by Natasha Tynes | Sep 7, 2021 | Arabic Langauge
A quick encounter that took place at our local library the other day has left me with a number of insights. First it was a great reminder of the power of your mindset, and second it has emphasized my belief that we live in the best time for learning and building skills.
While checking out the books that my children had picked at the the library (anime, lots of anime), a woman who was wearing the hijab and her daughter approached me and greeted me with the Arabic greeting Al Salamu aleikom.
Without giving it a second thought, I responded Wa Aleikom El Salam, and then I thought to myself how did she know I spoke Arabic? Was my olive skin enough to give away my origin? After all, everyone here thought I was Latina. Could she really detect my origins even when I was masked?
“How did you know I spoke Arabic?” I asked her.
She pointed at my shirt. I looked down at what I was wearing and then I looked up and smiled. “Oh yeah, of course,” I said.
I was wearing a T-shirt that had the name of my home city, Amman, written in Arabic calligraphy.
The woman asked me where I was from, and told me that she Iranian and that her teenage daughter who was standing right next to her spoke Arabic.
Her daughter immediately started speaking with me in Modern Standard Arabic (classical Arabic), and I responded back. Her Arabic was pretty good.
When I asked how she learned Arabic (since very few Iranians I knew spoke Arabic), she gave me an answer that blew my mind.
“I learned Arabic through Siri.”
“You mean Siri from the iPhone?” I asked.
“Yes,” she responded.
What a genius idea! This teenager, just kept asking Siri how do you say this or that in Arabic until she learned the language.
This teenager is one with a growth mindset. One that made her mind to learn a language and learned in the most efficient, affordable and nuanced way.
She made it happen and she proved it to me.
That made me think about learning opportunities nowadays, and indeed what a good time to be alive
To quote Marie Forleo “Everything Is Figureoutable“. You can learn anything you set your mind on by going online , reading articles, watching YouTube videos, downloading ebooks, or even using the power of AI by messing around with Siri.
I’m sure that teenager will grow up to do wonderful things, and the reason boils down to her mindset. She wanted to learn Arabic so she just figured it out. Everything is indeed figueroutable.
If you really want to learn a language, you cam learn it. No excuses will rescue you. You don’t need money, or time or resources.
You have the internet, Google Translate, Siri, Alexa, audio books, DuoLingo. You can learn anytime, anywhere, and without spending a dime.
What time to be alive!
*Photo credit: Omid Armin, Unsplash
by Natasha Tynes | Aug 22, 2021 | Jordan, my nation, TV
I just finished watching the all-Jordanian Netflix series Al-Rawabi School, and my mind is racing. So many mixed emotions: surprise, nostalgia, excitement, sadness, fear, inspiration, but above all, elation.
Elation to hear the dialect of my home featured in a highly-produced, beautifully-shot, professionally-made series. Elation that against all odds; conflict, wars, pandemic, poverty, unemployment, and one disaster after the other, miracles do still happen in Jordan, in the country that could.
Al-Rawabi School exceeded all my expectations, from the story line with sophisticated character development, to the beautiful cinematography, to the all-girl school setting, and the excellent performance by the young, mostly-unknown cast, the show was an unexpected gem.
Al-Rawbi School tackled so many important and timely topics in Jordan and elsewhere: bullying, jealousy, revenge, friendship, sexual harassment, domestic abuse, patriarchy, and honor crimes.
Hearing very Jordanian words, and expressions like shagfeh, binshalf, shu bilnisbeh just made my heart sing, and put nostalgic tears in my eyes. Also, The inclusion of “Arabish,” the mix of English and Arabic vernacular is spot on, and an exact representation of how West Ammanites speak.
Seeing the beautiful familiar streets and neighborhoods of Amman made me want to savor every single minute of this unique show, and watch it again and again.
What made the show very relatable to me is the fact that I too grew up in West Amman, in an all-girl private school, I went through similar issues. I was both bullied and a bully. I was hurt and hurt others. I’m grateful that this period is all behind me now, and that somehow I had survived it unscathed.
The score is yet another marvel. The choice of eclectic Arabic music was top notch with a variety of independent and veteran Arab artists. I have been listening to the show’s play list on Spotify non-stop for days now along with my kids in the car, and we are all enjoying the tunes and signing along to the music.
As expected, the show generated some criticism, especially among those who believe that it didn’t represent “Jordan’s traditions and culture”. From what I saw, the criticism was minor compared to the huge support and reception it received.
To those who criticize the show, I would say everything in this show is an exact representation of Jordanian culture and tradition, this show couldn’t be more Jordanian.
The show might not be perfect, but is perfection what we are looking for here? If I really want to nitpick, I might say that the choice of the all-gothic look for the character Nouf was a bit over the top, and the character of the drunken dad slurring his words was a bit cliched, but these are really very minor things in the scheme of things. The show is a marvel
Kudos to everyone behind this all-Jordanian show, especially its young creator Tina Shomali, and of course all the brilliant young actress and their families who supported them.
Jordan, onwards and upwards. Jordan, you are definitely the little country that could.
by Natasha Tynes | Aug 12, 2021 | Publishing, Storytelling, Writing
Last month was a hard month for me. I received unexpected, unwelcome news that left me doubting my skills. A writing project that I had been working on for a year just fell through, taking a major toll on my confidence and sense of self-worth. I don’t have the energy to get into the details, but what happened, in a nutshell, was that editor and I had different views and we parted ways.
For a writer, many might argue that’s this is part of the process, that rejections and disappointment are only one step of a long, hard journey.
I hear you, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, because it does. A lot.
After I licked my wounds, I sought solace in my team of therapists: my books.
The book You are Writer (So start acting like one) by Jeff Goins resonated with me. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment of my life.
He says:
“No guide or set of tools can prepare you for the rejection you will face, the criticism you will endure, or the pain you will experience. Because you will. You will get rejected.”
A 2011 blog post by marketing guru and entrepreneur Seth Gothin, titled “Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself” really hit the nail on the head. He says:
“Amanda Hocking is making a million dollars a year publishing her own work to the Kindle. No publisher.
Rebecca Black has reached more than 15,000,000 listeners, like it or not, without a record label.Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you–that Prince Charming has chosen another house–then you can actually get to work.”
He ends this masterpiece of a blog by saying:
No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.
You can also hear Seth Godin talking about picking yourself here:
This was exactly what I needed when I was hitting a low point last month.
I realized that I was waiting to be picked, by a major publisher or a major newspaper, or a major media network, and I’m done with that. I’m done with waiting for Prince Charming. I’m writing and producing and self-publishing. The sky is the limit. Chasing the gatekeeper is a thing of the past.
I’m picking myself. I’m going to be writing more, producing more content, and sharing my thoughts on various available platforms for anyone to read. Jeff Gothin agrees with this idea, he says
“You can create the life every writer dreams of: never having to write a proposal or query letter again. Never having to pitch; never having to compromise. Wouldn’t that be great? I’m here to tell you it’s possible. I’m also here to tell you it takes hard work and smart work and patience.”
Does that mean that I’m going to stop pitching? No, not necessarily. I will still pitch ideas for publications that I might think are a good fit for my content, but being picked by them is merely a side outcome, it’s not the ultimate goal. Not being chosen by them is no longer going to keep me up at night.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here declaring that I’m picking myself, and it feels amazing. I’m more fired up and excited about the future to come. A flood of ideas are flowing through my brain, and I’m having a hard time capturing them all.
I’m reinvigorated. I’m no longer dreading the rejection letters. I am a writer and I’m acting like one. I am picking myself. Pick yourself, too!
by Natasha Tynes | Aug 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Imagine every morning is a Christmas morning? How wonderful life will be then?
That’s the idea behind Hal Elrod’s book The Miracle Morning, one of the best books that I have read this year.
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He starts off by saying that many of us live a mediocre life, although we all have the potential to be successful.
According to him, The average American “wallows in $10,000 of debt, is overweight, doesn’t like their job, and is mildly depressed.”
Based on statistics from the Social Security Administration, Elrod argues that “95 percent of Americans aren’t living the life they wanted for themselves.”
The author himself actually died for six minutes following a car accident. After spending several days in a coma, he awoke to doctors telling him that he had permanent brain damage and might not be able to walk again.
Yet he was able to recover. Later on, he found himself in extreme debt and down in depression, but yet again he managed to turn his life around.
He attributes his success to his own miracle morning.
His solution to setting up yourself for success and living to your full potential is is to wake up early every morning and perform certain actions that will set you up for success
After all, famous successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and even Aristotle. have one thing in common: getting up early!
Elrod encourages us to use six steps every morning to start living the life of our dreams: He calls his technique S.A.V.E.RS:
Silence: This includes prayer, meditation, gratitude. He encourages silence for at least 5 minutes.
Affirmations. Program yourself to be confident and successful in everything you do.
Visualization. Imagine what you want to achieve. One example he cited is the actor Jim Carrey who wrote himself a check in 1978 in the amount of 10 million dollars and dated it for Thanksgiving 1995. In 1994 he was paid 10 million dollars for his starring role in Dumb and Dumber. He also encourages creating vision boards.
Exercise: He quotes Robin Sharma .” If you don’t make time for exercise, you have to make time for illness.” What a powerful thought, and true sentence.
Reading: To learn from the experts and model successful people who have already achieved what you want
Scribing. Writing enables us to document our insights.
He argues that all the S.A.V.E.R.S steps can be done in 60 minutes.
Now if you have trouble wake using early and staying awake, he was what he called his 5-step snooze proof.
1- Set up your intention before bed: Create a positive expectation for the next morning the night before. It’s Christmas Eve and you are waiting for your Christmas morning.
2- Move your alarm clock across the room
3- Brush your teeth
4- Drink a full glass of water
5- Get dressed in your workout clothes
So what did apply from his advice?
I have always been an early riser, but his book has helped me map out my morning in a more strategic and productive way. I now exercise and journal and say affirmations. I’m still working on making meditation a habit.
I’m still having a hard time waking up at 5:00 instead of 6:00 but it’s mainly because I go to bed at around 11:00 PM, not because I’m watching TV but it’s mostly because I’m trying to take care of the house chores after everyone is asleep.
I’m going to keep trying to adjust my night routine until I manage to go to bed at a decent time so that I can achieve my goal of waking at 6:00 am.
This book is short, inspirational, and would definitely improve your life.
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 9, 2021 | Books
Every once in a while, you find a gem of a book that changes your life. This book for me is
Atomic Habits by James Clear.
This book not only has changed my life but also made me much happier. When I’m happier I’m a better mother, partner, employee, daughter, and friend, and It goes without saying that everyone around you benefits when you are happy.
Atomic Habits has taught me tactics that are making me stick with small habits that will eventually compound creating the impact that I desire. For example, thanks to Clear’s tactics, I’m now exercising every day. How did I force myself to do that? I became aware of why I stopped exercising before, which was that I looking for instant gratification, and not understanding how the math of small changes works.
Clear explains:
“If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you will end up thirty-seven times better by the time you are done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a mere setback accumulates into something much more.”
So now I use this mantra before I find myself trying to avoid exercise, ” 1 percent better every day.”
Another idea he proposes is that we need to forget about goals and focus on systems instead.
He says:
“Goals are about the results try to want to achieve, Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems.”
For example, I would keep telling myself I need to create a YouTube channel, but it took me a while to focus on the actual system. What kind of equipment do I need? Where do I shoot the video in my house? What time? What topic?
I should have focused on the system itself, not on the abstract concept. Now I zoned in on the topic, I have purchased the necessary equipment and created a mini studio in one small corner of the house.
The purpose of setting goals is to win the game. The purpose of building systems is to continue playing the game.
Another illuminating idea is that true “behavior change is identity change. ” You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of who you are.”
The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
So now, the million-dollar question. How to create a good habit:
He proposes four laws of behavior change:
1- Make it obvious
2- Make it attractive
3- Make it easy.
4- Make it satisfying
To make it obvious: The are two cues. Time and location. Pair a new habit with a current habit. For example, I exercise in the basement at 8:00 am every day.
Make it attractive is by offering yourself a reward, For example. I will check TikTok after I do 5 burpees.
Make it easy: James clear says:
The idea is to make it as easy as possible in the moment to fo things that pay off in the long run. For example, if you want to exercise, set out your workout clothes, the night before. Want to eat healthy? Chop up a ton of fruit and vegetables on weekends and pack them inc continuers.
Make it satisfying: For example, you want to save money by skipping your late, open a bank account and label it for something you like, lets’ say a trip to Hawaii. Every time you skip your morning latte add $5 dollars to your Hawaii saving account.
Finally, one thing that really stuck with me is how to recover quickly when your habits break down.
Clear warns against missing your habits twice.
“Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”
On the few days, I miss exercise, If I have a morning call or if I’m behind on a work project, I keep telling myself, by hook or by crook I will exercise tomorrow. Never miss two days in a row.
I would be definitely reading this book again and again and will be gifting it to many of my friends.
James Clear actually has a free newsletter that you can subscribe to and get useful tips, so I advise you to do that.
Without giving it a second thought, I responded Wa Aleikom El Salam, and then I thought to myself how did she know I spoke Arabic? Was my olive skin enough to give away my origin? After all, everyone here thought I was Latina. Could she really detect my origins even when I was masked?
