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Have you ever looked at a complex English grammarrule and thought,
I just can't do this? I think we have all feltthat heavy
sensation in our chest. It feels like hitting abrick wall.
Exactly. It feels like a final judgment on your
intelligence. Welcome to your English Toolbox,where we train your ears and your mindset.
I am Martin. And I am Julia.
Today we are talking about a tiny three-letterword that changes your brain chemistry.
It sounds like magic, Martin, but it is actuallyneuroscience.
If you stay with us for the next six minutes, youwill learn how to stop blocking your own progress.
You will also learn three advanced C1 vocabularyterms to describe your own potential.
And finally, you will learn the power of yet. Part2. The Story.
I want to take you back to a moment when I waslearning to play the guitar.
I was 18 years old and I was trying to learn aspecific chord.
Chord. The F chord, right?
Exactly, the terrible F chord. My fingers hurt,the sound was buzzing, and it was just a disaster.
It is frustrating when your hands do not obey yourbrain.
After two hours, I put the guitar downaggressively.
I looked at my teacher and said, I am not musical.I can't do this.
You made a statement about your identity, not yourskill.
Precisely. I decided that my inability was apermanent trait.
I decided that my talent was static. I felt thatthe challenge was simply insurmountable.
Part 3. The Analysis.
You just used two very powerful C1 adjectivesthere, Martin.
Let's look at them because they define the problemperfectly.
03:02
You said you felt your talent was static.
Right. Static means lacking in movement, action,or change.
I believed my brain was finished growing.
And that brings us to the psychological conceptfrom Dr. Carol Dweck.
She calls this the fixed mindset.
In a fixed mindset, you believe your qualities arecarved in stone.
If you fail, it means you are not smart.
Exactly. That is why I used the wordinsurmountable.
That is a great word for our listeners.Insurmountable means too great to be overcome.
It is like a mountain you cannot climb.
But here is the science. The brain is not static.The brain is malleable.
Malleable?
That means it can be pressed into shape withoutbreaking.
Like clay or gold.
So when I said I am not musical, I wasscientifically wrong.
I was just describing my current state, but Itreated it like a permanent sentence.
But here is the truth.
There is a way to hack this feeling immediately.
But Martin, how do we change a feeling that is sostrong?
You do it by adding one single word to the end ofyour sentence.
The word is yet.
Just yet?
Just yet. Instead of saying, I can't speak fluentEnglish, you say, I can't speak fluent English,
yet.
I see the difference. The first sentence shuts thedoor.
The second sentence leaves the door slightly open.
Exactly.
When you add yet, you tell your brain that thesituation is temporary.
But you shift from a fixed mindset to a growthmindset.
A growth mindset believes that dedication and hardwork can develop your abilities.
It transforms a failure into a learning curve.
So here is your challenge for this week.
Catch yourself when you say, I don't understand.
And immediately add the word yet.
Do not accept the static view of your English.
Accept the malleable view.
06:00
Part 5.
The Recap
So, remember the three key words from today.
Static means unchangeable.
Insurmountable means impossible to overcome.
And malleable means capable of being shaped andimproved.
Martin, I have a question for our friendslistening.
Go ahead.
What is one thing in English you feel you cannotdo yet?
I would love to read those answers.
Is it phrasal verbs?
Is it listening to fast movies?
Tell us what you cannot do yet and claim yourpotential.
Thank you for letting us be part of your routinetoday.
See you in the next episode.
