Jeff Sullivan: Three Point Thursdays Author

Ride The Wave #2: Jeff's newsletter inspirations and advice on learning another language.

November 04, 2022

Welcome to Ride The Wave #2

In case you are new to Ride The Wave, we feature talented and exceptional individuals who share their stories about their success. Subscribe, so you meet and learn from a new guest each week.

Introduction

By: Daniel Magazu

This week's guest features Jeff Sullivan. Jeff started a newsletter, Three Point Thursdays, where he delivers three mind-opening stories that provide insight into living a higher quality life. You can tell that Jeff is a bookworm, every time I read his articles, I am astonished by the quality of his writing. I genuinely look forward to learning something new from his articles each week. After a brief intro, Jeff will talk more about his inspiration for starting his newsletter and advise on how to learn another language.

On a ski trip with mutual college friends, I first met Jeff in Lake Placid, New York. On our first day on the mountain, Jeff told me it was his first time skiing. But, unlike most people who typically spend their first day on the bunny hill, Jeff sent it out without fear. 

An hour into his skiing career, we got off the ski lift, sitting just above the clouds, ready to go down Lake Placid's steepest slope. I looked at him, worried he would regret his decision to get on that ski lift. However, he looked at me, ready to go. While it was by no means a clean run down the mountain. I was astonished by his courage and lack of fear. 

Reading Jeff's substack newsletters is what inspired me to start Ride The Wave. Jeff has a talented way of teaching meaningful lessons with articles that only take 5 minutes to read. Here is a link to one of my favorite posts, which discusses some negative aspects of social media.

Besides writing, Jeff thoroughly enjoys speaking Spanish and playing basketball, where I have seen him knock down twenty three-pointers in a row. 

That's enough of an introduction. Let's hear Jeff's story.

Newsletter Inspirations And Language Learning Advice

By: Jeff Sullivan

I'm excited that Danny Mags started a Substack. He's a good friend, a great poker player, and, overall, a nice and intelligent dude. I'm looking forward to growing with him on this platform.

Why am I writing on Substack?

I want to make a career out of writing. But only because I genuinely love it. And because I know the things I write about can be of service to others. So I'm looking to create value.

What kind of value?

Having your mind opened. It's no secret that the quality of your mind is the quality of your life.

And if you have a closed mind, flawed mental models, and don't think big, well, your quality of life will be low. Worse, it will be boring (depressing).

I know I can open people's minds, for one, because I'm from Worcester, Massachusetts. I grew up playing basketball there and still love playing, hence the name of my publication, "Three Pointers."

A big reason I still play is because of the inspiration I get from my grandfather, Frank Foley. He played division 1 ball at Holy Cross, and his brother did too. Unfortunately, his brother, Jack' The Shot' Foley, passed away last year. Jack is New England's all-time leading scorer and played in the NBA for the Celtics and Knicks. A book was recently written about him by Mark Epstein. When I was a kid, Frank told me that Jack would shoot a basketball for hours daily. So that's what I've always done.

Anyways, In Worcester, there's no shortage of diverse characters. Characters of all shapes and sizes, religions and languages, ideas and lifestyles. Growing up in this environment forced me always to keep an open mind.

Also, I've always enjoyed reading books, which always open your mind. So I read whatever I'm curious about: history, philosophy, psychology, evolution, neuroscience, finance/economics, sports, whatever.

But I didn't read and write as much in high school. I spent all my time at football and basketball practice or running around the city doing foolish things with my friends. I returned to reading during the COVID lockdowns and haven't stopped. I've filled out a bunch of journals since then. They contain highlights from books, podcasts, and any ideas that'll help me increase my health, wealth, and happiness in the long run.

These journals are the backbone of the content I release. I hope my subscribers can pick out parts that resonate with them to increase their health, wealth, and happiness.

But nothing has opened my mind so much as learning another language. So if you're interested in acquiring this skill, the next part will be practical advice on how to do so. I will focus on Spanish, but you can apply the principles to any language.

I used to have a speech impediment when I was young, and I'm not related to anyone, Latino or Spanish. So if I can master the language, you can too.

How to Actually Learn Spanish

If you wish to speak another language, you must speak it. Duh, right? Yet many people have taken language classes for years without talking to natives and are somehow confused why they still can't speak well.

They think that if they read, write, and listen to Spanish enough, they'll magically speak confidently at some point! Wrong. I used to be in this situation myself.

Learning grammar and vocabulary is essential. But directing all your efforts towards memorizing them without vocal practice is a waste of time. I wish I had known this earlier.

To become bilingual, have conversations with native speakers as soon as possible. As much as possible. It will be uncomfortable, and you will make mistakes.

But you'll realize that the #1 thing that stops people from speaking another language isn't a lack of knowledge. It's fear. Fear of sounding dumb. Fear of awkwardness. But you should embrace that you'll screw up and experience weird moments in conversation because that's how you get better. As one of my favorite writers, Epictetus, said, "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." This isn't an inspirational quote. It's a fact of reality.

And anyways, every Hispanic person I've ever talked to appreciates it when I speak in their language. Their face lights up with surprise. This was the case even when my skills were poor.

If you don't know any Latinos, you can speak with them in person, no problem. Download the app HelloTalk. It's a language-learning social media site and the best tool for practicing your speaking abilities online.

You create an account and enter your desired language. It will connect you to Latinos trying to learn English. You can post to the timeline or direct message people. In direct messages, you can translate any text by tapping on it. You can also call people, which I recommend above all. But if you are too nervous about doing calls right away, you can start with voice messages, which is what I did.

Over the past year, I practiced Spanish daily with people I met on the app. For example, I spoke for months with Elias from Mexico (an English major) and Patricia from Paraguay (a New worker in the U.S.). Find people who are serious about learning English. They are incentivized to stay in consistent communication with you, an English native.

If you find online friends like this to do language exchanges with, a 10-20 minute conversation daily will do wonders. Over time, you'll become fluent. And your brain will be completely re-wired in the process.

So yes, study the grammar and vocabulary in your classes or on websites like Babbel.

Download Spanishdict to look up new words and remember verb conjugations. But never forget, the only path to true fluency is conversation. And with the internet and social media, a conversation with anyone worldwide is only a couple of clicks away.

I studied abroad in Spain recently. But I already had command of the Spanish language before I got there by following the steps above. Trust the process. It's worth it. It made the experience of another country that much better. (There's also plenty of research on the cognitive benefits of picking up another language, which is another good reason to go for it).

That's all I got. Thank you, Danny, for letting me Ride The Wave. I can't wait to see who he showcases next.

The links to my Substack and social media are below. If you want to get in touch, my email is

Substack:

Social: