Life is full of choices, and sometimes these can be difficult to make: knowing which city to move to (my wife and I chose well!), which computer to buy, or even what to have at a restaurant.
Making a decision is a powerful thing. And we are all where we are now because of the big and small choices we have made in the past. For example, you are reading this post because you chose to click the link on Facebook or in the email I sent you. Another example is that:
You have the English level you have now because of choices you made in the past.
I hope you found this last point powerful. Firstly, it is true; the choices you have made until now are the reason you have your current level of English.
But this is also incredibly exciting too; the choices you make right now will affect your level in the future. Which means that you are in control of your English speaking destiny. Exciting, right?
And out of all the choices you can make, I believe the following is the most important.
The Most Important Change You Can Make to Reach Fluency in English
The following change is simple and incredibly powerful. Those who have made this change have progressed to an advanced level in a short amount of time. I’ve seen this happen with my students and other learners. Here it is:
Do exactly what you do now. But do it in English.
And this is a choice you can make. You can decide whether to do this or not. Not only will this help you reach a higher level, but it is also something you can do without having to make sacrifices.
Making this Change
The first thing to do is to change the language of your devices into English. This will give you the repetitive input you need. And doing this will help you to get used to using English every day.
The next thing to do is to think about what you currently do in your native language that can be done in English. For example:
- Watching the news.
- Listening to music.
- Listening to podcasts.
- Reading and subscribing to blogs.
- Watching television.
- Researching your next phone purchase.
- Participating in online discussions.
These are just some of the ways you can do this. If you have an intermediate level, then this is the biggest change you can make right now to reach a high level.
Do the things you do now, especially the things you find interesting, but do them in English instead.
You won’t understand everything at first. But continue doing it, learn as you go, and get used to the English language.
Imagine what difference this will make to your English 6, 12, 18 months from now. Imagine how exciting it will be to open yourself up to new cultures. Imagine how it will feel to be able to watch television without subtitles.
Are you ready to make this change?
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If you want to reach a high level of English, you will want this book.
It shows you what you need to do to reach a high level of English.
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In fact I have done that already.
Fantastic!
Ok,where are you from?
The UK. But now live in the USA.
Do you suggest that even basic beginner students make these changes right away, even if they have very little command of the language? Or do you think it’s better that they get more basic instruction first before trying to do things like watching TV in the new language?
Great questions Debbie. I think that having a combination of the two is best. But… not all instruction is the same – and some of the programs for beginners (and teachers) will be more beneficial than others.
Additionally, when someone is a beginner, watching children shows in English and reading certain children books is a good place to start.