The Steno Life
Issue #10

Ch-ch-ch-changes!  Seems like life is changing by the second - lots going on!  Halloween is just around the corner.  Thanksgiving is coming up soon.  Then it's off to do the last-minute shopping for the holidays : )  In case anyone asks, I'm partial to white chocolate and computer gadgets.  If only we could combine the two in some way!  Anyway, there's a lot of info to share in this edition, so soak it up!  If you want to contribute an article, please email me at marc@stenolife.com. As always, don't correct my grammar.  I appreciate it, but....

Past issues of The Steno Life - Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9

Articles in this issue -

1 - "StenoFun.com Launches - FREE STUFF!"
2 - "Follow the Yellow Brick Road...to Success!"
3 - "Are you a Sports Widow?  Read This!"
4 - "SimplySteno is Closing Enrollment!"
5 - "Smiles, Exercise and Post-It Notes"

StenoFun.com Launches - FREE STUFF! (back to top)

Stenography consists of practice...and hard work...and thinking...and more work...and striving...and struggling...and more work.  How about some FUN?!!  That's what you're in for when you sign up at www.StenoFun.com!  With 7 different sections to play around in, you may forget to practice.  And you think the StenoLife Brief Machine is good?  Try the Super Brief Machine!  This is a pay site - $32.85 per year.  But you get a free gift when you join - and it's more than worth it!  Here's just some of what's in store -

1 - State Requirements - Finally, a complete list of all the states!  Just select your state and you can check out what the requirements are to work as a freelance reporter - test dates - costs - links - everything!

2 - The Super Brief Machine - With over 150,000 briefs and phrases in our database (we added 11,000 this week), you're bound to find what you're looking for. And if you happen to spell something incorrectly, the Super Brief Machine gives you suggestions.

3 - Steno E-Cards - Ever sent someone an e-card?  Well these are all steno-related e-cards!  Pass that big test?  Let your fellow students know.  Want to wish someone luck on an upcoming test?  Steno meeting online?  Tell all your friends when and where.  There are 18 steno e-cards now, but we'll be adding more all the time.

4 - RPR Madness! - Ever play Frogger?  This is a similar game that pits your steno machine against financial aid, bad tests and...lava!  Get from 60 wpm to 225 wpm in the fewest days possible and get your name in the Steno Hall of Fame!

5 - Steno Showroom - The best deals on unique steno-related items.  (no membership required to shop here)

And to help launch our new websites, several vendors have donated prizes to give away -

This adorable court reporter ornament will be given away to the student/reporter who looks the most similar to it : )  If you think this looks like you, send your pic to Marc@Stenolife.com.  My son will be the official judge (he's 5).  The deadline is November 30th.  These ornaments are being sold through StenoFun or directly from the CritterCrafts store.  They are handmade and can be personalized in any way!

If a cat can do it, so can you!  This cute notepad featuring a steno-writing cat will be given away to a random StenoFun member by November 30th.  This and similar items can be ordered through StenoFun, or here.  Thanks to Rachel for this!

This is a matted and framed Disney print of
"Donald Duck and The Court Stenographer " combined with a U.S. postage stamp issued by the USPS honoring Walt Disney.  Together they are displayed in a quality 8.5 X 10.5 inch frame with a black finish and clear gallery glass, custom bevel cut matting, wall mounting.  This will be given to the 50th StenoFun member : )

This cute Depo Diva keychain will be given away to the 25th StenoFun member.  For more great items like this, visit Wearables and Tearables or the StenoFun Showroom.

Thanks again to all of our wonderful sponsors.  They understand how hard this can be for students, and they were anxious to add a little fun into the mix.

Thanks!

Marc

Another cool gift from Rachel.  This mouse pad is just what you need on those long nights of proofing ; )  This will be given away to a random StenoFun member as well.

So stop by StenoFun today and add a little fun to your steno world.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road! (back to top)

Despite what you may have seen in the movie, the yellow brick road was not perfectly constructed.  In fact, I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy that may or may not know the guy who built that road, and he said there were damaged bricks everywhere!  There were several times Dorothy could be heard saying, "How am I supposed to see the Wizard when I'm tripping every 4 steps?!"  But, if you'll recall, Dorothy DID make it to the Emerald City and eventually got home.  Ahhh : )

If you're a student, you're on your yellow brick road.  Certification and working is your Emerald City.  Your steno machine is Toto.  Sorry...got a little carried away.  Let's focus on those yellow bricks.  While Dorothy's road had only the occasional crack, your yellow road has MOSTLY cracks!  Let's assume that every brick is a test.  You're going to trip over 30 cracked bricks before you land safely on a solid one.  But you never would have reached that solid brick if you hadn't crossed those 30 first.  There's no way around that.  There are only 10 damaged bricks for some of you - 50 for others - but you're all going to encounter some damaged bricks.

Those cracked bricks should not be looked at as the enemy.  You NEED those.  You don't learn much without resistance.  It's when you fail that you learn - or at least you're supposed to.  And check out the Emerald City!  Dorothy got there, cracks and all.  And she probably appreciated the trip that much more.  Of course the flying monkeys didn't help.

If there's one thing I want you to absorb, it's that YOU DON'T FAIL TESTS.  You may not be passing them, but you're not failing them.  Those tests you don't pass are bricks on your road to success.  You can't have a road without them. Call them progress tests, brick tests, step tests - whatever you want - but they are not failures.  They are only failed tests if you shrug your shoulders and toss them in the trash without trying to learn anything from them.  The smart students learn from their mistakes, and improve upon their successes.

Sports Widows Unite! (back to top)

Okay, this article isn't for everyone - let me just state that off the bat.  This is mainly for women who find their boyfriends or husbands glued to the television during any kind of sports program.  No need to email me - I realize that many women are more into sports than men : )  But this is about the bulk of you.  You may not realize it, but sports events are a golden opportunity for you to practice! 

Football - "Josh Garrett is a third year running back out of Oklahoma State.  It's third and seven to go on the Blazer's 40." 
Basketball - "With the score tied up at 92, Duke Brannigan takes a 23 footer for 3 to seal the win."
Baseball - "And Trace McClintock hits a single, double and triple to fall just short of hitting for the cycle."

There you have it - names and numbers!  Yes, speeds will be all over the place, ranging from 100 to 250.  But still, you rarely get more targeted, real-world practice than this.  So grab some nachos, chips and dips, and get practicing!

SimplySteno is Closing Enrollment! (back to top)

No...not forever.  But we will be closing open enrollment on October 29th - that's the LAST day you can sign up.  If you sign up before then, that doesn't mean you have to start right away.  It only means that you've secured a slot to start whenever you like.  We close enrollment every now and then to keep the number of students in our program down.  Since I like the do the bulk of the work on my own - I feel that's what students are paying for - I need to make sure I have enough time to give them all the attention they need.  At over 140 students and climbing, that can be hard to do.  So closing the enrollment is a good way to help that.

I can't say when enrollment will be open again.  It could be a few months.  It depends on how many current students move into the working world or leave our program.  I'm really looking forward to the end of this year - so many of our students are at the end of their schooling and ready to work. 

So if you're thinking of joining before the end of the year, you have till the end of this week to do that.  Thanks!
Marc

Smiles, Exercise and Post-It Notes (back to top)

I'm clumping a few different things in this one section, but they all relate on one level - your brain.  The only thing standing between you and 225 writing speed...is your brain.  Think about it.  You already know how to write everything.  Sure, some things come quickly while others barely come at all.  But it's all there - ready to write.  It's just a question of how quickly you can access that information.  Agreed?  You have all the information you need?  Great! 

So now it comes down to accessing that information.  Repetitive learning speeds up that process.  If you do something correctly 500 times, you're going to do it faster, naturally.  But when you write, there are those nerves that are like little roadblocks in your way.  If you had NO nerves, your speed would increase.  Agreed?  Great!

There are 2 ways to conquer nerves.  The best way ...confidence.  When you feel confident about your writing, you write better.  The one problem - what if you're not writing well?  Well, you can start by feeling good about the practice effort you're putting in and feeling confident in the path you're on.  The second way...fool your brain.  When you write, you're in the writing moment - and everything revolves around that writing.  That means the actual writing, the subject matter you're listening to, the errors you may be making, the fact you NEED this test, the person next to you banging on their Stentura - there's a lot going on!  And very little of it actually contributes to writing better.  If you could block out half of those things, you would come much closer to your goal.

So we'll start with exercise.  I've mentioned it before, that many times students will write better when they are sick!  That's because you don't have the energy to fight back.  You're in the sick zone and just don't care as much - the importance isn't there.  As a result, you write better.  Same idea with exercise.  If you do something for 5 minutes, just before you write - get that heart REALLY pumping - you may find that you write better.  Your muscles will be a little looser, and your brain focus may be shifted a bit.  Anything that distracts your brain - just a little - is good.

My Post-It Notes idea is for use at home - not at school.  I often see drifting brains.  That means a student starts off focused on a dictation, but as time goes on their mind stops focusing on the actual dictation, and starts to think about earlier errors or countless other things.  I often tell my students that they each have a "reset" button in their brain, just like one on a computer.  And sometimes you just need to clear that memory by pressing the reset button.  Take about 10 Post-It Notes and number them from 1-10 - big, black numbers. Stick them in order on the wall in front of you when you write. Start with your eyes on one and start the dictation. When you feel your mind start to wander, or nerves start kicking in, move your eyes to 2. And so on and so on. You need to trick your brain into concentrating on something other than the task at hand. Your fingers know all the strokes - it's your brain that gets in the way of you performing them at 225.

And...smile.  Think of something funny before you start to write and do your best to keep that smile on your face for 5 minutes.  Don't freeze up and cause facial damage - we don't need that.  But try to keep a little grin on there.  It's hard to freak out when you're smiling.

Thanks!
Marc Greenberg

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