Mindfulness Reflections

Have you heard of The Tortoise (a kind of turtle) and the Hare (a wild rabbit) parable? The moral of the story is that being in a hurry, with a "win, win, win!" mentality, only leads to exhaustion, fatigue, burn out, and ultimately, great loss, because it isn't only the race that the hare loses, it's the utter delight of the journey itself, that is, she loses in every way, really, because all we have is a (relatively) short life to ENJOY as best we can. (Yes, let's make the tortoise and the hare female today, just for fun, because we're referring to human nature, and not to male or female characteristics). Becoming more confident and fluent in English is also a journey that we can enjoy deeply, as we notice our progress along the way and feel more and more able and adventurous to explore and expand our horizons, both personally and professionally. While the hare is constantly thinking about her opponent and how to out-smart her, the tortoise is never worried o...

It isn't that we don't fail. It's that we don't always see the lessons. Especially in the midst of our difficulties, we have the tendency to look at ourselves in a very poor light, and to think that no one else understands what we are going through, that we are alone, while others live their happy, highly successful lives. In reality, we all have difficulties, and in that way, paradoxically, even when we feel alone, we are in fact going through something that every human being experiences: discomfort, difficulty and failure. Failure is not something we enjoy, and yet it is extremely precious. About two years ago, I was able to create the pilot for an ongoing English training program, Confident English Training, for professionals who want to improve and polish their English language skills in a more autonomous way, while still having access to live Coaching calls and mindfulness practice sessions, as well as a supportive community of like-minded people. And while there a...