In the last time more people asked me for advice on free ways for learning a foreign language. I speak at a good level two foreign languages - English and Spanish. I learnt both of them in school and improved them by travelling and by actually using them when speaking with other people. I can also greet and use basic words in several other languages. I meet many people from other countries and while I spend time with them I love learning something in their language; I find it fascinating.

But what if you are not in school anymore and you want to learn another language (more than just greetings and silly words that friends can teach you). I am now learning Italian. Of course, living with an Italian girl helps a lot with the process, but when I am not practicing with her I am learning the language online. Here are some useful ways on how to learn, practice and improve a foreign language: 

1. Duolingo

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Now let's talk about practicing and improving. The best way in which a foreign language sticks with you is by using it, especially with native speakers. So, here's how you can do it:

2. Easy Languages
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Now this is a really cool initiative that helps you learn languages from the streets. What do I mean "from the streets"? Basically, Easy Languages is posting videos in which native speakers are interviewing people on the streets of different places in the world. All the videos contain subtitles in both the original language as well as in English, which is really helpful for those who are learning.

I know we mostly use Skype for keeping in touch with our friends and family from abroad. But when it comes to practicing a foreign language, Skype can be a very useful tool, as you can speak with other people that are fluent in the language of your interest.

Melting Point is a Facebook group where you can find a person with whom to practice a foreign language via Skype. There are also Skype Language Exchange Facebook group and the Language Exchange website for the same purpose.

4. Language Exchange Meetings

I came across this concept for the first time in Poland. A Language Exchange meeting is a nice opportunity to interact with people from different countries, have interesting conversations and build friendships. Basically, at these meetings you find people from different countries, as well as local people, and you speak with them in a common language that you both/all know. Try finding group meetings in your city on Language Exchange Meetups. Or you can practice a language by meeting up with a native speaker living in your area. Find them on Conversation Exchange or My Language Exchange.

5. HelloTalk
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HelloTalk is a language exchange learning app. The app lets you find a conversation partner and chat, send voice messages or even call him/her for free. What is interesting about it is that while you are texting you have the options to listen to the pronunciation of the messages that you receive, as well as translating them in a language of your choice and many more other cool features. Read more about HelloTalk in this extensive review of the app.

6. Read

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Read as much as you can in the language that you are learning: books, newspapers, magazines, articles, you name it. Use a dictionary while you are reading to translate the words that you don't understand, write them down in a notebook and read them again from time to time. What will also be useful is to choose each day 2-3 new words from the list and use them the entire day. This will help in remembering them.

7. Watch movies, TV Shows, News etc.
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This is a relaxing way to practice a foreign language. It will help you improve the accent, pronunciation and learn new words and local phrases as well. Using subtitles in your language is recommended.

To sum up, there are many ways in which you can learn, practice and improve a foreign language. The best part is that most of them involve meeting new people, making friends or helping someone else to improve a language that you are fluent in. Just pick one and start practicing!

Do you know other free tools for learning a foreign language? I would love to hear about them!

Who would you want to be like? Take a moment and answer the question. Then, watch what Serena answered at an early age. This ad by Gatorade is truly inspiring. Win from within.

The Starry Night - Vincent van Gogh

Google Art Project makes art more accessible for everybody in a fun, interactive way. You can access it at www.googleartproject.com and you can explore a selection of high-resolution images of famous works from home.

Also, thanks to Street View technology, you can take a virtual tour inside some of the world’s greatest art museums and galleries like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York, The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Tate Britain & The National Gallery in London, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, or Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Give it a try!

I try not to let money decide for me in life. I said no to a good job opportunity and I went abroad volunteering. I guess I am young and I can afford to think like this. But actually it is never too late to think this way and ask ourselves what is our passion and how would we enjoy living our life. What really makes us rich? Money or experiences, people that we meet and that inspire us or completely change our life, knowledge that we gain, places that remain in our heart, views that take our breathe away, the feeling we have when we reach our dream?

And as it is said in the video, when you do something that you like, you will become really good at it because you are doing it with passion and dedication and eventually money will come. So don't choose a job or a profession over your dream just because now it is paid better. Think about the people that are an example to you. Why do you think they are successful? It is because they love what they do and they became the best at it.

Life is short, we all know this. So how would you really enjoy spending it? Don't waste your life doing things that you don't like doing and constantly thinking about something else that would actually make you happy. Be brave, take the risk. It will be worth it.

What If Money Was No Object ~ Alan Watts from Edgar Alves on Vimeo.
I'M NOT THE OWNER OF THIS VIDEO. Just wanted to share this.

Here's the link to the creator where you can watch more awesome messages: www.youtube.com/user/tradgedyandhope

If you are learning a foreign language, here is a cool initiative that not only allows you to learn it from native speakers, but it also helps you make an idea of how people are like, to hear their opinion about different topics, to get to better know the country, its culture and to really feel how it is to be there even though you are miles away.

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I am talking about Easy Languages, an international video project with a huge potential. Basically, Easy Languages is posting videos in which native speakers are interviewing people on the streets on different topics. All the videos contain subtitles in both the original language as well as in English, which is really helpful for those who are learning. You can watch the videos on Easy Languages YouTube channel, where you can choose from a variety of foreign languages like British or American English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Japanese, Indonesian and so on.

The videos are providing and authentic experience and they are really interesting and fun to watch. It is like being there on the streets listening to local people speaking. You really get into the atmosphere and you feel like you are getting to know the people - how they are like, how they are spending the day, why they like living in a particular country or city etc.

Here are three examples from Easy British English -  What do British people think about the Royal Family, Easy French - what do French people like or dislike about Paris and Easy German - What is typical German. Enjoy!

You can find Easy Languages on YouTube, Facebook or on their Website.

This chart is made by Marry Ellen Tribby in 2011 after meeting and working with some of the smartest, most successful entrepreneurs in the world - as she wrote about it. 

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My advice: 

Print it and put it on your desk, in your agenda or somewhere else where you can see it every day.

As MarryEllen Tribby said,”as long as we recognize and identify where we need to improve and continually strive to get there -- greater success will follow”. In her vision, people that succeed and reach their goals make 17 things. Let’s take them step by step.

1. Have a sense of gratitude 

2. Forgive others 

Nobody is perfect. I am not perfect. You are not perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. This is how we learn. Life is too short to hold on negative feelings. Really, let them go. Instead of holding any grudges, offer your forgiveness.You will feel happier and you will find peace of mind this way, not concentrating on someone’s mistakes.

3. Accept responsibility for their failures 

As I said before, everybody makes mistakes and this is how we learn. Thus, be a grown up and accept your failures. Do not blame someone else or the Universe for something that you did wrong. Only you are responsible for your actions and decisions, nobody else. "Big people” should understand this. So from now on, no more “sorry I’m late, the traffic was horrible”, and leave home earlier next time you know you have an important meeting.

4. Compliment 

Do you like someone's smile? Tell him/her! Are you impressed of your colleague's work? Say it! When we see a successful person, we may tend to be jealous. But instead of feeling like this and start to criticize, let’s feel happy for that person, for his/her ideas and hard work. Let’s compliment him/her and try to learn from his/her success. 

5. Read everyday 

As Will Smith said - in his speech about the key to life - there is no new problem you could have that someone hasn't already solved and written about it in a book. Reading helps you grow, get inspired, develop new ideas, find out new information in so many domains. There is always something that you could learn about. And the more you learn, the more you will find yourself in Albert Einstein's quote:

6. Keep a journal 

Keeping a journal has many benefits, like boosting our creativity, keeping a record of our progress or releasing stress.

7. Talk about ideas 

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Why waste time talking about other people when you could share ideas and get inspired as well. You will not believe how many interesting thing you could find out from other smart people like you.

8. Want others to succeed 

This is connected with step no.9 – sharing information. I offer my help and accept helping people with as much as I can. Yes, I want other people to succeed because this is how we can grow together. For example, I want every young people to develop as much as they can, to become better human beings and to succeed. This way we can succeed together as a community, as a country, as a continent, as the world :)

9. Share information and data 

Sharing is caring :) I like to share my knowledge, experiences and ideas. One of the ways I do it is through this blog. Another way is through the international projects in which I participate and educational projects that I organize through the NGO where I am a member. Why am I sharing? Because I want to help people develop as well, to find out easier about the things that I discovered and learned by myself. We should not be in a competition, we should act like a big team, helping each other.

10. Keep a "to-be" list 

Always aim to become better. Write down the qualities that you would like to define your personal branding; after that, think about what you need to do in order to become like that. Make a plan and get to action. 

11. Exude joy 

Start to be happy for everything that you have, for every person that is in your life, for everything that you achieved. I, for instance, enjoy every little thing in my life – like a warm tea in a cold day or when I put my sunglasses on in a sunny day, like the smell of the chai latte that I drink or the taste of the cocoa that I put on top of it. I simply smile like a child and make other people smile as well.

12. Keep a "to-do/project" list
This step is important. I keep an agenda and it is extremely useful. Keeping an agenda helps me be organized and remember what I have to do while also prioritizing my tasks. I started keeping an agenda in the first year of university when I started volunteering and participating in trainings, conferences, workshops and other events and projects at the same time- my schedule became so full, that I couldn't rely just on my memory anymore. 

13. Set goals and develop life plans 

It is important to think about what would you like to achieve and who would you like to become. Then you may concentrate all your efforts in reaching your goals. Here is an article about how to write a life plan.

14. Embrace change 

Don’t be afraid of change. Take my advice and always try to get out of your comfort zone. As time will pass by, you will feel how your comfort zone grows and the challenges that you have to overcome will become bigger and bigger; and you will become better and better.

15. Give other people credit for their victories 

Appreciate other people’s effort and successes. This is really important especially if you are coordinating a team. Support your team members, give them recognition for their achievements and help them grow. Don’t take credit for something that you didn’t do and be proud of your team instead.

16. Continuously learn

Most people stop learning after graduation. But this is a big mistake. Learning is a continuous process, so we should do it for the rest of our lives. That is why you should take into consideration advice no. 5. Please, don’t change books with TV after finishing school. Knowledge is the real power. If you want to grow, to develop, to get smarter every day, to get better at your work then you know what you have to do.

17. Operate from a transformational perspective
Through your actions you should be looking to change the future, rather than keeping things the same.

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I discovered this speech held by Will Smith, in which he is sharing with us the key to life. It sounds complicated but actually it is really simple: the key to life is running and reading.

As he explains, running is important because this way "you will learn how not to quit when things get hard in your life" and reading, because "there is no new problem you can have, that someone hasn't already solved and wrote about it in a book".

So, there you go, two simple and easy things that you could do and that will have a significant impact in you becoming more successful.

I clicked on this video just out of curiosity, thinking to give it just a few seconds of my time, but I ended up watching it all. Twice. Of course, it is not the first time that I am realizing this things, but the question still remains - what can we do? what can I do?

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TAKE YOUR TIME from Lucas Carrascosa on Vimeo.