This podcast episode emphasizes that significant life changes are achieved not through dramatic events, but through consistent, small, daily actions and mindset shifts, particularly in the context of learning English.
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English Leap Podcast
>> from [music] Speak English with Claus.
Hey everyone, welcome back to the
English Leap Podcast, your cozy place to
learn easy English and improve your life
at the same time. I'm Anna
>> and I'm Jake. So happy you're here with
us again. Seriously, we love hanging out
in your ears. [laughter]
>> Hanging out in your ears. I love that.
Yeah, we're like two tiny English
coaches just sitting in your headphones.
>> Jake, you seem like you just stepped out
of a comic book today, but I love your
energy. What's the secret?
>> Honestly, two things. Number one, I
actually slept before midnight for once.
And number two, I told myself this
morning, "Okay, Jake, today we are not
living on autopilot."
>> Not on autopilot. I like that. So, no
zombie Jake today.
>> No zombie Jake today. I still love my
coffee, of course, but I didn't want
coffee to be my whole personality. I did
a small stretch, opened the window, took
a deep breath, and my brain was like,
"Whoa, new life.
>> That sounds nice." Meanwhile, I had one
of those mornings where I argued with my
alarm clock three times. [laughter]
But I did one small thing different. I
listened to music instead of scrolling
my phone.
>> Music instead of scrolling. That's a
really nice switch.
>> Yeah, it felt softer, calmer. My brain
woke up slowly. Not with a hundred notifications.
notifications.
>> See, that's already a tiny life upgrade.
A tiny upgrade, but a real one.
>> A tiny upgrade, but a real one. And
that's actually part of our topic today.
>> Yeah. Because today we're not just
talking about mornings. We're talking
about your whole life. Right.
>> Totally. Today's topic is
a big one. I had this quiet moment
yesterday. I was looking out the window
and I thought, why do some people
totally flip their life and other people
feel like they're walking in circles for years?
years?
>> Oh, I know that feeling. You see one
person who used to struggle maybe with
money, with confidence, with English,
and suddenly they're glowing. New job,
new energy, new life. And you think,
wait, what did they do? What did I miss?
>> Exactly. And then I thought about my own
English journey. In the beginning, it
felt like climbing a huge mountain. So
many words, grammar, strange sounds. I
felt tired just thinking about it.
>> Same here. I used to believe if I just
learn a big list of words, I'll be
fluent. But later, I understood it's not
only about words. It's about your daily
habits, your mindset, the way you think,
and how you actually use English in real life.
life.
>> And then something clicked in my head. I
thought, "Oh, life change works the same
way." Most of the time, your life
doesn't change from one dramatic movie
moment. It changes from many small
choices day after day.
>> Yes, tiny decisions repeated again and
again. And those little decisions slowly
build a new version of you. So today
we'll talk about how to change your life
one small step at a time in simple
English with the real examples.
>> Yes. But before we go deeper into
today's topic, we want to ask you for
one tiny favor.
>> Yeah. One small move for your finger and
one big help for this podcast.
>> Yeah. If you enjoy learning with us,
please like this episode and subscribe
to the channel. It really helps more
learners find the English Leap podcast.
>> And we'd love to hear from you in the
comments. You can write one simple sentence
sentence
>> like I'm your name from your country and
one small thing I want to change in my
life is
>> and we really read your comments and we
love to know about you. They help us
understand your life and your dreams.
And when you write, your English brain
has to work. Choose words, build a
sentence. That's real practice, not just listening.
listening.
>> All right, let's jump into today's
topic. What it really means to change
your life.
>> And by the way, today's episode is a B1
level episode.
>> So that means it's great for
intermediate learners. The English is
clear and simple, but still interesting
and deep.
>> Exactly. Not baby English, not super
advanced English, something in the middle.
middle.
>> And if you're a strong beginner, don't
worry, you're still welcome here.
>> Yeah, this episode is also safe for you.
It can help you slowly move from
beginner English to intermediate English.
English.
>> So, wherever you are on your journey,
you can stay, relax, and learn with us.
And because we love vocabulary,
we will highlight some bigger words and
phrases from this episode.
>> During the episode, we'll explain them
naturally in the conversation.
>> And at the end, we'll do a calm little
word tour. We'll sit down, breathe, and
explain each important word again with
simple examples. So stay with us till
the end. So Anna, let's start with a
simple question. If people really want
to change their life, why does it feel
so hard?
>> Why is it so hard? Yeah, that's the big
question. Change sounds beautiful,
right? New start, new chapter, new life.
But real life is different. Many people
want change, but they feel stuck.
>> Stuck, that's an important word. Stuck
means you can't move. Like when your
shoe is in the mud and you try to pull
it out but it doesn't move.
>> Exactly. You try to move but something
holds you. So what is holding us? What
makes us stuck? Let's look at a few big reasons.
reasons.
>> Okay. First big reason and maybe you
feel this too is fear of failure.
>> Fear of failure. Yes. Failure is when
something does not work the way you
want. Many people think if I try and I
fail, people will laugh or I will
disappoint myself or I will prove that
I'm not good enough.
>> But they almost never ask the other
question. If I try and I succeed, what
could happen? Every person you see with
a big change has a secret history of
many small failures.
>> Secret history of failures. I like that.
They just decided that failure is part
of the road, not the end of the road.
>> Yeah. Failure is part of the road, not
the end. So that's our first big reason.
The second reason is no clear direction.
>> No clear direction, right? Direction
here means knowing where to go. Like
having a map on your phone.
>> Many people say, "I want a better life."
Or, "I want to improve my English." But
that sentence is too big, too blurry.
>> Blurry means not clear, like a photo
that is out of focus. You can kind of
see something, but it's not sharp.
>> So, their dream is blurry and their plan
is also blurry.
>> And when everything is blurry, people
wait. They wait for a big perfect master
plan. And while they wait, nothing
really changes. Yeah, that waiting room
feeling. You're not moving but time is.
And that leads to our third big reason.
Something that happens inside your own
head. Negative self-t talk.
>> Negative self-t talk. This is a strong one.
one.
>> Self-t talk means how you talk to
yourself in your head. The voice inside.
>> Yeah. Sentences like I'm not smart
enough. I'm not an English person.
People like me never change. These lines
are like poison in your brain.
>> And if you hear that poison voice every
day, of course you feel small, scared,
and tired before you even start.
>> Totally. And then there is another very
common trap. Waiting for motivation.
>> Waiting for motivation. Yes. People say,
"I'll start when I feel ready." Or,
"I'll practice English when I feel
motivated." But in real life, motivation
usually comes after you start, not
before. You take one small action and
then your brain gives you a little bit
of motivation as a reward.
>> It's like first you move your legs and
then the energy comes.
>> I remember this with exercise actually.
I was waiting and waiting for the
perfect day to start running again. New
month, new week, nice weather.
>> Right? You were waiting for everything
to be perfect. So what changed?
>> I made a deal with myself. Just 5
minutes, not more. I went outside,
walked a little, then ran a little.
After that, I felt proud. Just a little.
And that small pride gave me the energy
to do it again tomorrow.
>> I had the same thing with English
speaking. For a long time, I thought my
accent is bad. I will sound stupid. I
waited to feel confident before speaking
and of course that feeling never came.
>> Yeah, the confidence never arrives
first. So what did you do?
>> I finally [clears throat]
said okay I will sound silly but I will
speak anyway. [laughter] I made mistakes
but each conversation made me a little
braver. So if we put everything
together, fear of failure, no clear
direction, negative self-t talk and
waiting for motivation.
>> Fear, no direction, negative voice and waiting.
waiting.
>> These are like invisible ropes around
your body.
>> Invisible means you can't see them, but
they still hold you and make it hard to move.
move.
>> And step one of changing your life is to
notice those ropes. You can't cut
something you never see.
>> Yeah, you can't cut something you never
see. But when you start to see those
ropes clearly, you can slowly slowly
begin to loosen them. And that's when
change becomes possible. Okay, so we
know why change is difficult. Now the
big question, how do we start to change?
>> This is where small steps become
powerful. Many people imagine change
like a big explosion. Boom, new life.
But real change is more like growing a plant.
plant.
>> Yeah. You don't shout at the plant, grow
now. Like you give it water every day, a
little sunlight, and time.
>> Exactly. Those daily drops of water are
like your small actions. They look tiny,
but they add up.
>> There is an idea that I really like.
Becoming just a little bit better every
day. Like 1% better. Add up is a nice
phrasal verb here. It means many small
things together become something big
over time.
>> For example, 5 minutes of English today
doesn't look like much. But 5 minutes
every day for one year, that's many hours.
hours.
>> And habits are the engine behind that. A
habit is something you do again and
again almost automatically
>> like brushing your teeth, checking your
phone in the morning or hopefully
listening to a podcast in English.
>> Yes, there is a famous book called
Atomic Habits by James Clear. He says
that your habits slowly shape your
identity. Identity is who you believe
you are. Like if I read in English every
night even for 10 minutes after some
time I start to think I am the kind of
person who reads in English and that
idea about yourself makes it easier to continue.
continue.
>> So what are some small habits our
listeners can try? Maybe one page of an
English book every night or write two
sentences about your day in English or
listen to this podcast while you cook or clean
clean
>> or one tiny mindset habit. Every time
you say I'm bad at English, you stop and
change it to I'm learning English. That
is a small but powerful switch.
>> Mhm. The key idea from this part, tiny
actions done again and again can
secretly build a huge change in your life.
life.
>> Yes, you don't need a big dramatic plan.
You just need one small action you repeat.
repeat.
>> Yeah, we already used the word mindset.
So, let's spend a little time there.
>> Yes, mindset is the way you think about
your abilities and your future. It's
like the voice style inside your head.
Is it kind and hopeful or painful and negative?
negative?
>> There's a well-known idea, growth
mindset and fixed mindset.
>> With a growth mindset, you think, I can
improve. I can learn. I'm not perfect,
but I can get better.
>> With a fixed mindset, you think, "This
is just who I am. I'm bad at languages.
I can't change."
>> And guess which one helps you more? >> [laughter]
>> [laughter]
>> Yeah, it's not a big mystery. And our
brain also has a kind of filter system.
The long name is reticular activating
system. R A S. Don't worry about
remembering the name. Just understand
the job.
>> This brain filter decides what
information is important for you. It's
like a friend saying, "Look at this."
You can ignore that. For example, when
you learn a new vocabulary word,
suddenly you see it everywhere. In a
movie, in a book, in a video title, the
word was always there. But now your
brain says, "Ooh, we know this. Show it."
it."
>> So if your inner voice is always saying,
"I can't. I can't. I can't." Your brain
will look for proof that you are right.
>> But if your inner voice says, "I'm
learning. I'm improving. Your brain will
start to show you small signs of progress.
progress.
>> That's why some people say you can
reprogram your mind, like installing a
new app in your brain.
>> Yeah, a new app in your brain. I love
that picture. And to do that, we can use
three small tools. Affirmations,
visualization, and gratitude.
>> We'll use easy English here. An
affirmation is a positive sentence you
say to yourself on purpose. For example,
I am getting better at English every
week. Visualization is when you close
your eyes and imagine yourself doing
something well. For example, you imagine
yourself speaking calmly in a job interview.
interview.
>> And gratitude is feeling thankful. You
look at your day and say, "Okay, today
was hard, but I'm thankful for this one
good moment."
>> When you practice these things, you are
training your brain not to lie, but to
see chances, not only problems.
>> Yes, the goal is simple. Make your inner
voice a coach, not a critic.
>> And then there is another big enemy of
change, perfection. Perfection means
something is 100% perfect. No mistakes,
no problems. And many people secretly
wait for this perfect moment to start.
>> When my English is better, I'll speak.
When I have more time, I'll study. When
I feel confident, I'll apply for that job.
job.
>> But here's the funny thing. You often
get confidence after you start, not
before. It's like standing at the edge
of a swimming pool and saying, "When I
feel comfortable, I'll jump in." [laughter]
[laughter]
But the comfort comes after the jump.
>> So true. When I started recording myself
speaking English, I felt so awkward. My
voice sounded strange. I wanted each
sentence to be perfect.
>> Did you delete a lot of recordings?
>> Oh, so many. But one day, I told myself,
"This video is not perfect, but it's
good enough." I posted it, and guess
what? Nothing bad happened. Some people
even liked it.
>> There's a sentence I love. A messy start
is better than a perfect one day because
one day sometimes means never.
>> So, if you are waiting for a perfect
moment, maybe this is your sign. Start
now in an imperfect way
>> and don't think about changing
everything. Just think, what is one
simple action I can do today?
>> Maybe send a short voice note in
English. Maybe read a paragraph. Maybe
write one email.
>> Those imperfect actions slowly build
something important. [clears throat]
Momentum. Remember, momentum is that
moving energy that makes it easier to
keep going.
>> Once the bike is moving, you don't need
as much force as the first push.
>> So, here is a micro challenge for you.
Think of one thing you keep postponing
and give it 5 minutes today. Just five.
>> Just 5 minutes. Yes. It sounds small,
but it can open a little door in your
day. And there's one more piece we need
to talk about if you want real change.
Your environment.
>> Environment means everything around you.
People, places, sounds, and the content
you see.
>> There is a famous idea, you are the
average of the five people you spend the
most time with.
>> If your five people always complain,
always say it's impossible, it's very
hard to stay hopeful and focused. But if
your five people are trying, learning,
doing small things for their future, you
start to feel, hm, maybe I can do that, too.
too.
>> It's not just people. It's also the
things you watch and listen to. Your
information diet.
>> I like that. Information diet. We know
food can be healthy or unhealthy.
Information is the same.
>> Motivating podcasts, helpful videos,
good books. That's like healthy food for
your brain. And some things are like
junk food. Endless negative news, drama
videos, comment fights, they drain your energy.
energy.
>> Drain your energy means they take your
energy away and make you feel empty or tired.
tired.
>> When I was learning English, I felt
alone until I joined a small study group
online. Suddenly, I had people who said,
"Hey, I'm struggling too, but let's keep going."
going."
>> That group didn't make English magically
easy, but it made quitting more difficult.
difficult. >> [laughter]
>> [laughter]
>> So maybe ask yourself, who are my five
people right now and what is my
information diet?
>> If the answer feels heavy and negative,
you don't need to change everything in
one day. But you can add one positive
person, one good podcast, one small
community to your world.
>> Little by little, with better people and
better inputs, taking action feels more
natural. You don't have to fight so hard
with yourself.
Jake, we used some big ideas and words
today. Maybe we should slow down and
talk about them a little.
>> Yeah, let's do a tiny word tour before
we finish. And we have to start with our
main feeling, being stuck.
>> So stuck is when you can't move forward.
You want to change, but something is
holding you.
>> For example, I feel stuck in my routine.
Every day feels the same. or I feel
stuck with my English. I don't know how
to go to the next level.
>> Then we had fear of failure.
>> Failure means something does not work.
You do not succeed. Fear of failure is
being scared to try because you might
not succeed.
>> You can say my fear of failure stopped
me from starting my own business. or
because of fear of failure I don't speak
English in front of other people
>> next word direction
>> direction is the way you are going like
having a map or a plan
>> you can say I want to improve my life
but I don't have direction
>> or joining a class gave me direction in
my English study
>> this one is long but important negative
self-talk This means the things you say
to yourself in your mind and those
things are not kind.
>> For example,
negative self-talk like I'm stupid makes
me feel small.
>> You can also say I'm trying to change my
negative self-t talk into kinder words.
>> Now a very powerful word habit. A habit
is something you do again and again
almost without thinking.
>> Drinking water in the morning is a
healthy habit.
>> Or listening to an English podcast every
day is my new habit.
>> And those habits slowly change your identity.
identity.
>> Identity is how you see yourself, the
kind of person you believe you are.
For example, after one year of reading,
my identity changed. I started to see
myself as a reader.
>> Or her identity is now I am an English
learner, not I am bad at English.
>> Next word, mindset.
>> Mindset is your general way of thinking
about your abilities and future.
With a positive mindset, problems feel smaller.
smaller.
>> Or changing my mindset helped me enjoy
English more.
>> And then we had growth mindset and fixed mindset.
mindset.
>> A growth mindset means you believe you
can learn and improve. A fixed mindset
means you believe you cannot change.
>> He has a growth mindset. He thinks
mistakes are part of learning.
>> With a fixed mindset, she thinks she
will always be bad at languages.
>> Another nice one, affirmation.
>> An affirmation is a positive sentence
you tell yourself on purpose.
>> I use the affirmation, I am getting
better every day.
>> Or her morning affirmation helps her
feel confident.
Then we said visualisation.
>> Visualization means closing your eyes
and imagining yourself doing something well.
well.
>> Before the exam, he used visualization.
He imagined himself feeling calm.
>> I use visualization to see myself
speaking English confidently.
>> Next [snorts] word, gratitude.
Gratitude is the feeling of being
thankful for good things in your life.
>> Writing three good things every night
helps me practice gratitude.
>> Or gratitude makes my problems feel a
little smaller.
>> And this one feels like movement. Momentum.
Momentum.
>> Momentum is the energy of movement that
makes it easier to keep going once you
start. After one week of daily study, I
had momentum, so it was easier to continue.
continue.
>> Or small winds gave her momentum to make
bigger changes.
>> Last one for today. Environment.
>> Environment means everything around you,
people, places, and information.
>> A calm environment helps me focus on my
work. or changing my environment, my
friends, and what I watch helped me grow.
grow.
>> If you didn't catch every word, it's
okay. You can listen to this part again slowly.
slowly.
>> And if you want a small challenge,
choose one of these words and make your
own sentence.
>> You can say it quietly in your head
>> or be brave and write it in the comments
so we can see it and cheer for you.
That's like sending your English to the
gym. A short friendly workout. [laughter]
[laughter]
>> Yeah, a little English gym where we are
all training together.
>> Thank you for spending this time with
us. Remember, you don't need a perfect
plan. You just need one small step again
and again.
>> We believe in you. Little changes every
day can really change your life. If this
episode helped you, share it with a
friend who also wants to grow and learn English.
English.
>> Take care, keep going, and we'll see you
in the next episode of the English Leap podcast.
podcast.
>> Bye for now. >> Bye.
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