January 31, 2018　=========

☆  compassion 思いやり

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So, we have reached the end of January, already!! Is it too soon in the year to say, “Time flies!” ha ha, probably it is too soon! How have you gone with your English study? And your New Year’s resolutions or goals? Did you stick to them and work towards them?

One thing to remember is that it is important to show compassion toward others, but also toward yourself. If you haven’t stuck to your resolutions or goals, or if you feel like you haven’t made progress on your English, don’t give up! Now is the time to show compassion toward yourself, and keep going. Be kindRead more about Today’s Word: compassion[…]

January 30, 2018　=========

☆  commitment  責任

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A commitment is something that regularly takes up some of your time because of an agreement you have made or because of responsibilities that you have. For example, “I can’t go this weekend as I have another commitment.” Or, “My work commitments mean I’ll have to move cities in the New Year.”

This week’s Q&A is, “What do you do when you can’t follow through on a commitment to someone?” There are three sample answers, do you agree with any of them? What would you do in this situation? When you can complete a commitment that you know you should?

Bye,

Chris

January 29, 2018　========
☆ muscle 筋力
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Of course, you know this word is relating to the body, and it is the tissue that connects two bones so you can move. However, did you know that it can also be used to describe someone who has power and influence, which enables them to do difficult things?

For example, a politician might use their muscle to persuade the government to change the law. Or, “It’s true that many banks have the financial muscle to enable them to survive non-repayment of debts in some cases.” Or, “It’s important to plan your day so that you can make the best use of your self-control muscle.”

Have you everRead more about Today’s Word: muscle[…]

January 28, 2018　=========

☆  let go  解放する

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Sometimes in order to reach our goals, we need to let go of some things, for example the expectations that we set ourselves. Have you heard of the Canadian artist, Agnes Martin? She said that “The main thing in making art often is letting go of your expectation and your idea.”

I think this idea is true for all our goals, really. When we have expectations about how much weight we will lose, or about what score we will get on the TOEIC test, then when we don’t reach that exact weight or score, we feel disappointed and like it was all a failure! Of course,Read more about Today’s Word: let go[…]

January 27, 2018　=========

☆  boost 強化する

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If one thing books another, it causes it to increase, improve, or be more successful. For example, the government might take action to boost the economy. Or an author might do some marketing to boost the sales of their book.

You could also take action to boost your confidence when speaking English. What kinds of things could you do? Here are some ideas I think you can use to boost your confidence when you speak in English:

Use your body language! Stand up straight, use eye contact, smile, and speak at a good volume (rather than too quietly.)

Maybe you worry that your pronunciation isn’t great, you can boostRead more about Today’s Word: boost[…]

January 26, 2018　=========

☆  regret  後悔する

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It’s interesting, whenever young people talk about regret, they talk about regretting something they have done. In other words, they wish they hadn’t done it. For example, they regret quitting their job, or not finishing university, or drinking too much at the office party! Ha ha.

However, if you ask older people – retirees or people close to dying – they always say that they regret the things they didn’t do. They regret not travelling more, or they regret not staying in touch with their friends.

I wonder if it is just something about the “wisdom” we gain as we get older about what is or isn’t reallyRead more about Today’s Word: regret[…]

January 25, 2018　=========

☆  fight 闘う

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If you fight for something, you try in a determined way to get it or achieve it.  A second way of using the word is if you fight something unpleasant, you try in a determined way to prevent it or stop it happening.

Examples of the first usage:
He had to fight hard to keep his job during the company restructuring.
Our soccer team fought its way to the finals.

Examples of the second usage:
She is fighting to end discrimination against women in the workplace.
He has spent his lifetime fighting against racism and prejudice.

Can you use “fight” in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

January 24, 2018　=========

☆  bite the bullet  歯を食いしばって頑張る

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“Bite the bullet” is often used in journalism; news reports, newspapers, magazines and so on. For example, if a company is not doing many sales, the news report might say, “The XYZ company may be forced to bite the bullet and cut prices.”

However, you can also use it to describe your own situation – when you accept that you have to do something that is unpleasant and you don’t want to do it, but you realize that it is necessary. For example, if you have an English examination coming up and you have started studying, then you could say, “It’s time to bite theRead more about Today’s Word: bite the bullet[…]

January 23, 2018　=========

☆  meditate 瞑想する

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Have you ever tried meditating? I have a client who meditates every day, and says it has been the best habit he ever started. For me, though, I always think “I should meditate” but I never do it more than once! But I was recently reading about the benefits of regularly meditating, and one is that it has anti-aging effects! The scientists don’t know why, but if you regularly meditate, it seems that you have longer telomeres (the ends of your DNA strands), and longer telomeres are associated with a younger biological age (rather than the age of when you were born.)

So! I think I mayRead more about Today’s Word: meditate[…]

January 22, 2018　=========

☆  smile 笑う

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What kinds of things make you smile? Have you ever thought about your top ten reasons for smiling? If you search on the Internet you can find so many articles about the top ten reasons for smiling, or 50 things that will make you smile, and so on. I sometimes read these articles, but must admit I have never thought about my own person list. Have you?

What would you put on your lists of things that make you smile? For me, my top ten would have things like hearing my kids laugh, running with friends, walking my dogs on the beach, and having coffee with friends.Read more about Today’s Word: smile[…]

January 21, 2018　=========

☆  self-control 自制心

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Self-control is the ability to not show your feelings or not do the things that your feelings make you want to do… for example, study English when you’d rather watch TV! Do you have a lot of self-control, or do you wish you had more? Most people (in Australia and the US) wish they had more self-control when it comes to eating healthily and exercising. How about in Japan?

Do you think it is possible to increase your self-control? Research seems to say that self-control and willpower are like muscles, you can strengthen them, but they also get tired and weak when we use them a lot…Read more about Today’s Word: self-control[…]

January 20, 2018　=========

☆  single-mindedness 一心不乱

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If you show single-mindedness, it means that you have only one aim or purpose and you are determined to achieve it. My friend recently started running, and she told her husband that she wanted to run a half marathon (21k) event later this year. Her husband laughed and said she’d never be able to run 21k! How rude!

The good news is though, that this has given her the resolve, the determination, and the single-mindedness to reach her goal of 21k and prove her husband wrong! I wonder if that was secretly his goal? Maybe he thought that if he just said, “Great, good luck!” then sheRead more about Today’s Word: single-mindedness[…]

January 19, 2018　=========

☆  determination 決意

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Oh! This is the word that I said was similar to “resolve” yesterday. As I said, resolve is like the formal version of determination. Determination is the quality you show when you have decided to do something and you will not let anything stop you. Here are some example sentences:

Everyone involved in the event showed great courage and determination.
She reaffirmed her determination to tackle the problem.
There was a look of fierce determination on his face.
The truck driver in the Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead documentary acted with amazing determination to reach his goal of losing over 200 pounds!

How have you acted with determination recently?

Bye,

Chris

January 18, 2018　=========

☆  resolve  決心

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Resolve is the determination to do something, the determination to do what you have decided to do. It is a formal word, and you are more likely to see it in print, than hear it, but you can still use it in every day conversation, or you can use words like: determination, resolution, or willpower.

In the documentary I talked about yesterday, the Australian guy met an American truck driver who was also very overweight and dealing with the exact same illness as him. The Australian guy offered to help him if he wanted to try a juice diet to lose weight and get healthy. About twoRead more about Today’s Word: resolve[…]

January 17, 2018　=========

☆  lack  不足

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Have you heard of the documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”? It’s about an Australian guy who has been sick for a few years and the doctors can’t help him, except to give him more medicine. So, he decides to travel to America and spend 60 days on a juice diet (I’m not sure why he couldn’t do that in Australia, but anyway!)

One of the things I was most impressed with was how many overweight and obese Americans said that it was their responsibility that they were overweight and that it was the lack of willpower that made them keep eating unhealthy foods. I don’t knowRead more about Today’s Word: lack[…]

January 16, 2018　=========

☆  impulse 衝動

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An impulse is a sudden desire to do something. When you are setting goals you can use this word to talk about things you need to resist, in that way, it is similar to yesterday’s word. For example, if you are trying to eat healthily, you might need to resist the impulse to buy a donut!

Or if you are trying to study English in the evening after work, you might need to resist the impulse to check social media.

For me, I love exercising and running in the morning, mostly because I know if I don’t do it in the morning, I won’t get a chance toRead more about Today’s Word: impulse[…]

January 15, 2018　=========

☆  temptation  誘惑

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If you feel you want to do something or have something, even though you know you really should avoid that thing, you can refer to that *feeling* as temptation. You can also refer to the actual *thing* that you want to do or have as a temptation. So, how do you resist temptation?

When there is something you want to buy, but know you really shouldn’t / don’t need to buy it, how do you resist the temptation to buy it?

What about when there is something you want to eat or drink, but really should avoid, how do you resist the temptation? For this one, recently myRead more about Today’s Word: temptation[…]

January 14, 2018　=========

☆  unpredictable  予測できない

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If you describe someone or something as unpredictable, you mean that you cannot tell what they are going to do or how they are going to behave. It’s the middle of summer in Australia right now, but the weather is so unpredictable! Last week, we had some days of 41 degrees in Adelaide! My friend who was camping a few hours north of Adelaide said it was “47 degrees in the shade!” Oh my goodness!

And yet, the very next day it was back down to a cool and comfortable 27 degrees! So unpredictable! But, I guess for you in Japan, as it’s mid-winter, it must beRead more about Today’s Word: unpredictable[…]

January 13, 2018　=========

☆  short-lived  長続きしない

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Something that is short-lived doesn’t last very long. So, an example is this week’s useful phrase, “Well, that resolution was short-lived!” In other words, even though we are only just 13 days into January, the resolution to do X is already gone or finished.

You can also talk about a short-lived romance, a romance or relationship that might have only lasted a few weeks. Or someone might have short-lived success at work or their business, which means that they had a big, but brief success. Or a short-lived friendship: a seemingly strong friendship that ends suddenly and quickly.

Did you set resolutions at the beginning of January? AreRead more about Today’s Word: short-lived[…]

January 12, 2018　=========

☆  intentional 故意の

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If you do something that is intentional, then it is a deliberate action. If you planned to do it, meant to do it, and it was a willful action – it was intentional. The best thing you can do to help keep your willpower strong to reach your goals and resolutions, is to be intentional about everything you do.

For example, instead of just picking up the Eigo Techo and checking the word of the day, be intentional about your action and decide what you are going to do with the word of the day. Will you write or create your own sentence with it? Will youRead more about Today’s Word: intentional[…]

January 11, 2018　=========

☆  optimal 最善の

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For today’s word, you can use “optimal” or “optimum”, they mean the same and are the formal word for “ideal”. The optimal level or state of something is the best level or state that it could achieve. For example:

According to health guidelines, for optimal health, you should aim to exercise three times a week.
We must try to create optimal conditions for us to reach our goals.

What are the optimal conditions you need for reaching your English goals? For example, what are the best, ideal, optimal conditions for studying English for you? Do you like a quiet place on your own? Do you like to be inRead more about Today’s Word: optimal[…]

January 10, 2018   　=========

☆  sheer  完全な

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Have you heard this word before? It is not used that often, but it means total, absolute, complete, and pure. It is used to emphasize that a state or situation is complete, and does not involve anything else. You will usually hear it in this kind of way:

sheer determination (nothing but determination)
sheer chance (it happened purely by chance)
sheer desperation (when someone takes desperate action, they feel they have no other choice)
sheer delight (just simply delightful)

In other words, it is used to emphasize words where that is all that is involved. Can you use sheer in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

January 9, 2018   =========

☆  purposeful  目的をもった

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This word is similar to yesterday’s. If you take purposeful action, you have a definite aim, and a strong desire to achieve that aim. The opposite of this is “aimless” and obviously you don’t want to be taking aimless action towards your goals, right?

Thinking about your English goals for 2018, how can you be more purposeful about those goals? Like I suggested yesterday, can you set an intention to study each week. In other words, decide when and how long you will study – and of course, it’s a good idea to decide in advance exactly what you will study. If you do these things,Read more about Today’s Word: purposeful[…]

January 8, 2018      =========

☆  deliberate 意図的な

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If you do something deliberate, you planned or decided to do it in advance, rather than doing it by chance. It is an intentional action. I read an interesting article about the difference between willpower, motivation and deliberate action. There were three groups, the first group just had to track how much they exercised. The second group watched a motivational video about exercise, and had to track their exercise. The third group, watched the same video, but also had to make a deliberate plan each week, for example, “I will exercise on (day) at (time) for (time) minutes.”

The results showed that the third group exercisedRead more about Today’s Word: deliberate[…]

January 7, 2018 =========

☆  deplete 使い果たす

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If you are feeling depleted, you could also say that you are feeling exhausted, burnt out, drained, or empty. Of course, it’s only January 7th, so I really hope you are not feeling this way about 2018 just yet!!

I love spending time with friends and family, but if I don’t get time alone to recharge, then I can really feel depleted. It’s often hard to find time alone, but that is one of my goals for 2018, to find more time for me, so that I can feel refreshed rather than depleted.

How about you? What kinds of things make you feel depleted? How can youRead more about Today’s Word: deplete[…]

January 6, 2018　=========

☆  change  変える

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There are a few different ways to use the verb, “change”. When something changes, or you change it, it becomes different. For example, “After finding a new job, she has now changed into a happy, self-confident woman.” Or, “The Internet is changing the way we do business.”

You can also use “change” to mean that you replace something with something new or different. For example, “I’m thinking of changing doctors, as I don’t really feel comfortable with my current one.” Or, “My iPhone stopped working, but it was still in warranty, so the store changed it for a new one.”

And, of course, you can use “change” toRead more about Today’s Word: change[…]

January 5, 2018　=========

☆  lack 不足している

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Lack can be used as either a noun or a verb. Today we’re using it as a verb, meaning that someone or something lacks a quality – in other words they do not have it. Here are some example sentences:

She is a great person, but for some reason she lacks self-confidence.
I need to find a new job; my current one is repetitive and lacks variety.

When you use lack as a noun, for example, there is a lack of something, it means that there is not enough of that thing or it doesn’t exist at all. For example:

I hated the lack of privacy of sharing a roomRead more about Today’s Word: lack[…]

January 4, 2018　=========

☆  resist 我慢する

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Talking about willpower, what do you find it hard to resist? The useful phrase this week is, “Do you find it hard to resist chocolate when you’re tired?” Actually, for me, I find it hard to resist chocolate at any time! Ha ha! And especially when I’m hungry. If I go to the kitchen and have to decide between chocolate/something sweet or fruit/something healthy, then I find it hard to resist the sweet foods!

How about you? Is there something you find it hard to resist when your energy levels are down? What about for English study? I guess it might be hard to resist looking atRead more about Today’s Word: resist[…]

January 3, 2018          =========

☆  keep oneself from ～ing ～しないようにする

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The quote this week is from Bruce Lee, “Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.” What does this mean to you? For me, it feels like it is a better idea to consistently eat less sugar, exercise more and so on, rather than trying to keep myself from eating sugar every single day. Or trying to exercise every single day. It’s just hard to keep up that kind of intensity, don’t you agree?

So, with learning English, it’s the same. Long-term consistency of learning a word a day is so much easier than trying to learn 10 words a day – that kind of intensityRead more about Today’s Word: keep oneself from ～ing[…]

January 2, 2018      =========

☆  restrain  抑制する

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In Australia, some common New Year’s resolutions are to “lose weight” or “get fit”, or “eat healthily.” How about in Japan, are these popular resolutions too? For these resolutions, the main thing we need to do is restrain ourselves, right? Restrain from eating dessert, restrain from sleeping in when we should wake up early and exercise, restrain from eating foods that are bad for us.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but resolutions and goals work best when they are positive, so instead restraining ourselves, we are doing something positive like…. Um, I’m not sure!! What could be more positive than eating the donut?!

In any case,Read more about Today’s Word: restrain[…]

January 1, 2018　    =========

☆  control  操作する

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Happy New Year! Welcome to the Eigo Techo mini mails for 2018. We’ve got a lot of new readers thanks to Hiromi mentioning my daily mini mail in the Foreword of the Techo, so welcome! I hope you enjoy the daily mails – and for new and old readers, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know, Id’ love to hear from you: chris@newleaves.jp

So, today’s word – Control. We’re talking about Willpower this month, and of course, January is always filled with New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, as you probably read in Hiromi’s essay for the month, most New Year’s resolutions have failedRead more about Today’s Word: control[…]