There’s one thing that many of our subscribers have shared with us – you struggle to speak English because of your surroundings. This is because you live in an environment where English is rarely (or, if ever) used. You also may not have any friends or family members to speak English with.

The power of association

One thing that I believe is really important to achieving any goal is to spend time with those who have already attained that goal. These people can be your mentors. Or, spend time with those who are on the same journey as you. They can support, encourage and share with you how they overcome their own struggles.

This is called “the power of association”. Have you heard that famous quote by the motivational speaker, Jim Rohn?

“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

For example, when you’re spending a lot of time with people who are happy and enjoy exercise – it’s likely you’ll end up being happier and exercising yourself. Or if you spend a lot of time with people who are always complaining and gossiping – it’s highly likely you’re complaining more and enjoy indulging in gossip too.

So the same goes with your journey in learning English. If you want to improve your English, be around those who like to speak in English. If these people are hard to find, look for activities or clubs where English is used. Join those activities in the weekends with your family.

You can find a lot of English-speaking groups on Facebook based on your interests – whether it’s gardening, homeschooling, or cooking – and request to join those groups. The best groups would usually have activities for you to join and get to know one another.

What other activities can you participate in? Perhaps it’s joining an English-speaking workshop (our next workshop is in October, by the way *wink wink*). Or it could be sending your kids to an English-speaking activity for you to meet with other parents who speak English.

The most important thing to remember is this:

1) Maintain a growth mindset – Believe that you can improve and everything improves with continuous practice and learning; and
2) To surround yourself with people who can help you on your journey.

So if you’re struggling in finding opportunities to speak English, I hope you’ll take a proactive step towards finding the right social circle and joining them. These people are important for you to move ahead with your goals.

I’ll talk to you in our next post.