Mindset

This quote speaks a lot. Your attitude plays a big role in what happens to you throughout your life. Your happiness and sadness depends a lot on your attitude. The lens through which you see the world, defines your world. If you try and change or adjust this lens a little, you realize that things are not as bad or as good as you thought they are. Suddenly you realize a different kind of potential within you. Let’s understand this with an example. I, as a spoken English coach, get a lot of course inquiry calls every day. Most of the learners tell me that they want to learn English. And when I talk to them, I see a lot of them can already talk in English. They just don’t use the English they know already. They want to learn more first. What they think is that first they will learn English and then they will speak. This is the problem. Thinking you will learn first and speak later is like thinking you will learn swimming first and enter the water later. Do you think you will become confident first and speak confidently later? It will never happen. Do you think you will learn advanced English words first and use them later? It will never happen. Do you think you will become fluent without putting in hours and hours of efforts? It will never happen. It cannot happen. How can it? Learning and growing happen simultaneously. Like a seesaw: Confidence comes from trying and failing and trying and failing and trying and failing. Confidence is not about the result. Confidence comes with efforts. For instance, let’s say you start a business and you invest your 3 years and Rs. 1 crore in that business. After 3 years, your business fails. Will it bring your confidence down? Ideally, it won’t because that failure will give you more experience. You will learn how to fail successfully. You will know which mistakes to avoid. After a business failure your ego might also dissolve a little. But the very process of starting the business will give you confidence. Now you may say that you have seen many cases where business failures have brought people’s confidence down. Well, that’s probably because they were wearing the wrong lenses. They think one business failure will define their whole life. They are scared of failing. They think failing is a crime. They think failure means death. THAT’S NOT TRUE. Failure and success are just two sides like day not night. Night does not means darkness forever and day does not means light forever. Everything in nature has a balance. Day & night. Male & female. Love & hate. Life & death. Good & bad. Rich & poor. Powerful & powerless. And the list goes on……… & off. 😉 If at night you think now everything will be dark forever, that’s your problem. If you then take stress and lose hopes of light, that’s your problem. There is nothing good and nothing bad. Reality is reality. It’s just your perception that makes things good and bad. The smartest person, in my eyes, is someone who can be ‘in between’. Someone who is not very sad in the darkness and not very proud in the light because he knows it will change. If you stay in between, you will be able to see both. The day you detach yourself from good and bad, you will find new eyes, new lenses and new vision within you. Then you will not worry about making mistakes. Then you will not worry about what people think of you. Then you will not worry about guarding your image and reputation. You will just focus on your work. That’s what Krishna taught Arjuna: “कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |”
“मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||” “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.” This explains everything. Do your work. Start now. Don’t wait for perfection. It does not exist. Just speak speak & speak. Just write, write & write. You will grow, your confidence will grow, your knowledge will grow and your fluency will grow. I promise.

“Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.” -Swedish Proverb This is a very interesting proverb I read today. It applies to language learners too. A lot of my conversation club members will agree to this that they were unnecessarily being scared with the shadow when it was nothing really big.  Stop giving so much importance to people’s judgement. Two things:1. It doesn’t matter.2. Even if you are the best person in the world, there will be people who will think you are not soooooooo awesome. Even Shah Rukh Khan has haters.  Next time you see yourself procrastinating something, look for your fear of being judged. This fear of judgment is dangerous. It’s your block. Remove it. You will have to remove it again and again every day. The problem is sometimes small but its shadow scares us. our fears exaggerate the problem.  What’s the solution?Do more of it. “The best way to overcome stage fear is going more and more on stage.”

A language learner’s biggest enemy is “hesitation”. 

We’ve all experienced that nagging voice in our heads, whispering doubts and fears, paralyzing us from seizing opportunities. But let me ask you this: What if I told you that the key to unlocking your true potential lies in three magical words?
Just. Do. It. Take a cue from Nike, the powerhouse brand that boldly declares “Just Do It.” It’s not just a tagline; it’s a philosophy—a battle cry urging you to break free from the chains of hesitation and self-doubt. Understand that confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build through action. If you wait for perfection, you will keep waiting. You are already waiting for so many years, aren’t you? So, to all English learners out there, I challenge you: Just. Do. It. 

Let “Just Do It” be your guiding light, your mantra in the face of hesitation and fear. Because when you silence that voice of doubt and take that leap of faith, you’ll discover a power within you that’s truly unstoppable.

Desire vs. Commitment
I know you have a strong desire to become confident but guess what? Just having a desire is not enough. You have to put in the efforts. Confidence comes from taking action, not from just desiring it. Comedian Zakir Khan said once, “Agar aap kisi cheez ko puri shiddat se chaho.. to puri kainat ko ghan*a fark nahi padta.” You have to put in the efforts. There is no shortcut.  

Today, let’s dive into the inspiring world of language learning and draw some lessons from the legendary Shah Rukh Khan’s hard work in his career. If you’re just beginning to embark on your language journey or find yourself in the intermediate phase, I’m writing this with you in mind. Versatility –Shah Rukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, is known for effortlessly slipping into diverse roles – from a romantic hero to intense characters. Similarly, in our language-learning adventure, versatility is our secret weapon. Don’t stick to just one aspect; explore reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Treat it like a dynamic script where you get to play different linguistic characters. Consistency –Remember how SRK didn’t become a Bollywood sensation overnight? It was a journey of consistent hits, lots and lots of movies one after another. Language learning is no different. Make it a daily affair. Whether it’s dedicating a short five minutes or a solid fifty, consistency is the key. Treat it like a daily rehearsal for your own language blockbuster. Embracing Mistakes –SRK openly admits when a movie doesn’t do well. See how when his movies like Fan, Zero and Jab harry met Sejal didn’t do so well, he did not give up. And today you have Pathan, Jawan and Dunki. Similarly, in language learning, don’t shy away from making mistakes. Stumble over words, make a goofy sentence, pronounce a word wrong – IT’S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. It’s all part of the learning process.  Confidence – In language learning, we can draw profound inspiration from SRK’s confidence. Shah Rukh Khan’s confidence doesn’t stem solely from external validation; it starts from within. To become a linguistic superstar, you must believe in yourself and your abilities. I want you too to believe in your abilities. Don’t try to be perfect. SRK’s confidence doesn’t hinge on perfection; it thrives on authenticity. Similarly, in language learning, it’s not about flawless grammar or impeccable pronunciation. It’s about expressing yourself authentically, embracing your unique voice, and having the confidence to communicate despite imperfections. Patience –SRK’s journey to stardom took time, and so does language fluency. Patience is his superpower. He did not react when his son was falsely implicated and jailed in a drug case. If Shah Rukh wanted, he could have given 10 interviews asking people to help and support him but he stayed silent, trusted the process and spoke through his actions. Today the whole country knows what happened to that case. As a language learner, have patience. It’s ok if you messed up a speech in office. It’s okay if someone is trying to bully you because of your low self-confidence. Don’t lose hope. Develop yourself. Build yourself slowly. Trust the process and soon you will be able to turn the tables.   Cultural Immersion – Imagine SRK getting into character for a role. Apply that to language learning – immerse yourself in the language’s culture. Whether it’s through movies, music, or literature, feel the vibe, soak in the drama. It’s not just about words; it’s about becoming a part of the language’s story. So, dear language learners, grab your linguistic script, hit the language-learning set, and become the Shah Rukh Khan of mastering a new language – versatile, confident, and ready for your linguistic blockbuster! 

“I don’t use it because I am not good it. And because I am not good at it, I don’t use it.”Can you say the same for your English and communication skills? It’s like your bike and your body. The more you use it, the better it functions. Put your bike in the garage for 5-6 months, and all sorts of problems start appearing when you try to ride it. Once a person retires from his job, all sorts of diseases start to catch him. (May not be scientifically correct but this is what I have seen) This is because certain things grow only when they are used. If you run daily, your running strength will improve and you will be able to run more. If you exercise in the gym daily, your capacity to lift weights will keep increasing. If you swim daily, your swimming skills and stamina will continue to grow.  Same applies to language and communication. Speak more to speak better. Find more opportunities to talk to people. Stop thinking. Start acting. Speak. Write. Read. Listen.Don’t just think of doing it. Actually do it because when you do it, then you do it.