How carrots can help you to speak much better Dutch

Did you know that you can get many things that you want if you start thinking in carrots? Once you know how to use the carrot principle, it can have a great positive impact on your life and… it can definitively help you to speak much better Dutch. So here is the secret of the carrot…

Have you ever heard the Dutch sentence ik zet mijn schoen? It literally means: I set or I put my shoe.  This is what many Dutch children love to do  late November, early December. And… before you say to yourself: I am not a child anymore, please don’t stop reading yet… if you continue reading you’ll discover some amazing things. Putting your shoe is not just putting your shoe. It is about something much deeper in life!

In November there is a special person that visits the Netherlands. His name is Sinterklaas and somehow he is like the Dutch version of Santa Claus. When he comes,  many Dutch children get excited and for a very good reason. Each night Sint travels on his white horse with his helper piet and jumps on many  different roofs in order to deliver some presents for children. For children it is just an amazing moment of joy when they find out early in the morning someone put something special in their shoe.

Don’t worry if you don’t believe in Sinterklaas. The secret of the carrot always works! 

But… as you may imagine, also little children always like to have more. So, this is what they do. In order to receive many more presents, what Dutch children may do is to make Sinterklaas feel as welcome as possible. Therefore, many Dutch children love to write a special letter to Sinterklaas in which they state how  happy they feel that Sinterklaas is in the Netherlands again and then, just as a sign of gentle appreciation, they will also include een wortel (a carrot) for the white horse of Sinterklaas.

Can you see how smart Dutch children really are? Somehow they understand that if someone can give you things that you want, it is always a good idea to be nice and gentle first. It is also quite intelligent to make sure that the horse of Sinterklaas likes to come to your house as well, because then chances are much higher that he will return 🙂

The white horse of Sinterklaas loves carrots. Now you know exactly what to do if you want to attract Sinterklaas to your house! 

Here is another thing that Dutch children seem to understand. They do not only feel excited and grateful about all the gifts that they receive, but… they also make een verlanglijst, which literally means longing list in Dutch. It is simply a wish list in which they exactly tell what they would like to receive. The great thing is that these children don’t feel any inhibition to write what they really like to have. Actually, they feel that they are helping Sinterklaas, because now he knows exactly what he can give to the children. It is a simple and very efficient system that makes many people happy!

How to get what YOU want!

Of course… now that you are older, probably you don’t believe in Sinterklaas anymore… But… nevertheless there are still many things that you can learn from Dutch children. First of all, children just say exactly what they want. Second, when they put an extra carrot in their shoe, they also try to motivate another person for more positive actions. It is that last principle that makes the secret of the carrot so wonderful.

You may not be a child anymore, but one thing is certain… you still have desires. If somehow your desires get fulfilled then somehow you’ll feel a lot nicer. So wouldn’t it be great if somehow you could use the secret of the carrot?

There is something special about that carrot that can unleash a great power!  

Step number one is that you always express somehow all the things that you really want. It could be material things, but you never know… maybe you also like more abstract things such as  speaking  great Dutch. If this is the case, then also write it down. Congratulations! You have made a first important step!

Let’s imagine that among many other things, you also like to speak much better Dutch. You might believe that there is a problem then. Let’s admit it, for Sinterklaas it is a lot easier to give you 1000 chocoladeletters than giving you Dutch. Speaking the Dutch language is not something that you can buy in a shop or order online. Actually no one can give it to you.  It may take you a very short moment to realize that if you like to speak a new language, then the person that needs to give it to you is you!

So here is the wild idea. What if you could be your own Sinterklaas?

Sure… being your own Sinterklaas sounds like a lot of work, but… what if instead of believing in Sinterklaas, you could believe in you? What if could do truly believe that you could do the  magic?

Now think of the carrot again… . It is time to think of a next question: what is a thing that could truly inspire you?

If speaking Dutch is on your wishlist, then really think again. Chances are high that somehow parts of you feel tired of feeling limited when it comes to communicating with people around you. Maybe you have not realized it yet, but… deep inside of you, there might be a powerful horse that loves to jump around. A powerful horse that loves action, adventure and freedom. It is that horse inside of you that bring you to new places and new experiences. If this is the case, then take some carrots and start to engage and motivate yourself. Once you fully realize that you can be your own Sinterklaas and feel that inner horse, then great things can happen!

Here is another tip! Once you clearly know what you want, quite often other people are willing to help you. The secret is that you don’t wait for Sinterklaas but that you take some action. Go and have a chat with your boss for example and also use in this case the secret of the carrot. Be positive and invite other people to assist you. It often works! Just remember that quite often people that can help you, can be enticed with a carrot too. For example if you like the idea that your company helps you with a Dutch course then simply convince them that it will have a positive impact on you and the company if you feel more at ease while speaking Dutch with clients and colleagues

So here is something for you to do. What could be your carrot? What is something that could truly inspire you to do somehting new? It could be speaking Dutch, but it can also be something else. Please feel free to share your ideas!