001 : 행운이 가득한 사람들은

눈에서 멀어지면 사라지는 것은 사랑뿐만이 아니라 외국어도 마찬가지인 것 같습니다. 멀어지지 않기 위해서 청소를 하거나 집안 정리를 할 때 만이라도 팟캐스트 프로그램 몇 가지 중에서 번갈아 영어로 듣고는 있는데, 요즘 들어 게을러지면서 그것도 잘하지 못하고 있었습니다. 그래서 이 책이 눈에 들어왔어요. 언젠가 손미나 씨가 스페인어로 인터뷰하는 걸 봤거든요. 이태리어를 공부한 적이 있어서 스페인어를 들으면 정확히는 못 알아 들어서 대충 찍어서 이런 이야기가 오고 가는 군 하는 정도는 되었는데, 손미나 씨 인터뷰를 들으면서 내가 저런 질문을 듣고 답변을 한다면 어떨까 하는 생각이 들었어요. 그래서 이 책에 손이 가더군요.

 

 

 

 

 

'손미나의 나의 첫 외국어 수업'

술술 잘 읽혀지고 공감할 수 있는 내용들이 많았습니다. 그중에서 특히 마음이 가는 내용이 있었어요. 요일별로 정해서 다른 류의 글을 읽으라는 것이었습니다. 예를 들어서, 월요일에는 좋아하는 블로그를 읽고, 화요일에는 문화잡지, 수요일엔 뉴스 기사 등등 꾸준히 계속해서 나가라는 겁니다. 해야 할 하루 목록에도 넣어두면 하고 나서 줄을 쭉- 긋고 지우는 맛도 있고 괜찮을 것 같았습니다. 

 

가장 힘든 것 중의 하나가 '꾸준히' 하는 것이 아닐까 합니다. 어떻게 하면 좀 더 꾸준히 할 수 있는데 도움이 될까... 하다가 갑자기 머릿속을 지나간 생각이 블로그에 올리는 것이었습니다. 얼마 쓰다 만 블로그. 멈춰진 블로그. 사람들이 잘 오지도 않는 곳이긴 하지만, 어쨌든 인터넷 공간에 공개적으로 걸어두는 '대외적'인 행보이니 약간의 자극도 될 것 같아서지요. 결국 저만 보게 되겠지만, 그래도 효과가 좋을 듯했습니다. 물론 내용이 쌓이면서, 제 블로그에 다시 들어와 복습하는 효과도 있고요. :)

 

그래서 오늘부터 시작합니다. 듣고, 받아쓴 것을 올리고, 모르는 부분 첵업하면서, 공부인 듯 아닌 듯 그렇게 해 보려고 합니다. 일단 한 50개 정도? 그것도 무리인지 모르겠지만, 일단 목표는 그렇게 정해놓고 시작합니다. 손미나 씨의 책에는 100일 프로젝트라고 되어 있지만, 저는 저를 잘 압니다. 너무 부담 주지 않으려고 매일 또는 100일 이런 건 하지 않으려고요. 날짜에 상관없이 일단 50개는 채우는 것으로. 10년 걸릴지도 모르겠지만 어쨌든 마음에 듭니다! 

 

그럼 오늘 대망의 첫날.

오늘 제가 픽! 한 것은 운이 좋은 사람들에 대한 것. 왜 어떤 이들은 운이 찰싹찰싹 달라붙어서 일들이 술술 잘 풀리는지, 그런 류의 운 좋은 사람들은 어떤 부류의 인간들인지. BBC ideas에서 올리는 동영상은 교육적!이고, 길이도 적당하고, 일러스터도 귀여운 것들도 많아서 좀 질릴 때까지는 이곳에서 마음에 드는 동영상을 찍어서 듣고 정리해 보려고 합니다.

 

너무 잘하려고 하거나, 과하면 꾸준할 수 없게 만드니, 최대한 여유롭게, 일단 시작하고 '하는 것'에 의미를 두려고 합니다. 운이 따르는 사람들은 과연 어떤 습관이나 행동을 하는 것일까요? 

 

 

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듣고 타이핑 톡톡

Ever wondered why some people seem to have all the luck?

We’ve been trying to improve our luck for centuries, lucky charms, amulets, and talismans ­­have figured in virtually every recorded civilization.

 

Early European believed iron had magical qualities so hanging horseshoes in your house was meant to ward off spirits. Touching or knocking on wood is said to date back to Celtic rituals that were designed to rouse the tree gods and call on their protection.

 

Throughout history, people have recognized that good and bad luck can transform lives. A few seconds of bad luck can overturn years of hard work and moments of good luck can save years of striving. Superstition represents people’s attempts to improve and control their luck. 

 

British psychologist and author Richard Wiseman undertook a ten year study on the science of luck. In one experiment he asked people to look through a newspaper and count the number of photographs inside on average it took the people who thought of themselves as unlucky around two minutes. People who thought of themselves as lucky on the other hand took a few seconds. Why? Because on the second page there was a message that said, in a massive font, “Stop counting, there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.” The lucky people it seems were more open to possibilities other than the ones they were searching for. 

 

Richard Wiseman 

“There are four main psychological principles that separate lucky people from unlucky ones. So first of all, lucky people are more open to opportunities, spotting them and making the most of them. Second, they tend to be optimists and that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy they’re pushing forward, they’re expecting the best. Also differences in terms of intuition lucky people tend to have lucky hunches and trust their intuition. And finally, they’re more resilient. When bad things happen, they’re good at turning that bad luck into good fortune. So big differences in the way they think and the way they behave.”

 

But whilst it’s true that if you train hard you are more likely to win a sporting event, or the harder you swot for and exam the more you increase your chances of the best grade you’re capable of.

 

Here’s the kicker. No amount of positivity, work or preparation will reduce the chance of say, being kept awake by noisy neighbors the night before an exam or slipping on a wet patch as you run during a race. 

 

Richard Wiseman

“It would be wrong to think that all of someone’s good or bad luck is entirely due to the way they’re thinking and behaving.” When it comes to people who aren’t quite so successful or happy in life we shouldn’t think it’s all their fault. It could be down to where they’re born or the society they’re born into or chance accidents or illnesses and you need to take all of those factors into account.”

 

In 2012 at a campaign rally, Barack Obama caused controversy when he said, “If you’re successful, you didn’t get that on your own. If you’re successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.” And he raises a key factor by considering the role of luck. There’s a whole bunch of hardworking, positive-thinking people out there who aren’t successful and certainly aren’t lucky. Obama’s statement sparked debate with several online publications railing against him and public figures like republican rival Mitt Romney openly rebuffing him. For many, Obama’s comments were seen as an insult to the American work ethic and the idea that success was achieved through merit. But as the economist Robert H. Frank argues, talent and drive will get you so far but luck and life chances will also play a huge role. 

 

Rober H. Frank

“What if you asked the question, “where do your talents come from?”, “Where does your propensity to work hard come from?” If you’re a hardworking person who has a lot of talent you got those traits from the environment you grew up in and from the genes you inherited. You’re not in any strict sense in a position to claim moral credit for them. And so we’re comfortable enough saying that you’re lucky to have those traits. But what about the person who works hard? Is that person not entitled to congratulate herself for the effort she put forward? What we know is that putting forth effort in trying circumstances is difficult. It requires often a Herculean will to go forward in the face of one setback after another. If you’re the kind of person who’s been taught that your temperament alone determines where you’ll be persistent and your temperament is just a matter of luck, I think you’re more likely to sit back and wait and see what happens. If instead you view yourself as the captain of your own fate and think, “It’s up to me to make it happen.” you’re much more likely to persist against a series of setbacks. 

 

So it’s like Richad Wiseman said earlier, lucky and unlucky people are often determined by the way they think which suggest that there is hope for change. I think that anyone has the capability and the potential to make themselves luckier. It’s realizing that lots of that good fortune is due to the way you’re thinking, the way you’re behaving. Understand the mindset of the lucky person and you can bring more good fortune into your life.