Fluency in English:  Act As If.

Hey Smart Cookies,

Dreaming of achieving fluency in English?  Feeling frustrated?   Keep reading!

Today I'm feeling inspired.  I just got back from a 30 minute walk in the sun, and after reading a blog post from the daily love, I have some interesting advice for you.

The post was called "You're Already Whole - Act Accordingly". It talks about accepting yourself the way you are right now and enjoying the ride of life.  I think that this approach could help you in your quest to improve your English too.

First, some questions for you.  I invite you to leave a comment at the end of this article to share your answers with me.

What is Fluency in English?

• How will you know once you have achieved fluency in English?
• How will you feel once you have achieved it?
• Is it impossible to feel those feelings right now?
• Could the journey to "Perfect English" actually be more rewarding that the destination?
• Would you experience more joy or love if your English were perfect?
• Do you need perfect English to define your self-worth?
• Does speaking English make you more valuable as a person?

Mastin Kipp speaks about love, and self-worth and it made me think of you.  You all share the same dream, to learn English, but each of you have very different definitions of what that is.

• For some, it means being able to book a flight over the phone.  
• For others it means giving a presentation to an important client.  
• For others it means being able to watch a movie in English.  

So my next question is, how would you act IF your English were perfect?   

• Would you speak confidently?  
• Would you start conversations with strangers, clients or colleagues without hesitation?  
• Would you smile more?  
• Would your posture and body language change?  

Those all sound wonderful, right?  But who said that you can't do/feel all those things RIGHT NOW.  Just as you are.  Even if you vocabulary is limited, your grammar isn't perfect and you struggle with phrasal verbs. 

No one said you couldn't smile and feel confident with imperfect English.  It really is a choice.  

Yup (yes), can choose to be confident.  Right now.  You control your thoughts, beliefs, posture, smile and your actions.

So why not enjoy the benefits of "perfect English" NOW, and enjoy the journey?  

Once you realize that you control how you feel, and can choose to be positive, confident and enjoy the learning processes, you will be amazed at the progress you can achieve.

Are you asking yourself the wrong questions?

Sometimes we ask ourselves the wrong questions.  We may focus on how bad our English is, "Why is my English so bad?" but doesn't that assume that your English is bad?  

Why not ask yourself "how can I improve my fluency in English even more?".  

In that question you focus on action and a solution rather than the false assumption that your English is bad.

I recommend becoming aware of what you are telling yourself regarding your English, for an entire day.  

Make notes about how negative or positive you are. If you ask a lot of negative questions, try to replace them with empowering, positive questions.

And most importantly...the next time you are feeling down and telling yourself " my English isn't good enough", "I'll never get better" or heaven forbid "I'm stupid"...Put on your walking shoes and head outside for a walk, or put on your headphones and dance to some great music.

Nothing makes you feel better (in general or about your English) than a bit of exercise and moving your body.

So what do you think?

Are you good enough?  Will having a positive attitude make the process of learning English easier for you?  Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. 

Until next time, keep smiling, walking, dancing and believing in yourself.

Achieving fluency in English can be a challenge, but Robbie can help.  He's offered numerous answers to questions that students, just like you, have asked.  Check them out here.

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