin Kleon. He’s a fantastic writer and artist. Pre-pandemic I was a fan of his books. During the pandemic, his weekly newsletter and blog have been a lifeline. Earlier this month he wrote a post that has stuck with me on practicing to suck less. There is an old adage, "Practice Makes Perfect” which always drove me crazy. There are certain things in life that I’m just not naturally good at and I had always felt why bother practicing if I know I won’t be able to master them. Kleon argues that we should practice not for perfecting something but to suck less at it.

I think he’s right. I will never have the best arch for my downward-facing dog, but if I continue to practice yoga on a regular basis I know it will get better. Kleon offers printable templates for marking off 30 or 100-day challenges. I’ve decided this year to commit to trying something I want to get better at in 30-day increments. These are small challenges that don’t take up a ton of time. This way if I am enjoying the practice of…well practicing them I can continue even as I start new challenges.

Currently, I’m focusing on learning basic Italian. Foreign language is something that I wish I could pick up effortlessly, but I’m not wired that way. Over the years I’ve found the app Duolingo to be helpful when I wanted to brush up on high school and college French. I’m now using the app to study Italian. Why Italian? First of all, I love Italy and I think Italian, like all romance languages, is beautiful. If you don’t believe me read or re-read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray Love.

Secondly, my partner Lou is from a huge Italian family. His mom is first-generation and his dad immigrated from Italy in the 1970s. They of course are fluent, Lou says he isn’t, but I think he’s being modest. He speaks Italian beautifully. Since I now am officially becoming part of the family I decided I wanted to learn the language that everyone else shares. I will probably never be fluent unless I take an immersive course or spend a prolonged period of time in Italy, but I will at least be able to follow some basic conversations and chime in from time to time.

Are you challenging yourself to learn or improve on a skill this winter? If so please tell me about it in the comments.