[youtube]http://youtu.be/lBdtaMpevmk[/youtube]
Here you see a short video of something that we call in Dutch nieuwjaarsduik, which you could translate with new years dive…. On the first day of the year some Dutch people love to run to the sea and …. dive in…. well… at least that is what they are supposed to do… Just have a look at the video again… what do you see?
Why run with the masses if they never really dive in?
First, let’s be honest about it… you do need some courage to run into the sea on a day January the first in the Netherlands. So yes… everyone in this clip did an amazing job! What could be a more refreshing start of a new year? Many people love this idea and look quite excited about it. But… if you look once again, you can clearly see that many people literally stay on the surface. Not many people really dive in and, they run back rather fast!
Sadly enough, this is how the new year starts for most of us when it comes to new ideas and resolutions. You may jump on different projects that all look great and amazing, such as learning and speaking Dutch but… how long do you really stick with them?
The reason that many people run back so quickly here is quite obvious… the sea is $%$ cold! Guess what? A language course in which they only speak Dutch to you may feel exactly the same. Chances are high that you do not want to stay there for a long time….
Actually, it is quite a pity… diving in is easier than you think… all you need to do is to make sure that you dive into a warm bath, rather than in a cold sea that scares the hell out of you. Sure… you may feel victorious once your feet touch the cold water, but… as long as you are not really diving in, then not so much will happen. This makes sense, right?
Therefore, if you like to dive into something that you can call the Dutch language, make sure that you find the right moment to do it. Don’t run with the masses, but be selective… really make sure that if you dive, you like the temperature of the water, because only then, you will stay longer and you’ll go a lot deeper. Make sure, that it feels nice and then… you could discover many great things that you like!