The next step is easier than you think...

The next step is easier than you think...

Hey there! I thought I was bad at learning languages.

Although I’ve studied Spanish on and off for years, I never became fluent. School taught me the way to learn a new language was to memorize vocabulary, practice speaking, and study verb conjugations.

None of those steps was the most important one needed for fluency.

My Google search about how to become fluent landed me in a Reddit group of language learners. Their posts introduced me to the idea of “comprehensible input,” which involves listening to native speakers through podcasts, travel, TV, videos, and other media.

Turns out the listening part was missing from my past language instruction. After all, when’s the last time we saw a toddler practicing verb conjugations? They don't. Instead, they listen point, make mistakes, and keep going.

All that time, the real issue was that I was taking an inefficient route without enough listening or “input.”

And guess what? Taking the inefficient route had me thinking that I wasn’t good at learning languages.

See how easy it can be to think we’re not good at something when really we just didn’t know the right steps?

This can happen to us with writing or anything else--whether we want to write a book, to publish our article in Forbes, or to appear on podcasts.

So, what’s my point?

The next writing or publishing step is easier than you might think.

And you might unknowingly be missing a step.

Once you know what you want to do – publish your writing, appear on more podcasts, learn a language – you've already started solving the issue. Then, you can look for the next step to take.

You don’t have to have everything figured out from the start. Figuring things out is part of the process and can even inspire ideas that excite you.

You're amazing!

Deborah Ager

Curious how to get started?

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Thank you for being here and for reading. If you enjoyed this letter, please forward this to a friend and invite them to subscribe.


David Goodman

Use Environmental Sustainability Certification for Competitive Advantage | Lower Cost | Higher Revenue | Employee Performance | Competitive Edge | Sales Gains | Energy Savings | Sustainability | Carbon Neutrality | ESG

3 个月

We all know it, but convincing that foot to move is ususally hard Deborah Ager. Keep pushing us.

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Helle Ottesen

LinkedIn Top Voice I CEO Coach I Strategic Leadership I Neuroscience & Mindset Expert | Empowering Thriving Humans Change Behaviour Expert I Mind-Body-Connection Leadership & Retention Strategies for Sustainable Success

3 个月

Finding ways to improve our learning is always a useful help - so true that if we don't know the right steps, how can we say we are not good at something - True! Deborah Ager

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Gina Stracuzzi

President & Chief Revenue Officer @ IES Women in Sales Leadership (WISL) | Board President | Speaker | Business Development Strategist | Mentor | Sales Advisor | Helping Companies Elevate More Women into Sales Leadership

3 个月

Deborah Ager, I truly admire that you went looking for options on how to improve your learning, when you might have just accepted the idea that "I'm just no good at languages!" I had a Spanish teacher once who only used music in his class. "Study the mechanics of the language on your own time. Here you are going to learn the richness of what Spanish sounds like in song." (all said in a very heavy accent!) It was powerful!

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Julie Hansen

LinkedIn Top Voice, Virtual Executive Presence Training & Assessments for Sales & Leadership | Presentation and Demo Skills | Award-Winning #Sales Author | Professional Screen Actor

3 个月

It's easy to get overwhelmed with the many steps necessary to complete a complex project, like a book. Identifying the first one (and then the next one, etc.) is really the only thing you need to do right!

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Steven Jones, Ph.D.

Principal at Altus Growth Partners and SEJ Consulting

3 个月

Such a great offer Deborah Ager. I like the way you help us. See what you’ve seen the challenges in The old educational practices and the opportunities that live in identifying new resources living our dreams.

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