Who of us has not wanted to learn a foreign language? I bet there is still a grammar book or a language course hidden somewhere on your book shelf that reminds you of the day when you decided to learn French or Italian or even Japanese. Well, this long-forgotten dream of yours can finally turn into reality, because let’s face it – while you can get away with speaking just your mother tongue while traveling, knowing a foreign language opens a myriad of opportunities:

• It can speed up your professional growth and gives you the possibility of finding a better job
• It helps you to understand another culture much better and to read books written by famous authors “in their original language”
• It makes it much easier to make friends in different countries and much more fun to travel around the world.
• It trains your memory and helps to keep your mind sharp

Besides, there is something almost magical about gazing at the stars and humming a French song to your beloved , ordering a cup of delicious espresso in Piazza San Marco in perfect Italian, laughing at a joke in Spanish without having to ask your friends what it means or greeting your international business partners in Russian or Chinese.

You might believe that learning a foreign language is difficult, boring or frustrating, that you do not have a talent for languages that the last time you tried to learn French or Spanish you hardly made any progress. All these doubts are normal, but they are groundless. While everyone’s learning style and language acquisition speed can be different, scientists are convinced that just about anyone can master a new language and your age or talents have nothing to do with it.

And the best part is that the more languages you know, the easier it is to learn the new ones!

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Have you ever had a small disagreement with a friend that turned into a disaster? Have you ever tried to share your thoughts with your spouse and felt that you were not being heard? And how about saying something that you regretted as soon as the words left your mouth?

I have found myself in such situations more than enough times to learn the hard way that words are not to be taken lightly.

In fact, I believe that it is a skill to be able to say the right thing at the right time. But it is a talent to leave wrong things unsaid.

Here are 10 Things that are better left unsaid, especially when talking to the people that you like, respect or have to get along with.

1. “I told you so”

This is a very tempting remark that we often can not stop ourselves from saying (especially when we did warn the person about the consequences.) But before you open your mouth, count up to ten and think about why you want to say it? Do you want to bring the other person even lower, by pointing out what an idiot they were for not listening to you? It is kind of insensitive, don’t you think?
When we share our troubles with people, we do not want our mistakes rubbed in our face. We are looking for compassion and support. Keep this in mind the next time you feel like saying “I told you so”, and say “I think you are right.”

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“Nothing in all creation is so like God as silence.” – Meister Eckhart

Imagine hiking in beautiful mountains surrounded by century old trees and breathtaking views. Or picture waking up in a little bungalow at sunrise and being the first one to leave your footprints on white powder sand. This is what silence feels like to me – being away from civilization, traffic, huge crowds and never-ending phone calls. And the best part is that I do not have to travel all the way to Himalayas or Bora-Bora to feel this way.

When the world gets to you, you can simply turn off your cell phone, pause your iPod, shut the door behind you, close your eyes, take a few relaxing breaths and spend a few minutes in your ‘sanctuary’ of silence and solitude.

Believe me, there are many reasons to do it:

1. Silence provides inner peace.

Can you remember the last time you sat in silence and heard the sound of your breathing and felt the stillness of your soul? Moments like these are rare, but we need them, like water or like the air that we breathe. Take a few minutes a day to quieten your mind, let go of all the insignificant issues that you can not control and just allow yourself to let be. Feel inner peace washing through your body. Feel the healing benefits of silence.

2. Silence helps to communicate on a different level.

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