Why You Could Be Destroying Your Chance of English Success
Sabrena Doherty 
Are you letting fear stop you from improving your English?
If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to improve your English by yourself, download our free guide HERE.
This blog post is inspirational but also contains helpful, practical advice to improve your English.
Note: The level of English in this blog is B2 and higher. If you don´t understand something, use DeepL and Linguee.
Let me tell you two stories.
Story number 1: One of my old students contacted me a few months ago - he has a B2 level - to tell me that he was asked by his office to do a project in English. I told him that it was fantastic news, and there was literally no better way to improve his English. I was genuinely delighted for him to have this fantastic opportunity. He contacted me a few days later to say he had refused it as he didn´t feel ready at the moment.
Story number 2: I spoke with another person recently who told me about an opportunity he had to start a new company and had everything he needed to succeed. Just while he was on the verge of (about to have) possibly huge success, he decided that it wasn´t the right time and there were too many things at stake (too many risks).
Now let me tell you what these 2 stories have in common: Fear.
Firstly, fear of failure.
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On the outside, these decisions were made because the people involved felt they weren´t ready or that it would not work. In these situations, you feel you are being practical and responsible, acting with your brain instead of your heart. We also don't like people seeing us making mistakes, and this is completely understandable. But what if you were successful? What if your English improved fantastically because of that project and you were offered another, much higher-paying position because of your English and project management skills in the future? So what if you didn´t understand everything they were saying, or you made mistakes while you were speaking to them - you would learn quickly.
And in the second case - what if your new company was hugely successful, and you felt fulfilled in your new career path?
We need to change our mindset (the way we think) about failure. If you fail, it means that you were brave enough to try in the first place. How many people have never tried? If you fail, you have learned some valuable lessons about how to do it in the future, you have gained excellent knowledge which you can use again in the future. You have probably met other ambitious people who will inspire you and perhaps give you opportunities in the future.
In relation to learning English, if you are afraid of speaking because you will make mistakes, I am sorry to tell you - you will never speak fluently unless you practice. You will make mistakes, I promise you. But each time you practice, you will make fewer mistakes. You will become more fluent and more proficient. In the end, you will achieve your goal of speaking with ease and being able to express yourself in another language.
If you are afraid to speak to others in English because you may not understand them, practice listening to English every day as much as possible to improve your comprehension, and this way you will understand people better. But you will still have moments when you don´t understand, and that´s OK too - practice listening some more, and learn some expressions to use when that happens.
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas A. Edison
Taken from our Youtube Channel.
It is also the fear of change.
Doing that project in English would bring further great career opportunities that would change your life. Successfully running a new and exciting business could change how you live, how people would see you - so many things. Why would you risk your current lifestyle where you know what you are doing and the world feels safer? Humans generally don't like change. if you have a job (even if it doesn´t pay well) why should you leave it for something that isn´t a certainty? If you have a mortgage (house loan), it is very difficult to take risks in case you lose the ability to pay your loan. It is also human nature not to leave a safe, dependable situation. Biologically, it is a fantastic mechanism to keep us safe. But it also holds us back (prevents us) from achieving our dreams and living the life that we desire.
I am writing this because it is a feeling that I experience myself at times, and I recognise what it is, but the power of the mind is amazing - it is difficult to push against this feeling. I felt it when I made the decision to leave Ireland to study. I felt it when I left my career in Ireland to travel with my husband, Killian - twice. I also felt it when we moved to Spain.
You have undoubtedly felt it yourself - do you remember a time when you were in a situation and you had to make a decision - one choice was safe and the other choice involved risk - which choice did you make? Occasionally a great opportunity can come our way and it means being very brave and taking a chance (taking a risk).
Richard Branson was famously quoted as saying´ “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”
In terms of your English, what great changes could being able to communicate easily bring to your life? Would you have better job opportunities? Undoubtedly. Would you be able to travel without worrying about how to communicate? Of course you would. What would it mean for you personally? Would you feel a great sense of achievement having learnt a new language? I think you would.
Think about it, make a list of how your life could improve if you were more fluent in English, and get out there and practice without fear.
If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to improve your English by yourself, download our free guide HERE.
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