Hello and a very happy new year to each and every one of you!
...And why not begin the new year with some unaesthetic sincerity!? I really do hate writing these things! I have no idea who I’m talking to and that bothers me. I often wonder how they do it, those folks who make a living out of talking to no-one and everyone via a camera. I gave up with video updates some time back, just shooting out an occasional one to make sure people knew I was still here. I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since I did that, but even writing these updates gets the better of me.
And so, if you are still here in spite of my communication being worse than your ex’s, thank you! It’s a very special kind of support, the kind that doesn’t require me to reserve a part of myself for ‘supporters only’, or to make a public figure out of myself, dividing my work into tiny achievements and sharing them constantly - I tried to do this for a time, and boy is it soul-sucking. I know I’d probably have many times the support I do if I spent on self-promotion even a fraction of the time I spend on creation, but I prefer to be free of that, and it’s atypical supporters like you who allow me that freedom. So again, I want to thank you sincerely for your continued support, for not needing me to be on a constant and celebrated growth spurt, for allowing me peaceful and quiet periods, like the one I’ve taken over the last months.
During the second half of 2023, once I had Intro to Music fully released, I set about to finally finding some space to address the work-life balance I’d promised myself years ago and which my health kept demanding. A little ‘soul-searching’, if you will. Ok, the moment I really relaxed I gave myself the mammoth task of creating an LT documentary (or as it seems, two or three documentaries), but still, I’m happy to say that I’m slowly but surely finding that balance, the boundaries I’m comfortable with, and my sense of self beyond LT, which I had all but lost. Insisting on being a whole person, emerging from the tunnel of ‘the Language Transfer guy’ and the endless obligations on his mind, has meant the world. I've been able to take stock of all I've done, and feel truly great about moving forward with the Thinking Method Platform model (www.languagetransfer.org/platform) which I'm hoping will launch by Spring, and which I'm certain is both what the project and I need. I expect the Platform to be so successful that people will stop asking if Mihalis will personally make more courses (although I do plan to).
So on a personal level, 2023 has been hugely eventful in getting life back more on my own terms and finding a sustainable relationship with the Language Transfer project that I’m not fantasising about escaping. This is great news, albeit again, not so aesthetic as far as good news goes! I've found the happy medium, and can settle in for the long haul, 2024 and beyond. I'm now working at my own pace, and am grateful daily that there are so many of you letting me do that.
Last but not least, if you are due a sharer/goody pack or InterLinear book, please shoot me a private message to claim your perks!