不要降低你的梦想为了屈服现实。增加你的信念去匹配你的命运。

知识好像地下的泉水，掘得越深，水就越清。

Knowledge is like the spring underground — the deeper you dig, the clearer the water is.

自信 (zi4 xin4) - self confidence; literally: 自 = self 信 = believe

Ex. You can increase your 自信 over time. It is something I try to improve everyday.

空儿 /kòngr/ -  free time, spare time

有空儿  /yǒu kòngr/ - free

没空儿 /méi kòngr/ - busy

抽空儿 /chōukòngr/ - to manage to find time to do something

明天下午你有空儿吗？/ míngtiān xiàwǔ nǐ yǒu kòngr ma / - Are you free tomorrow afternoon?

两点以前没空儿，两点以后又空儿。/liǎng diǎn yǐqián méi kòng er, liǎng diǎn yǐhòu yòu kòngr./ - Before 2PM, I’m busy, after 2PM I’m free.

两个人之间最坏的距离就是误解。

The worst distance between two people is misunderstanding.

how to stay motivated

hey guys so recently I have had quite a few messages asking me how to stay motivated so I thought I would put it in one post so that people can see how I like to stay motivated and hopefully these tips help you too!

TIP #1 SET A GOAL

I feel like setting a goal is super important and this is my main source of motivation. I set little mini short-term goals and the odd long-term goal so I am surrounded by aims to get me motivated. 

So what is a short-term goal? A short-term goal is a goal that you want to set for the near future. The near future could be an hour, a day, a week, a month - but something that you can accomplish in a ‘small’ amount of time. Examples could include:

Getting up at 7am every morning and starting your work early

Reading a chapter of a book a day to improve your reading 

No chocolate for a month

No studying past 6pm

Keep a clean desk

A long-term goal is something that you want to reach but takes a lot longer to achieve. Long-term goals can include:

Going to university to study Law

Getting straight B’s in next years final exams

Landing a career in journalism

Gaining/losing X amount of lbs

Saving £X so you can go on holiday

I find setting a long-term goal can be helpful, but short-term goals are just as good. I have a long term goal at the moment to work hard and get good grades so I can go to university and study history. Whilst this is a good goal, I also need stepping stones to get me there and to keep that motivation flowing - these are my short-term goals: such as getting more organised for my final year, or getting an A on an essay I’ve written. 

Sometimes people don’t know what to do when they have to set a goal, but think slightly selfish for a bit and think about what you really want and how to get there. This sets up some motivation. I love having a goal because I feel like every small task I complete gets me one step closer to that goal of mine - almost like ticking an assignment off of your to-do list!

TIP #2 SCHEDULES AND TO-DO LISTS

Speaking of to-do lists, this brings me on to tip number two. I don’t know where I would be without a to-do list/schedule because without it, I would be an absolute mess. With having so much to do, it is impossible for me to keep a mental list of everything and writing it down helps so much!

Not only does it help me remember what I have to do, it also motivates me in so many ways. First of all, setting one up at the start of the day means that I know exactly what I need to get done and I want to get it done as quickly as I can, but without rushing it and so it makes me start straight away so I can tick things off of my list. 

This brings me on to the second reason why they motivate me so much - because every time you tick it off, you get an amazing feeling of satisfaction and relief that your to-do list is slowly getting smaller. Also, the amount of happiness it brings when you have ticked off everything you have to do is definitely such a good feeling and it is so amazing to know you have finished and you can now relax! Each time you tick something off, it motivates you to get the whole list done.

Schedules work in the same way, as you go through the day, there are less and less things for you to do and it makes you feel gradually more satisfied that you’re coming to the end of your work!

Pro tip: however, it is important to be realistic, if you set a to-do list with 15 things on it, it looks less appealing and you are less likely to do it. go for realistic lists that are long enough to keep you busy but small enough to manage!

TIP #3 BREAKING DOWN BIG TASKS INTO SMALLER ONES

This is actually quite simple and original but also helps massively and perhaps one of the most amazing things ever. If I have a massive chunk of homework for a subject, breaking it down into smaller tasks makes my life so much easier and saves me so much agro. 

Of course it isn’t always possible to break it down if your deadline is two days after it is set - but you can always break it down into two halves which makes tackling it seem a lot easier. 

I know some of my friends really don’t like doing this because they would rather just get it done and out the way, but if you are someone like me where motivation needs to hit me like a truck before I get work done, this can be a really good way to tackle projects and homework and isn’t as stressful. Whilst it might take slightly longer due to the breaking up of tasks, I actually find this more productive and makes things so much more manageable so I actually feel like I want to do the small task instead of the one large one. 

I break up the tasks and schedule these broken up tasks on my to-do list. For example, instead of reading a whole chapter and taking notes from my history books, I will just write ‘take notes from page X to page Y’ and it completely changes my frame of mind and makes me more positive.

TIP #4 DO THE TOUGHEST TASK FIRST

You probably must be thinking something like, ‘Jess you must be mad! why on earth would you do the hardest task first thats just the worst idea ever?!’ but honestly, this is something that can really change your mood and uplift you for the rest of the day - honestly, this tip works!

I completely understand that in a morning the first thing you are not going to want to do is that physics homework that entails you doing 3 pages of questions on oscillations and harmonic motion. However, doing the hardest task / things you don’t want to do first, not only makes you tackle it with a fresh mind after waking up (or after a break from school or whatever it is you were doing), but also afterwards, you feel more confident and motivated to get the rest of the things done which are more enjoyable and is actually more motivating because you have got the worst thing out of the way.

You also don’t want to not do it and then set it for another day, when you are probably going to procrastinate getting it done. Get it out of the way!

We all know that leaving an assignment you really don’t want to do until last is perhaps the worst thing you can do, as you take one look at it and decide you have had enough and need a break or some sleep. Prioritising this first means that you can get everything done without leaving the thing you didn’t want to do. 

TIP #5 YOUR SUCCESSES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THINK ABOUT YOUR FAILURES TOO!

This one is a great one to bare in mind and this really applies to me at the moment and is actually where my main source of motivation has come from since the 18th August (results day!).

For me, getting great results is a massive success, and receiving results such as A’s and B’s makes me very very happy and much more motivated. It gives me a spark of inspiration to keep going to make sure that I keep that up! Whilst I know grades aren’t everything, they are really important to me and so this is why when I get very good results, they motivate me to keep me going to achieve more - and it ends up in a cycle!

However, whilst good grades motivate me to carry on performing at my best and to keep working hard, it is important that I understand my failures too, and so should you. A failure for me isn’t a specific grade as such, but where I am disappointed at myself for getting something or knowing I didn’t perform as well as I should have, or an unexpected failure as I thought I had done better than I did.

From these failures/mistakes, these also motivate me to do better next time, or to focus on improving myself and my technique to be the best I can be. Failures/mistakes can make you more motivated than what your successes can, because it motivates you to find areas of improvement and work hard and improve techniques so that you can get to where you want to be - you can get to that goal! 

Successes and failures are so important in receiving motivation. Not only do they provide you with something to keep you going, but they build you as a character and I think that is a lovely thing!

TIP #6 MAKE USE OF YOUR CREATIVITY

I find that since joining the studyblr community, I have found really nice ways to be creative and to make my notes look neater and more appealing for me to look at. This might seem to be such a silly little tip, but drawing simple doodles or fancy titles really motivates me. 

Whilst making my notes look more aesthetically pleasing takes slightly longer, I find it calms me with anxiety as I am being creative whilst I am working and it is a really great way for me to stay relaxed. So not only does it bring me motivation, but calms my anxiety too! Killing two birds with one stone!

This point doesn’t really apply when I am revising, a fancy title will probably do; and also when I am taking notes in class, I never bother; but when I am going over things or making flashcards, it helps to make things look more appealing so I am more likely to pick them up and go for them and learn. 

Some might disagree that this would actually make them less inclined to do work, but if you need to alleviate stress, get motivated or just want to make your notes look nice, then this could be for you!

TIP #7 BREAKS AND REWARDS!!

Breaks and rewards give you so much motivation whilst you are doing your work! I study and revise probably more than what is healthy, and so I like to make sure I have a nice break whenever I can because I work myself very hard. Sometimes, something can take me about 2 hours and so a half an hour to an hour’s worth of break can really help me before I start something else. 

You can try having a break every 45 minutes, every hour or two hours; but make sure your break really puts your mind at ease before you start work again. You need to make sure you give your brain a good rest. 

You can have a break or reward yourself by having a nice shower, going for a walk or to the gym, cooking, having a coffee and a biscuit, meeting up with some friends, going on social media, having a nap - whatever it might be, as long as you have that break you will feel so much more refreshed after! It also motivates you to get things done so you know you can have a break after you have finished your task and makes you feel compelled to finish it so you can relax!

TIP #8 GET HELP ALONG THE WAY

This is actually a really important point and can help maintain motivation in the long run. Getting people to help you can be a really good way to stay motivated. Tell people, such as your friends and family, about the goals you have set for yourself or that you are struggling to stay motivated and ask them to help you. 

My friends sometimes study with me and help me with things I don’t understand which can help maintain my motivation. When I finally understand something or I go over things with my friends, it can make me feel more confident and uplifted that I know things and spurs me on. Letting family know about your goals also helps them support you which is a really significant part of motivation, because if no one is there to support you, the will to carry on eventually disintegrates and you don’t want that! 

Make sure that you do have some support, whether it be from friends, family or the studyblr community, but ensure you are surrounded by people who can motivate you and who can help you along the way so that you can achieve these goals and keep you on target! Sometimes, motivation doesn’t come from the things you do, but from the environment that you’re in - which is why support and help is such a good source of motivation!

That is the end of the tips I have on how to stay motivated. Hopefully they are good starting points for you all! Let me know if you try any of these tips for a while and tell me if they have helped you, it is always nice to see what people think and if these things work - remember if they don’t, that everyone is different and different things work for different people!

things that should be completly normal:

not going to uni

taking as much time as needed before going to uni

changing your majors many times before finding what you like

changing your career path

not knowing what you want

attending a community college 

valuing your health over your grades

真的！(zhēn de -> true that)

如果你只读其他人都在读的书，你的想法也不会超越其他人。

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

村上春树 Haruki Murakami

你好！hello! so this is my first masterpost and i decided to make a masterpost on chinese since i am currently learning chinese and have been since i was around 5. i haven’t seen very many chinese masterposts here and hoped this will help every single one of you who are currently learning chinese or would like to start learning!! 

the basics:

chinese tools learn chinese - they have 31 lessons!

bbc learn chinese - several different sources

memrise - i’ve heard lots of good things about this site!!

quizlet - great for grammar, flashcards, i used this at school since my chinese teacher made sets for use to learn!

CCTV learning chinese - CCTV is a chinese tv broadcaster, this has a lot of videos you can watch

mandarin chinese pinyin chart with audio - awesome chart of pinyin and tones

you could also find a chinese ethnic school near you, this is what i did but i know many non-chinese who choose to go to a chinese school since you are surrounded by others who are also at your level and you have a teacher in person to teach and guide you. having native chinese speakers around you is definitely helpful and it will help you develop listening and speaking skills! :)

apps:

learn chinese - chineseskill  [ android | ios ] free

learn chinese - hello chinese [android | ios ] free

skritter [ android | ios ] free for a week, then you have to pay

pleco dictionary (the best thing ever honestly) [ android | ios ] free and there is a paying option but the free version is still good!

line dictionary [ android | ios ] free

laokang tone test [ ios ] free but no android version :(

shi zhi - learn characters [ android (this is a similar app and its cute!!) | ios ] the android app is free but ios app isn’t

dictionaries:

MDBG dictionary - has both a simplified and tradition character option and also you can draw the characters and they can recognize them

line dictionary - sometimes this site doesn’t work for me but when it does it is very useful!! also has a handwriting option

chinese tools

chinese text annotation - i’m not sure if this counts as a dictionary, however whenever you copy and paste or type a chinese paragraph into the box you can annotate the phrases and get the pinyin and the english meaning

google translate - ok i know this isn’t a very reliable translation option, however when you type a paragraph of chinese into it, it shows the pinyin which is v useful for those who need to write down the pinyin into their textbooks etc etc

other resources:

中外对话 china dialogue - read chinese articles for you to improve your reading skills and to find new vocab

slow chinese - another chinese article site where it also has audio and podcasts on itunes. slow chinese also translates not only into english, but german, french, portuguese and many more languages!! [podcasts]

music, movies & tv shows etc.:

myasiantv - other than korean dramas and movies, myasiantv offers chinese ones!!

最强大脑 the brain china - a game/talent show aiming to find people with exceptional brain power

非诚勿扰 if you are the one - a game/dating show, addicting :’)))

奔跑吧兄弟 hurry up, brother (aka. running man china) - running man is a very popular variety show in korea and now there is a chinese version based on the original version!

learn chinese now - youtube channel

chinese class 101 - youtube channel

tips:

try to make learning chinese fun!! watching tv shows in chinese with or without subs will definitely help you pick up on some vocab and pronunciation

engage with native speakers, if you have chinese friends, ask them to help you with conversation and pronunciation, don’t be shy!

try to use at least one word/phrase in a sentence each day, this will help you in future for making sentences

keep on practicing! i stopped learning chinese for 2 years and i actually lost a lot of vocab that i learnt and when i started again, it was hard to remember some of it ;A;

other language resources: 

language learning tips + resources by @study-ings 

free online language courses by @wonderful-language-sounds 

tips + tricks for learning a language by @ofminervas

chinese resources by @brbimstudying

ok this was a huge masterpost tbh but i hope i was helpful!!

ig: acadehmic

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to (formally) introduce my first real “big” project / post here on tumblr! It’s called the “Reasons to Learn a Language” Project, and it’s something that everyone can be involved in!

What is it?: This is a community project where tumblr users can send in their  “reason(s) to learn a foreign language” to my blog (@cactii-studies) via ask. The reasons can be long or short, and as in depth (or not) as you’d like them to be. The reasons that I’ve received will then be compiled into one large post with the sender’s username by the reason. The final setup will be similar to @study-well‘s “100 Reasons to Study” post. 

Why?: My hope is that this will serve as a motivational list of reasons for taking up foreign language studies. I personally think that foreign language studies are incredibly important, and I’d like to compile everyone’s thoughts in one place for people to look at, and hopefully inspire others to take the leap into learning a new language. 

Who?: Everyone! I’m not kidding! You don’t have to be a langblr to send in a reason. This is a community project that is open to everyone who has a tumblr account, no matter the content of your blog. Whether you’re learning Arabic, German, Japanese,  Afrikaans, or American Sign Language, you’re welcome to participate. This project is not language specific. Therefore, it would be nice if your reason did not include a specific language. (Perhaps those of you in other language communities would be interested in making posts like “Reasons to learn (insert language here)”? That’s up to you guys though, and would be a separate project!) Also, you don’t have to be learning a foreign language to participate! Just send in a reason why you want to start learning one! 

When?: This project starts November 19, 2017, and will end on December 27, 2017. I will be using December 28-31 to compile the final list, which will be posted on January 1, 2018, in order to kick off a new year of language learning! 

I’m going to tag some blogs that showed interest when I initially mentioned this idea in order to get the word about this project out there. That being said, most of my connections are to Japanese langblrs or studyblrs, so please please please spread this around! 

@uni-venture | @yoimosezu | @languagesque | @hinodestudies | @lovelybluepanda | @the-notegarden | @peraperagengo | @ccstudys | @the-delusion-polyglot | @worldapprentice | @jpnstudynet | @milkastudies | @fuckstudy | @mochiilang | @therenoplaceforus | @emmastudies | @phctcsynthesis | @studyquill | @studyflwr | @smallstudyblrsunite | @equaticns | @focusign

If you have a question, please ask, and I’ll answer as quickly as I can! I hope that this project is something that people are interested in, and will participate in! 

Oh, all posts regarding this project with be tagged with #rtlalproject