Meir Ezra: A Powerful Success Technique

Your ability to learn determines your success. If you can easily learn new subjects and master new skills, your opportunities expand significantly.

L. Ron Hubbard discovered several reasons people have a hard time learning. Instead of placing the blame on teachers, society or the lack of education funds, his solutions revolve around study habits.

The most important habit is to use a dictionary.

The Misunderstood Word

This study technique involves the most important study habit you can form. This one habit will allow you to successfully learn any subject, no matter how advanced.

To use this tool, you will need a dictionary. If you do not own one, you must buy one.

Meir Ezra The best dictionary uses simple, easy-to-understand words in the definitions. It's also helpful if the dictionary shows you the roots (derivations) of words.

Get out your dictionary and look at a few definitions. Are they easy for you to understand? Do they use simple words in the definitions?

If not, consider buying a simpler dictionary, such as a student or intermediate-level dictionary. If your dictionary is too simple, and does not give you derivations, get a more advanced dictionary.

Here is an explanation of this powerful study technique

"The only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he or she has gone past a word that was not understood.

"The confusion or inability to grasp or learn comes AFTER a word that the person did not have defined and understood.

"Have you ever had the experience of coming to the end of a page and realizing you didn't know what you had read? Well, somewhere earlier on that page you went past a word you had no definition for or an incorrect definition for.

"Here's an example. 'It was found that when the crepuscule arrived the children were quieter and when it was not present, they were much livelier.'

You see what happens. You think you don't understand the whole idea, but the inability to understand came entirely from the one word you could not define, crepuscule, which means twilight or darkness. (Note: Read the crepuscule sentence again now that you understand the word.)

"It may not only be the new and unusual words that you will have to look up. Some commonly used words can often be misdefined and so cause confusion.

"This datum about not going past an undefined word is the most important fact in the whole subject of study. Every subject you have taken up and abandoned had its words which you failed to get defined.

"Therefore, in studying be very, very certain you never go past a word you do not fully understand. If the material becomes confusing or you can't seem to grasp it, there will be a word just earlier that you have not understood. Don't go any further, but go back to BEFORE you got into trouble, find the misunderstood word and get it defined."

-- L. Ron Hubbard