"Oh, I don’t have time". 'It’s too difficult". "I’ll study tomorrow".
How many times do we procrastinate, leave things for the next day, and the moment we actually need English, whether at work or travelling, we really wish we could speak well “like that guy we know”. And there comes this feeling of guilt because you’ve been studying English for maybe 2 or 3 years and you know you should have been a little more committed to studying.
So, now imagine you could actually speak like that co-worker, or your boss, or that bilingual friend, without having to translate everything in your head or worry if you’re going to understand what somebody will say to you. What if English would just flow without a lot of effort? That is possible! And the trick is: ‘Just do it’. Yeah! That simple. Get your notebook today and do your overdue homework, open a news website and read an article, watch a video or a tv series on YouTube / Netflix, listen to a podcast. Just do something.
The problem is that, even when we’re faced with the need to speak properly, we tend to postpone the work involved to get to that goal. Because it’s work, it takes up our time and energy.
Dan Weiden created the famous Nike slogan ‘Just do it’ in the 80’s, and apart from the brand sales rising immensely, professionals and amateurs, around the world, to this day, still get motivated because it’s so simple and straight to the point. If reaching your goals and go beyond your limits in sports takes effort and determination, learning a new language isn’t any different. We won’t see an overnight improvement, but in the long run, everything will be worth it. On that note, here are 4 tips for both athletes and students of languages alike:
Get moving!
It’s almost certain that everyday you’ll have a good reason not to study: “today was a very busy day”. “I’m very tired”, “my head is hurting”, “I need to work late” and if you need to wait for the perfect conditions to study, they will never come. Sorry. It will never happen. There is no such thing as a perfect day to study. You will not wake up one day and be inspired to grab your books and study English. Or even get home one day from work with the mood and motivation to study hard. So, the secret is just to get moving, even if you don’t have the perfect conditions. Just do it. The ideal, perfect world doesn’t exist, but it is possible to have good moments of study in our insane routines. Besides, have you ever noticed that it is harder to get back on track, after you spend some time away? Just like the gym, your body isn’t used to it anymore. When we are on track, everything gets easier, but we have to take that first step!
Consistency
Everybody knows that practicing one single day, even if you do it for hours, won’t get you a lot of results. Learning demands, just like sport, consistency in practice. Maybe that’s the biggest challenge and what separates those who truly learn from those who spend years struggling. You will face plenty of obstacles, because it is not easy to create and maintain a new habit, but bear in mind that knowledge is built day by day, gradually, and consistency is key!
Have an attainable goal
It’s well known that we need to establish a goal to get somewhere, to guarantee you will be constant, you need an attainable goal. Not the ideal one, but the one you will actually be able to fulfill. You know you should study at least an hour every day, but if what you can actually do is 20 minutes, then stick to it. It might seem little time but it’s better than to establish an unreal goal and fail at it every time. If you study 20 minutes every single day, you will evolve more than one hour once in a while. When we set unrealistic goals, we will become negatively frustrated with ourselves and towards the process, and frequently give up.
Visualize and believe it.
It is something that we hear frequently nowadays, with so many motivational speeches available online, but many times we don’t really pay attention or even believe it. However, there is power in visualizing what you wish for, and we often do it negatively: “this won’t work”, “I can’t do it”, “I won’t change”. Our challenge is to use that power for good, instead of the bad. Close your eyes and imagine what you wish is actually happening (and not like in a distance, hypothetical future). Feel the joy and satisfaction of the moment. Many athletes report that, even before starting a race or a game, they envision themselves in the finishing line or celebrating victory. Our mind has a power beyond our imagination. Just believe it. Believing gets us moving, makes us set goals and steadfast in them.
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