Intro
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| Becky: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Becky and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante! |
| Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here. |
| Becky: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about How Mastering A Language... |
| Peter: Has Changed My Life. |
| Becky: Or... Why Do People Who Succeed... |
| Peter: ...Tend to Succeed Again and Again |
| Becky: You’ll learn How Peter Beat His Spanish Goal This Year |
| Peter: Why People Who Succeed Tend To Succeed Again and Again |
| Becky: AND How You Too Can Hit Your Goals... |
| Peter: ...and master your target language. |
| Body |
| Becky: Listeners, welcome back to the Inner Circle. |
| Peter: Last time, you learned the two dirty little secrets of mastering a language... |
| Becky: ...why a calendar is the first thing you need when you start... |
| Peter: ...and why knowing your own grammar will double your progress. |
| Becky: That was November... and this is it, listeners. It’s the end of December. |
| Peter: The month is just about over. |
| Becky: Let us have it Peter - your Spanish goal for the year. You promised us 30 minutes of conversation. Last month you were at 40 minutes. |
| Peter: Well, Becky, I reached my 45 minute-goal, Becky. As of Saturday, December 13th! |
| Becky: Wow! But I remember you said this last time – learning a language is easy when you’ve learned another before. And you’ve learned a few before. |
| Peter: That’s right. If you remember, I took on Italian last year. Chinese before that. And Japanese was the first language I seriously conquered. |
| Becky: So...then there’s truth to that statement. |
| Peter: I think so, Becky. Learning a new language is easier when you’ve mastered one before. Or, let’s put it another way, any goal is easier to achieve when you’ve reached a goal before. |
| Becky: And listeners, this is exactly what you’ll learn about in this final Inner Circle. |
| Peter: Yes - How Mastering A Language Has Changed My Life. |
| Becky: Or... Why people who succeed tend to succeed again and again. |
| Peter: You’re going to learn...ONBecky: How I Beat My Spanish Goal This Year |
| Becky: TWO: Why People Who Succeed Tend To Succeed Again and Again |
| Peter: ...and THREBecky: |
| Becky: How You Too Can Hit Your Goals. |
| Peter: So let’s get into that first part. |
| Becky: ONBecky: Why Peter Succeeded with Spanish This Year |
| Peter: Let’s be real, Becky – I pretty much had a terrible start. |
| Becky: Yeah, you failed your first two months. But... you beat your goal. You were planning on 30 minutes. Now you’re at 45! |
| Peter: That’s right. Things rarely work out on the first or second try. First you might be too busy. Your goal might be too big for your schedule. But it’s that third or fifth, maybe fourth try, where you start making serious headway. |
| Becky: I definitely agree there. So what worked for you? |
| Peter: Well, first and foremost – keeping at it and putting in the time. |
| Becky: What about tactics and learning strategies? We went over a lot this year, Peter. |
| Peter: Great question. Here's what, I think, really helped me progress in Spanish. First, using the SpanishPod101 audio and video lessons. |
| Becky: Ah, right. |
| Peter: In the beginning, when I knew ZERO Spanish, listening to series like the Top 25 Questions and Survival Phrases really helped me learn the common phrases, questions and answers that I get asked by every Spanish speaker. And simply by preparing with these lessons.... |
| Becky: ...you could start and maintain conversation. |
| Peter: These helped me hit my 3-minute goal. Just the SpanishPod101 lessons alone. And of course, listening to lessons every day improved my listening, and helped me learn new conversations, words, and grammar rules. |
| Becky: I also remember you talked about following lesson structure. |
| Peter: You have a great memory, Becky. That’s the second thing that was super helpful. Listeners, if you remember, it was following a lesson structure that skyrocketed my Spanish. We talked about this in the September Inner Circle. I was able to hit 30 minutes by avoiding the mistake of sticking to free conversation. |
| Becky: Yeah, I remember. Free-style conversations can quickly die out. For example, you can run out of things to say... |
| Peter:...but if you follow the structure - the lesson dialogue, the cultural points, the overall theme of the lesson– there are a LOT of talking points to use. So when you’re running out of things to say.... |
| Becky:.. just jump over into the next talking point. |
| Peter: The lessons really worked in that sense. I was able to speak a lot more Spanish. |
| Becky: Now, you were also learning with an in-person tutor and your Premium PLUS teacher. |
| Peter: That’s right. My skype tutor is a huge help too. I mean, simply having a native speaker to practice with... that’s the best kind of practice you can get, If you’re prepared. If you don’t prepare with the lessons, it’s kind of wasting money. And don’t forget, I also have my Premium PLUS teacher too. |
| Becky: Oh, yes. How did that help? |
| Peter: Having a Premium PLUS teacher who sends me assignments so I stay on track is amazing. My teacher really kept me on track. She’d email me reminders. Plus, I could practice Spanish anytime I wanted. I can send her a piece of writing or a recording, and get corrections. That instant feedback helped smooth out a lot of my mistakes and answered a lot of questions. |
| Becky: Listeners, by the way, Premium PLUS is now available on the Innovative Language 101 App. |
| Peter: Be sure to check it out if you’re a Premium PLUS subscriber. You can now learn 1-on-1 while you’re on the go.... |
| Becky: ...and get corrections and answers to your language questions. It’s super accessible now. |
| Peter: So, the tutors and teachers helped. And as we mentioned last time, the calendar helped out a lot too. |
| Becky: To be honest, I’m surprised the calendar made it to your list of your tactics. |
| Peter: Well, Becky, there’s more to it. With the Calendar, I was able to plan out my week... and my learning routines... |
| Becky: ...right... |
| Peter: ...and I was able to stick to my routines. I mean, those are far more important than the Calendar alone. A calendar won’t magically force you to do anything. |
| Becky: ...but the calendar helped facilitate your routines and helped you stick to them. |
| Peter: Exactly. It just makes it easier to plan it out and see it on paper. To know when you’ll study. You’ll know where... what...and for how long. And, to see how far you are from your goal. |
| Becky: Listeners, what learning tactics worked for you this year? |
| Peter: Be sure to let us know! |
| Becky: Alright, Peter. So these things helped you succeed with Spanish this year. |
| And you did well with Italian last year. What can our listeners learn from this? |
| Peter: First, review which methods have worked for you and which haven't. |
| Becky: Use the ones that work and throw away the ones that don’t. |
| Peter: Also... it’s said “easy to learn a new language... |
| Becky: ...if you’ve learned one before.” |
| Peter: But see... the BIGGER point here is... people who succeed tend to succeed again and again. |
| Becky: And listeners, you’ll find out why now. |
| Peter: Let’s get into the second part. |
| Becky: Two: Why People Who Succeed Tend To Succeed Again and Again |
| Peter: Listeners, have you ever successfully tackled a goal before? |
| Becky: If you have...then in the process of pursuing that goal... |
| Peter: ...you develop some crucial skills and know-how that will serve you for ANYTHING that you try to learn afterwards. Language included. |
| Becky: That’s right. The routine and discipline required for language learning... a lot of people don’t have it. |
| Peter: But... what happens, listeners, is that you develop these on the way to your goal. |
| Becky: So in other words, you learn how to approach your goals better, right? |
| Peter: You got it, Becky. More importantly, you understand that it’s all about TIME. And you learn how to USE your time. |
| Becky: Kind of like Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule. Like... you need to put in time to get really good. |
| Peter: Exactly. So people that succeed again and again... they look at their goals as an equation of time and effort. The 10,000 hour rule is one example. You need time. Another example, listeners– think of college classes, credits, right? Credits are the amount of time you have to put in. The time it takes. |
| Becky: Like one class is 3 credits. |
| Peter: And that means... you have 3 hours of the class a week. And if one semester is, say... how long, Becky? |
| Becky: Like 16 weeks? |
| Peter: That’s a total of 48 hours. How’s my math? |
| Becky: Good. |
| Peter: So basically, when you sign up for a class and you see that 3 credits, you’re expected to spend 48 hours in class and, of course, some time out of class, studying. All of this is required to reach a certain amount of proficiency. |
| Becky: Schools do this. Police academy training does this. With driving classes, you’re also required to put in hours behind the wheel. So the big lesson is that a certain amount of time is required for proficiency. |
| Peter: Precisely. That’s the first half of what successful learners understand. Any goal is an investment of time. You have to put in the time. But there’s a second half to it too. |
| Becky: Oh? |
| Peter: The second half is being able to set a schedule and truly stick to it. |
| Becky: That’s easier said than done! |
| Peter: Which is exactly why a lot of people don’t succeed, Becky. And why... people who have succeeded before, succeed again and again. You develop the discipline to stick with it. But let me give you an example - just how realistic it is to stick to a routine. Let’s try...everyone’s probably done this sometime in their life... |
| Becky: ...Fitness. Okay. |
| Peter: Becky, In order to have a pretty good figure, a pretty good body... what kind of investment do you think you need a day? |
| Becky: I would say at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. |
| Peter: I would say that’s an amazing guess and I think most people would shoot much higher. They think it takes much longer to get a decent body. But let’s take a look at that 15 or 30 minutes. Let’s say you do 30 minutes a day. In a week... how much of a time commitment is that? |
| Becky: Are we saying 7 days? Or maybe 5 days is more realistic? |
| Peter: Let’s do 5 days. |
| Becky: So 5 days a week. 5 times 30 is 150 minutes. That’s 2 and a half hours in a week. |
| Peter: And how many hours are there in a week? |
| Becky: 168 hours. |
| Peter: So out of 168 hours, do you think you can find 2 for your body? |
| Becky: I should be able to find 2 for my body. But... That’s doable. |
| Peter: Totally doable. Let’s say you have a busy week. Multiply that by 4 weeks in a month. Now you’re at 10 hours. Becky, how many hours are there in a month? |
| Becky: 730 hours. |
| Peter: Out of the 730 hours, I know you’re busy, but I think that’s very doable. |
| Becky: I think that’s totally doable. It should be doable, right? |
| Peter: Yeah, Becky, that’s like literally 2 nights of sleep |
| Becky: Okay, I do like my sleep. How much do you sleep a night, Peter? |
| Peter: Not enough. But you should be able to put in 10 hours each month into fitness. Into your body. And once you see the numbers like that, you can try to set a schedule to achieve that. |
| Becky: And it’s the same thing with language, listeners. |
| Peter: Or any goal. If you spend 2 hours a week on language, at 52 weeks in a year, that’s 104 hours. |
| Becky: And in a year... hold on, I’m looking it up... there are 8,760 hours in a year. |
| Peter: Again, compare the numbers. 104 hours out of 8,760. I think you can find the time. All you have to do is plan it out across the months, weeks, and days on a calendar and then, it doesn’t seem like such a big task. That’s 30 minutes of study for 4 out 7 days of the week. |
| Becky: You know, looking at like that... I can definitely fit in 30 minutes of study...if I do it. |
| Peter: IF you do it, Becky. So that’s where we circle back to why people succeed again and again. |
| Becky: They understand it takes a time commitment. They understand that skipping a day means losing progress. They know how to set a schedule... and stick with routines... |
| Peter: ...simply because they’ve done it before. So I know how to approach language study. I plan out my schedule. I stick to it. If I’m failing my goals, I adjust my routine to something lighter and stick to that. |
| Becky: ..and you develop the discipline in the meantime. |
| Peter: So when I first started in 2015, I understood I needed about 104 hours of Spanish study to get to where to where I needed to be. |
| Becky: And then you planned accordingly. |
| Peter: Exactly, Becky. And to tell the truth, actually Spanish isn’t the only thing i’ve been doing this year, Becky. |
| Becky: Oh, were you watching more Netflix lately? |
| Peter: Well, yes! Actually, Yeah I do.. that tends to run over my allotted time. But... |
| Becky: Narcos. Orange is the New Black. |
| Peter: It’s part of my study routine, Becky! |
| Becky: Narcos, yes. Orange is the New Black, I heard.. is a male favorite. I don’t know if they speak Spanish in there. |
| Peter: But actually ... I’ve been going to the gym 3 times a week since February this year too. |
| Becky: What have you been doing there, Peter? |
| Peter: It’s interesting. I spent 45 minutes for 3 days in the gym a week. And the difference has been absolutely incredible. But again, it comes down to planning in a busy day. |
| Becky: So that’s where the gym references come from! |
| Peter: You know it. And that’s why this Inner Circle is called “Why Mastering a Language Changed My Life.” By learning language, and more importantly... |
| Becky: ...learning how to stick to goals and understanding how time works... |
| Peter: ...I’m now able to approach any goal and task in life... and take them on. |
| Becky: So, Peter, what would you tell our listeners? How would you conclude this final Inner Circle? |
| Peter: Let’s get to the final part. |
| Becky: THREE How You Too Can Hit Your Goals |
| Peter: Listeners, if you’ve successfully reached a goal... |
| Becky: Like the small, measurable, monthly goals that we ask you to set... |
| Peter: And no matter how small – if you’ve done it – you’ll be able to succeed with future goals. You’ll develop the habit of sticking to routines. And you’ll realize that ultimately, it’s all a matter of time. Some people will progress faster... others might progress slower... |
| Becky: But your improvement is guaranteed with time either way. |
| Peter: Right. So listeners, make sure to set small, measurable goals, monthly goals with a deadline. |
| Becky: If it’s too much for you, scale down. Aim for lower. |
| Peter: If you can stick with, you’re guaranteed to stick to your future goals, succeed again and again... |
| Becky: ...and master your language. That’s a great way to end it, Peter. |
| Peter: Listeners, thank you for tuning in to the Inner Circle. |
| Becky: Thank you so much for your emails and responses. |
| Peter: And please let us know how your goals are coming along. What worked for your this year? |
| Becky: What didn’t work? |
| Peter: Email us and tell us at inner dot circle at innovativelanguage dot com. |
| Becky: And stay tuned for the Inner Circle lessons that are coming in 2016. |
| Peter: Have a Happy New Year, listeners, and we’ll see you soon! |
| Becky: Thank you again, listeners! |
Outro
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| Becky: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson! |
| Peter: Bye everyone! |
| Becky: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. |
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