سه راه انگیزه دادن به زبان آموزان انگلیسی

3 Ways to be a Motivated English Learner

This is an All Ears English Podcast, Episode 159: “3 Ways to be a Motivated English Learner.”

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, where you’ll finally get real, native English conversation with your hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the ‘English Adventurer’ and Gabby Wallace, the ‘Language Angel’, from Boston, USA.

Can’t get enough of All Ears English?

We can’t get enough of you either. We made a four hour video course with four phrase guides that go together.

You’re gonna (going to) learn the four keys to connecting with American people.

You can instantly download the whole course. Just go to AllEarsEnglish.com/keys, k-e-y-s.

Are you feeling a little unmotivated? In today’s episode, we’re going to share three mental tricks that you need to get in order to motivate yourself now.

Hey, Lindsay. How are you?

(Ugh), Gabby. I am not feeling good today.

Oh, what’s wrong?

I just have no energy.

No energy?

I have no motivation.

No motivation? Well wait, I just read an article in TIME (ma-), TIMES magazine, TIME magazine about three ways that you can improve your motivation yourself. Do you wanna (want to) talk about it?

No, I don’t have the motivation to talk about that.

Well let me just tell you, let me just tell you a little bit ‘cause (because) it’s really interesting.

Okay…

Do you…

I’ll listen for, (you know), ten seconds then I gotta (got to) go back. I was taking a nap.

Do you, do you have feelings?

Sometimes.

Well, what I learned is that your feelings really control your motivation.

Really?

Yeah. Do you have emotions?

{Sigh} On the good days.

Well, that’s what I learned is that your feelings and emotions always win out when it comes to taking action. I shouldn’t say always, but they usually win. When, when you put thoughts versus feelings or emotions, your feelings and emotions win and you’ll follow them.

Well, what does that mean for me? Let’s say for example I’m an English learner.

Okay.

Let’s imagine that I’m an English learner and.

Yeah.

I’m really struggling with my motivation.

Right, because everyone does. I think there’s (there are) days when you just don’t feel like studying anymore.

And you’ve lost your motivation.

Yeah.

So, okay. So what does that mean as an English learner? That’s a great question, especially for our listeners, right? So, you guys have to use your feelings and emotions to support your language learning. What I mean is you have to figure out what gets you excited!

Is it a kind of, like something from our culture, like music? Do you like American music? Do you want to meet American friends? Maybe there’s a social reason why learning English makes you excited. Or maybe there’s another reason that’s a personal reason, or a professional reason.

So do you mean that I’m gonna (going to) remember more if I’m learning when I’m excited? Like when I’m emotional?

That’s true.

And then I’m gonna (going to) get more motivated because I’m learning more? It’s gonna (going to) be.

Well, both.

A positive feedback loop?

Absolutely, both.

Oh.

You’re going to want to take action to study more if you’re motivated and you’re going to be motivated if there’s some feeling associated with studying English. So if you’re feeling bored about English you’re not gonna (going to) wanna (want to) study it, but if you can attach some meaning, some emotion, something exciting…

Oh.

That gets you revved up and excited to…

Wow!

To study English, it’s gonna (going to) help you.

I see.

Okay?

Okay.

So that’s the idea, but I really wanted to share, (you know), three suggestions from TIME magazine that might help you with your motivation.

Okay, well I’m already feeling a little more motivated now that you’ve…

Good!

Shared this positive idea. So, okay, give me one more.

Okay.

Or two more.

Well, there’s (there are) three, there’s (there are) three. That was just the background. So…

Oh.

Lemme (let me), lemme (let me) give the first one to you. The first one is “Get positive,” okay?

Get positive?” What the heck does that mean?

Well, when you think positively, when you’re optimistic or you try to find reasons to be happy, you get more done.

(Um), although, I would, I would just add one caveat here.

Okay.

My, my point of view.

Yeah.

I think that, yeah, it’s, it’s important to be positive, but we can’t ignore negative emotions.

Oh, that’s a good point.

So, if, if, if I’ve just had (like) a death in my family or gone through a breakup, or something really hard.

Yeah.

I can’t just like trudge through and say, “Oh, put on a happy face.”

I agree.

Right?

That’s a very good point because, (you know), that’s life. We go through ups and downs, and it’s normal.

Yeah.

To have those downs. So don’t ignore those.

Exactly.

But if you, if you’re having a normal day and you’re finding yourself having, (you know), a difficult choice between ‘should I be happy’ or ‘should I be sad today’…

Yeah.

Really try to push yourself to look on the bright side.

And, yeah…

Yeah.

Go ahead.

No, you’ll find that when you push yourself to find the silver lining, which is the positive side, you’re going to feel more energy.

Yeah.

And you’ll, you’ll feel more motivated to get things done.

Yeah, and this is something we talk a lot about in my, in my Dharma classes I study.

Nice.

I always talk about this, but it’s just my.

Cool.

Thing, right?

Yeah.

So we talk a lot about how to rest in, (um), more as we, we call it wholesome states, and that has different, (uh), has a different meaning as, (uh), compared with your traditional meaning of wholesome. Anyway, wholesome means basically happy, peaceful states. So, in any given moment I – right now it’s really hot in our recording studio, so I could rest on the fact that I’m sweating, or I could rest on the fact that I’m here having fun with Gabby.

Right.

And we love All Ears English…

Yeah.

And it’s good. So that’s a wholesome state. I could rest in that.

That’s great.

And that could help me be.

So it’s about your focus.

Right. So when you’re out …

Right.

Practicing your English, you could rest on your mistakes, or you could rest on the fact that you’re surrounded with fun people practicing a great language.

Oh, that’s fantastic. So it’s all about where you choose to put your focus. So, there’s another tip that I actually use pretty often. (Like), let’s say, (you know), I just finished training for a, a triathlon, and one thing that I told myself was when I finished the triathlon I’m gonna (going to) buy myself a new pair of sneakers, a…

Cool.

New pair of running shoes.

Oh.

Okay? So that’s a reward.

That’s dangling the carrot…

Yeah!

In front of your face, right? Okay.

And I’m not getting a new pair of running shoes until I finish that triathlon.

That was enough to get you to run a whole triathlon? Geez.

There were other reasons. There were other reasons too, but that was (like) an added benefit.

Yeah, okay, okay. Okay.

So, reward yourself if you…

What kind of, sorry go ahead.

No, if you do something that you’ve been meaning to get done, you can treat yourself.

What kind of rewards could our English learners, our audience, our listeners, what could they offer themselves?

Well, I suggest a positive reward. (You know), not anything that’s going to be harmful to your health, or harmful to others of course. But, for example, something positive might be, (you know), maybe taking yourself out to dinner, or cooking a nice dinner.

Getting ice cream.

Getting ice cream. Maybe just going for a walk…

(like), giving yourself some free time to do something that you enjoy. (Um), you could buy something for yourself, (you know), but there’s (there are) also options if you don’t want to spend money. You can, (you know), (uh) participate in maybe a, a pickup sports event, or give yourself time to do something you enjoy, even if it’s watching a TV program.

Or if you like nature, just a walk through …

Yeah.

The woods or a nice walk by a river, something like that.

Yeah! Treat yourself to an iced coffee, (you know), once you…

Sounds good right now.

Yeah, I know – when you get through a hot recording day. The last tip I wanted to share is to use peer pressure. So use the social pressure of the people around you to really reinforce your goals, and surround yourself with people who you want to be like.

Absolutely. And we talked a few months back about setting up an English mastermind…

Yeah.

Group, and this is a good example.

It is! Yeah, absolutely. I think, (you know), it’s, it’s, (um), very important to surround yourself with people who have similar goals, or similar outlooks. (You know), if you’re trying to be more positive try to surround yourself with positive people. Try to surround yourself with people who may help you with your English goals, and, and you’ll see more of an improvement.

Yeah, and when we talk about this I always get that quote by Jim Rohn (co-), coming up in my mind: “You’re the average of the four people you spend the most time with.”

Oh, that’s great.

Dangerous, right?

That’s great.

(I mean), it could be great or it could be …

Yeah.

Not so great. So that’s why we need to be very conscious of who we’re spending time with.

Yeah, think about the four or five people who you spend the most time with and would you want to be like them, more…

Right.

Lke them?

Something to think about.

There you go.

So Lindsay, I can see you’re feeling more motivated.

Look what’s happened. It’s amazing. Your tips are incredible. Thanks to Gabby and TIME magazine.

Thanks so much for listening guys. I hope this has given you some good tips to motivate yourself when you’re feeling a little unenergetic. These are the top three tips: get positive, get rewarded, and get peer pressure.

Ooh.

Thanks guys.

If you wanna (want to) put your ears into English more often, be sure to subscribe to our podcast in iTunes on your computer or on your smartphone. Thanks so much for listening and see you next time.