Want to QUIT Learning English? Do THIS First! | Interview with Anna from English Fluency Journey

Welcome back to Beyond Borders!  

I sat down with Anna from English Fluency  Journey who has successfully learned English  

to a near native level without ever  having traveled to an English-speaking  

country! Anna, welcome to the show! - Thank you for having me I'm very honored.

So, Ana shared some fantastic tips about  how to stay motivated that you'll hear in  

just a few moments. And if you're new here  then remember to hit that subscribe button  

and the bell down below so that we can help  you on your learning journey with the knowledge  

that you need to understand fast speech, to be  understood by anyone and to connect to the world!

Just like Kawya, who says that they're  not only learning English on our channel  

but also getting a dose of motivation! Aww yeah!

You've obviously put so much hard 

work into it so I definitely would  just say kudos, you know, for  

all of your hard work and for sticking in  there through the hard times. Yeah, thanks

And going back to one of the things you  were saying is is there's a lot of people  

around you who don't necessarily support your  dream or they don't understand it, they're  

almost judgmental maybe some of them it sounds  like just from the the point of view that because  

you're being successful and because of their  own insecurities and stuff, I think people a  

lot of times from their own insecurities will  judge you and tell you what you're doing is  

wrong because they want you to fail or they  want you to give up or whatever's the case.  

And I think this is the case for a lot of English  learners even if they're not making a business out  

of it just like learning English it can be very  difficult if no one around you supports that,  

if no one in your family speaks English or  anything like that. If you don't have necessarily  

like any friends that you can practice with or who  are also learning and stuff. So do you have any  

advice for learners like that if you don't have  that support network around you, what they can  

do to not give up to not lose that passion? - Okay, that's a very good question.  

So it's kind of a very difficult situation  what do you describe like when a person  

doesn't have any support and maybe even  resources and opportunities. These days  

we have the internet, we have YouTube, so it's a great way to self educate. So when I just  

started I of course was very afraid to speak  English. I was shy, I had the speaking barrier.  

So, I didn't even wanna make any friends online or  whatever to speak with them in English because I  

was really like self-conscious about my English. Although, I shouldn't have but I, you know, was

Yeah, So I would just sit at  home, just make time in my little 

teeny, tiny apartment, maybe  at night or maybe very early in 

the morning so that nobody can hear  me. And I would just watch video or 

listen to a podcast and I  would just shadow, repeat and 

shadow. So my first and and always go to  things are and this is something that I  

always recommend to people do, is to  listen as much as possible like,  

try to immerse yourself in the  language podcasts, audio books,  

youtube videos, movies, like whatever and  for as much as you can and then shadow.  

Shadowing or just repeating what you hear, this  will help you so much with your speaking skills,  

with confidence, with vocabulary even. And like  with a sentence structure because when you're  

copying a native speaker, so of course you're copying what they say and they already know.  

So, if you feel like you need more support on your  learning journey, then I have something spectacular  

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Let me give you two reasons that you should do  this right now! So, first at the touch of a button  

you can have conversations with other English  learners just like you from around the world!  

Finally, you can practice speaking English  in a fun and supportive environment. Second,  

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I don't let uh other people's opinions control me,  stop me, and control my life. So this is you, this  

is your opinion, and this is not in my business. So... - I think that's something really important for  

anyone who's listening or watching is that there's  going to be a lot of people who criticize you  

and it's like again a lot of times that comes  from people's own insecurities because you're  

doing something that they are not capable of  or that they don't have the courage to go out and do.

I'll tell this to everyone  who's listening, people who criticize  

usually don't do anything, they don't know anything  about your work, about your experience, about  

what you've been through, they are just talking.   That's their job to just speak like around you.  

So just don't mind that. If this is someone who  you look up to and whose advice you would love to  

get, then of course you better  listen to that person, but if this is  

someone who you don't even know,  who doesn't know, you know,  

it's just pointless, it's just pointless to waste  your time on those people's opinion because  

because you're just gonna waste your time. So you  better do what you feel is best for you, for your  

family, and if you enjoy learning English and  if you enjoy working on your pronunciation and  

speaking with an American or British or whatever  accent just go for it! Just do it, you do you.  

i've heard it a lot of times like even from  my students which I am used to it but when I  

hear something like that about other people  you know, I feel sad for them. So I had a student  

and she told me that she really wanted  to work on her accent, a particular American accent  

and she told me that her friends, dear friends,  that she spends a lot of time with told her like,  

"Whoa you're learning an accent like what  is this? Who are you trying to fool? Like  

this is pointless. You're just  wasting your time and money."

And I was like "Whoa" and it was like, it was sad  to me to hear this, you know, but again people are  

people. They are entitled to their opinion. So you  just, you have to decide for yourself  

"Am I going to listen to that person or not?"  - Right. and I really like what you were  

saying before as well is that you need to kind  of be able to recognize the difference between  

criticism, so like people just trying to hurt you  or put you down, and constructive feedback, which  

might be someone who's actually saying that  thing that it's not a positive thing I mean,  

they're telling you that you need to improve a  certain aspect but they're doing that because  

they want to help you, and I think  it's really important that you  

that you're like, you're saying that you are able  to kind of ignore the people that are just trying  

to hurt you and stuff. You're able to kind of like  have a armor like tough skin and stuff to to that  

kind of speech especially if like you if people  are trying to put themselves out there trying to  

create videos or audio or do something  with their English that's really courageous,  

but at the same time you need to be really  open when someone that actually cares about you  

or a mentor or anything like that is giving you  constructive feedback, you need to kind of like  

practice accepting that with like an open mind and  stuff, and being able to see the veracity in that  

if there is truth in that, and then to apply it  and stuff, because that really is a really powerful  

tool to be able to grow is to be able to take  constructive feedback and apply it.

I've had a lot of break points I'd say on my journey and  a lot of mistakes that I made. Well, I wouldn't say  

mistakes just maybe I miscalculated some things,  and I could have done something differently. So

first first of all nothing incredible,  I don't have any special talent, I just had I  

don't know, an urge to earn this learn this  language and to master my accent, and pronunciation.  

I really wanted this. I just wanted this. I still  want this you know, I am not very eloquent in my  

native language, and I make mistakes and I stumble  over my words and I mispronounce words even in my  

native ukrainian language, so it's not something  supernatural for me, and I do this in English and I

have come to terms with this because I was really  like, I was beating myself up over this like, you  

you need to speak perfectly in English, you need to  master the skill, but that was my mistake, I was too  

too strict and too harsh on myself. And I was you  know, too hard on myself and because of  

that I had moments of disappointment and burning  out. So I remember that I literally was so  

afraid to skip even a day of my learning routine  because I was so afraid that I was going to  

lose any progress that I gained or I was going to  lose my skills and that was so ridiculous. I didn't  

give myself time to even rest, you know.So that was  my mistake, don't go too hard on yourself if you  

feel like your brain is boiling up and you are at  this breaking point, so just give yourself a break  

you're not gonna forget everything, and you're not  gonna lose your skills, everything's gonna be okay.  

I wasn't patient with myself, so as I said I  was like, I need to be able to speak now,  

so I'm gonna just push myself, i'm not gonna sleep,  i'm not gonna eat, I'm gonna wake up and I'm gonna  

practice my speaking. Of course it gave results, but  it came with a price. So as I said I had a lot of  

times that I had experienced this burn out, I just had these moments when I didn't feel  

like doing anything, learning, practicing, nothing.  It was just like I felt like I don't want to do  

this, it's pointless, I didn't get to that level  that I wanted to get like it's taking too long.  

But then instead of that I chose to just, to take  a step back and to take a look at my achievements.  

And now I always check in with my progress.  So I take a step back, I look at myself and  

I think like, man a year ago I was here, and right  now I'm over here, like, right now I'm able to  

read the super complicated book without even  checking every other word. I'm able to watch  

any movie, and talk to anyone, and that's  because I was working, I didn't stop  

and I didn't get discouraged. So of course I  had all these moments that people experience.  

If you are enjoying this interview with Anna  remember that this is just an excerpt from  

the full interview. You can listen to the whole  conversation for free, just click the link in the  

description below. And I also want to invite you to  check out Anna's YouTube Channel, that's also linked  

down below. And go ahead and subscribe while you're  there for all sorts of great advice from her.  

It doesn't give you almost anything of course  you're gonna be surrounded by people who speak  

English, but you're gonna have to do the work.  It's not like you come there and English is like  

automatically downloaded into your head (Ethan: not at all) yeah,  so I think that's the mistake that people  

make when they think that going  to an English-speaking country will  

will change a lot or will help them a lot,  I don't know, of course if you  

go there and if you take a course, and if you  start to communicate with people around you in  

English, with native speakers, and you  kind of blend in or maybe you go and  

you work, and you work with native speakers and you  communicate it will help, but usually what we see  

that people go there they find someone who speaks  their language and they stay in their community.  

So, they don't learn, and they feel so comfortable  there because there are a lot of different  

communities that they don't have this eed to learn English anymore.

Totally, you have to work on your mindset first. It doesn't matter what you do either you're learning language or whatever,  

you have to work on your mindset, you have to be in  the right mindset for this. I just want to say this  

to everyone that there will always be someone  better than you, someone more successful, than you  

someone worse than you, but there will never ever  be anyone exactly like you, you are you. You are  

amazing and you're unique. So you know, every one of  us has something to bring to the table, to bring to  

this world, so just embrace yourself and don't  be afraid to speak out. And our experiences and our  

paths are exceptional, so just don't be afraid  and just work on your mindset and just, nothing  

is impossible, everything is possible. i'm telling you this and you better believe me.  

Yeah, you're living proof for sure. I think it's a  lifelong journey. So, I'm gonna be

learning for as long as I live. That's for  sure. You don't have to be that obsessive  

as I am, you don't have to go overboard  with your learning process of course.

It doesn't have to be that intensive as I said, I  get a little bit obsessive over these things like  

when I want something that badly  I would do anything to get that.  

And of course one of the things, my son has served  a very strong incentive for me to learn and to  

improve because my goal was to immerse him in the  language and to make English his native language.  

So, that was the goal and of course I am his main  source of this language and I had to do my best.  

So you don't have to do all this if your goal and  your goal doesn't have to be like that, so even if  

you have just 15 minutes a day to work on your  English that's great. That's going to give you a  

result. But if you know like, it has to be some good  concentrated work. And find what works for you  

the best, I would say, because as I said uh having  five notebooks written up and down didn't help me  

at all, that was a waste of time for me. So find  something that works for you, so you can  

you can listen to me, you can listen to a lot of  people, and you can make your own decisions choices,  

you know yourself best, and you know what it works.  Or try things at least try something because a lot  

of the times like people don't even want to try.  What I hear is like. that's not going to work for  

me, I don't think so, well you haven't even tried,  maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe you like it.  

Like, I wouldn't ever thought that I would enjoy  writing, this is something that I've never done  

in my life but when I started writing in  English that was something that I really  

started enjoying the same with reading. I've never  enjoyed reading in Ukrainian and Russian, never.  

But in English I don't know, there's  something magical about this language I guess.

Ii'd say don't waste your time, just start. If you're  thinking about learning English or leveling up  

your Eenglish or whatever just start. I know you're  afraid, I know you're being self-conscious and shy,  

I know, but just do it scared because there's even a book, "Do it scared".

Yeah, so take action. This is an antidote for fear.  

You have to take action, so yeah, just  just go for it, just do and don't mind  

other people's opinion. This is so  important. Don't try to be perfect.  

Enjoy the process. This is really important as  well, enjoy the process. If you're not enjoying  

this, if it feels like too hard, too much of work,  and like you're going crazy over this,  

you're not gonna get that result  actually that you wanna get because it's

not going to feel right for you. So learn to enjoy  the process, learn to enjoy your learning journey,  

so every single day, little by little, like whatever  you do you, have to enjoy it. If you're stuck, just  

switch things up. I hear it a lot like, I'm stuck, I  don't know what to do I've tried all these things,  

and I am just you know, I just hit a plateau. So  that's it, switch things up, change your routine,  

try something new and this will definitely help.  - Yeah. That's really great advice I think that's  

a problem that so many learners have is they get this feeling of like they're not progressing  

anymore, if something was working before it stopped  working, and I think that's really great advice to  

switch things up to try something new. I think even  your own journey you were saying that  

in the beginning you were trying all these  things that you thought you were supposed to do  

and it was like it was really arduous,  it was just like you didn't want to  

do it and stuff, and so like by switching it up  and finding something that worked better for you,  

then you were able to start making a lot more  process, having more fun with it, so I think  

that's something to come back to, if you're not  having fun, if you're not enjoying at least like  

some moments of it and stuff like maybe you need  to try something different, right? - Right, right, so  

if you find your way, if you find what works for you  the best, it doesn't have to take like even an  

hour a day of learning English it might be just 15  minutes, but it'll be very very productive.

I hope you've had a ton of fun today and gotten  some great insights from Anna and I. Remember that  

you can learn so much more from the full interview,  which is linked down below. And why not put  

what you've learned into practice right now? You  can speak English over on the RealLife app. Just  

search for it in your preferred App Store, or you  can also find that linked down in the description.  

And now it's time to go beyond the  classroom and live your English. Aww yeah!