Sunday 21 August 2016

Setting Small Challenges

I am in awe of people that set themselves huge challenges and achieve them.  However, I am not in the correct mindset to undergo anything too challenging at the moment.  That doesn't mean that I do nothing, instead it just means that I set myself small attainable goals.

Recently, I set myself the task of looking for seven words, mainly adjectives and a few more unusual nouns, in the English Dictionary and learning their meanings over seven days.  Each Saturday I put a new list of words and their description on the fridge so that each time I am in the kitchen I can learn a few words in between doing the cooking and other chores.

Here is an example of words for week 1:

Pseudo
Fortitude
Adversity
Hyperbole
Pragmatic
Gormless
Oubliette

I won''t include their meanings here and I don't suppose I will ever have the chance to use the word Oubliette* in a conversation!  I am hoping that an increased vocabulary will give me an added advantage when it comes to filling in job applications!

I am going to set myself a few more achievable challenges this week such as learning something new in jewellery making and cooking something I have never cooked before (fried chicken was a first for me a few weeks ago).

If you are inspired by this and in the mood for setting yourself a small challenge, let me know what it is in the comments below.

*A secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling.



6 comments:

  1. good for you Simone, learning something new is always good!
    V x

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  2. I'm sure you could fit 'oubliette' into a casual conversation somewhere, Simone!:) It is good to have goals and smaller, achievable ones are the best ones. Happy Sunday:)

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  3. I love the idea of achievable goals and trying something new regularly. Pretty soon you'll see a pattern emerge and you will be well on your way to those big goals you thought you weren't ready for.

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  4. This is a great idea Simone, good luck in your endeavour. I keep a little notebook with new words in that I'd like to remember, though I often go long periods when I forget to use it.

    I recognise the word oubliette from the film The Labyrinth! It is the only time I've ever heard it used... in one of my favourite films with David Bowie :)

    I would like to set myself small achievable challenges. Last week it was to decorate my daughter's room. This week I would like to draw or paint something every day.

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  5. I never heard of the word "gormless", Simone! What a great challenge and I love the way you post the list on your refrigerator!
    I have been thinking of improving my speaking voice. I have a definite Boston accent and I have read that listening to a news commentator and imitating her speaking voice is a good way to practice this! I guess they are trained to have as little of an accent as possible.
    My secret wish would be to learn to speak with a British accent! Cheerio!! xx

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  6. What a wonderful idea. There are so many beautiful words out there and we need to use them.
    Lisa x

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