S4E33: What do you most need to hear right now?

Full transcript:

Good morning and welcome to the LCP, the daily dose of language courage for people who love languages, and those who really don’t, but have to learn one anyway.

And today, if you’re feeling stuck, feeling lost, or feeling down on your studies, I have a question for you, and hopefully it’s a question that will help you to feel a little bit lighter. And that question is, What do you most need to hear today? 

Do you need to hear that this is possible?

Do you need to find stories of people who have learned their language in similar circumstances to yours?

Do you need a proverbial kick up the backside?

Do you need a reminder of why this is important?

OR do you need someone to put this in perspective and reduce its importance in your mind?

Whatever the first thought is that pops into your head, go and find it. In whatever format you find resonates with you the best, it might be images, it might be quotes from books or famous people, it might be quick videos or full hour-long podcasts.

And sometimes, you might start with one thought, go and look for it, and realise there’s something deeper that you hadn’t identified at first that’s driving whatever is blocking you. It’s happened to me so many times. You might stumble upon the advice you never even knew you needed.

People all over the world are sharing so much wisdom, and and telling so many stories to encourage you, to comfort you, to reassure you that they had exactly the same thoughts and worries that you did when they were on a similar journey to you. And there is so much practical advice out there about every kind of mental block in existence. So don’t tell yourself that being a good student means you have to just push through. Don’t put pressure on yourself to figure this all out on your own, or to pretend your fears and resistances don’t exist.

Give yourself permission to go out and find them. Just, give yourself what you need to encourage yourself, to support yourself, or to address whatever you’re doubting right now.

You can do this, language learners, but you don’t have to do it alone.

And if you like what I do, please support me! The Language Confidence project is growing and all sorts of exciting things are happening in the next few months, and I need your help to make all of this happen. There are so many ways that you could lend a hand right now. If you know someone who would benefit from listening to this podcast, send them a quick message with the episode attached. If you work in or know someone in a language school or a university language department, please suggest this podcast for both them and their students. If you can and you want to, support me on Patreon, because I have a Patreon now, and the link is in my bio! And finally, if you’re new around here or I haven’t met you yet, or come and talk to me! Leave a comment on today’s episode on a positit on Instagram, send me a DM, or even better, book a call as part of the 100 Conversations Project with me! The link to that is also in my Instagram bio at @teawithemily. I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful day, and I will see you tomorrow.