Post 7: How to Create a Language Mission: James Bond Style

In order to create a 90 Day Plan to Fluent Italian I needed a goal. I need a Mission!

When James Bond is being lured into his deadly trap by a stunning Soviet defector, or when the British warship is mysteriously destroyed in Chinese waters and the world is on the brink of World War III what does he do? Or better yet, when the world is in the greatest depression in history and it's economy system is crashing, what do I do?

Learn a new Language of course! But first: my mission.

[ Russia with Love ] [ Tomorrow Never Dies ]

Note: NEW FEATURE, highlight one of the above movie titles and click "Search"

So according to Tim Ferris's blog and my post two days ago, in order to get somewhere we need progress. Earlier I defined progress in a language as:

1. Passion

2. Imersion

3. Dedication

So if I stick to these 3 steps, I will get there, right?

Get Where???

Lets say James Bond has a mission to save the world, but he didn't plan out his destination. He takes a 20 hour flight to China, finds out he went the wrong way, and now WWIII starts? Well, to be honest he'd probably be blown up by several nuclear missile explosions…

… but the point is, we don't want to spend three months going in the wrong direction. It's a wast of time.

So in order to create a 90 Day Plan to Fluent Italian, I need to know where I am and where I want to be.

First, Where I AM:

Extreme Beginner: I don't know any italian, never spoken another language, took 1 year of Spanish classes which amounted to several introduction phrases, and I don't know anything about the Italian culture.

Second, Where I Want to Be:

[my definition of] Fluent Italian: Comprehend 95% of a wide variety of subjects in conversation, movies and talk radio stations, have a limited accent, and be able to write and express myself easily in Italian. Understand the basic geography of Italy and it's main cities, have a basic understanding of it's cultural history and current culture, and learn to cook a few Italian meals.

Yes! I'm quite the enthusiast!

So now I have my Mission:

Destination: Coordinates: 8°16′31.36″N 98°30′02.02″E

[tip: try Highlighting the coordinates above and click search =]

Okay, maybe not… but how about the refrigerator. I'm hungry.

So what'd you think? Did this help? Do you know what the importance of those coordinates are? Please comment, I love reading your feedback!