Optimistic learners don’t learn faster because they’re “better” at English.
They learn faster because they keep going.
They notice progress.
They experiment more.
They recover more quickly after awkward moments.
And most importantly… they don’t think every mistake is a disaster.
Speaking another language is an amazing thing, and it opens doors to many opportunities, but it can seem so difficult sometimes.
I get it and I feel your pain.
Over the years I’ve learned (or tried to learn) a few languages: French and German at school (I was a French teacher for while), Mandarin and Arabic when I worked in Hong Kong and Egypt, Spanish and Galician when I came to live in Spain, Portuguese (I live on the Spanish/Portuguese border) and I’ve been dabbling with Swedish on and off for the last few years.
Some of my attempts have been more successful and enjoyable than others, and I believe that optimism had a part to play.
In his article, An Optimist’s View Going into 2021, my favourite optimist, Simon Sinek describes 5 lessons we can take from 2020 into 2021 (lessons which are timeless) to make it “remarkable and inspiring.”
We can apply these lessons not only to our professional and personal lives but also to learning languages (you’ll enjoy speaking English a whole lot more!)
I recommend you read the full article first (it’s short!) and then check out how you can apply these lessons to learning English.
Lesson #1: Ask for help and be there for others
Too much stress stops you from learning and makes your experience much less enjoyable!
Don’t suffer alone. Share your challenges with your teacher, coach, or other people who are learning English. It doesn’t matter whether it’s just a shoulder to cry on or advice you’re looking for; what matters is sharing.
Connect with others and enjoy speaking English.
Lesson #2: Feel all the feels
“Allow feelings to flow. Don’t edit or judge them… just feel them” (Simon Sinek).
It’s normal when you’re learning a language to feel conflicting emotions. Elation, frustration, satisfaction, disappointment, hopeful, hopeless, excited, terrified…
Did you know there’s even a phobia associated with language learning, xenoglossophobia!
Naming and sharing your feelings can help minimise, and even reverse, the negative effects on learning. Which, of course, helps you enjoy it more.
Lesson #3: Have difficult conversations
Often, we ignore uncomfortable things. We avoid the difficult conversations because we’re scared we’ll say the wrong thing or offend someone.
At Your English Self, we learn how to have those “difficult conversations” and share our opinions in a respectful way. showing empathy and tolerance.
In our ever-more-connected, global society, the chances are you’ll meet people from other backgrounds and cultures. Enjoy the opportunities that learning English can bring to help you understand others better and create a more empathic, peaceful world.
Lesson #4: Think “ahead” and “behind”
Simon Sinek suggests that rather than seeing things in terms of good or bad, we see things in terms of “ahead and behind” and as “a continuum”. This is an “Infinite Mindset“.
So instead of labelling mistakes and challenges as “bad”, think of them as “behind” moments that we can learn from. As you move along the continuum, use your mistakes, previous difficulties, and challenges to your advantage. They can help you face new challenges and have more “ahead” moments.
Think of mistakes and challenges as opportunities for learning more.
Lesson #5: Express gratitude
Be grateful for the people who support you on your language learning journey. For some, it’s our teacher or peers in class who are there for us, for others it’s our partner who cooks dinner to give us time to study, or our kids who give us 20 minutes peace to listen to a podcast! For some, it’s even our boss who isn’t actually making us do overtime (studying English outside of work hours) but is giving us a chance to learn new skills.
Be grateful that we have the opportunity to learn another language!
Take some time to think about where you are on the optimistic scale when it comes to speaking English.
- How do you feel about it?
- Do you enjoy it?
- Do you feel alone? Do you have people you can share the good times and the not-so-good times with?
- Do you feel supported?
- How about your mindset? Is it “infinite”?
If you’re looking for a place where you can get some help to feel more optimistic about your speaking, my coaching programme YES to Fluency Accelerator, might be the next best step for you.
Check it out here: YES to Fluency Accelerator
Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.
Seth Godin
Sending optimistic vibes your way…
Lisa
Simon Sinek. “An Optimist’s View Going into 2021.” Simon Sinek, https://simonsinek.com/2021. Accessed 3rd Jan. 2020.