Advance Your English with the 4 'S's

If you're thinking about how to take your English to the next level, try these 4 'S's, .

1. Space

We're so busy most of the time that it's difficult to "find space" in our diaries to do what we want to do. But now that we're approaching the end of the year, let's look at 3 aspects of space: 

• physical space: if your desk is full, take some time to clear and organise it! You'll be surprised at the sense of freedom and spaciousness you'll experience when your desk is clear.
• mental space: before you even sit at your desk and start your computer, give yourself a few conscious in-breaths and out-breaths. Confident English Training incorporates mindfulness practices to help you connect with the vastness of mental space in the service of language acquisition and use.
• virtual space: have you created an "English" folder on your browser yet? This is just one simple way to keep English very close by on a daily basis.

2. Sit

Have you heard the expression, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"? 

We promise ourselves that we will sit down and enroll in an English learning programme "tomorrow", "next week", "as soon as I finish my current project", "as soon as I have some extra income", or "as soon as I have a bit more time". We continue to spin excuses to avoid sitting at our (now clear!) desk and actually getting down to business, which is the only way we'll ever achieve fluency and proficiency in English.

3. Study

I often joke with my students that this is "the dirty 'S' word" because everyone avoids it like the plague. "Anything but study!" is what most people seem to be saying, or, "Is there any other way?"

And the long and the short of it (a summary) is that, well, no, there isn't, really. There's no other way to overcome the intermediate plateau as an adult, especially if you don't live in an English-speaking country. In my experience, at least, the way we learn as adults is different from how we learn as children. Games, gimmicks, and distractions might be entertaining, but I would question their effectiveness in terms of real, long-term learning.

Having said that, here's the good news!

Spending some time (not too much!) studying carefully and with focused, concentrated attention will bring immeasurable results. My programme teaches you exactly how to do that.

But don't take my word for it! Look at the results shared by one of my students, Galileo, this week:

4. See clearly

There's incredible confidence to be gained within ourselves when we focus on understanding first. We don't need to understand everything all at once! We just need to make an effort to understand as much as we are able to right now, even if it's just one very small thing.

Now that work and businesses are winding down (relaxing, gradually coming to an end) and that you can look forward to some space, an opportunity to sit and study - in small doses! - with enthusiasm and lightness of heart, without deadlines or time crunch, and to see clearly, this is the time to commit to a programme that you only join once and become a part of for life.

Are you READY to get your English show on the road?

I'll see you in your Consultation call!