by Beth Hutchinson
Have you ever wondered why it seems so easy for some people to acquire languages and others maybe not so much? What is really behind your results in language learning?
Simply put, it is your mind.
Your mind is full of neurons which have the potential to connect and create neural pathways for language. Each new word, new phrase and grammar structure has its own neural pathway in your brain. Amazing, right?!
Let’s take a new phrase in English for example:
Neurons that fire together, wire together.
Donald Hebb.
This means neurons that are activated in a powerful way, through language exposure, connect and stay connected. In scientific terms, it is known as neuroplasticity.
Once we know the meaning of any new word, phrase, grammar structure, the pronunciation etc, we now want to retain this information so we can use it again in real life contexts.
One simple way to ensure we recall new language is through repetition. This generates neuroplasticity in the brain strengthening the connections between the neurons preserving the language.
However, there are other very important factors regarding our mind that are dictating the rate at which we learn, the quality of our learning and therefore our results overall.
What you focus on grows
Esther Hicks
How your focus drives your results
Our quality of mind determines what we focus on. It drives our results in everything from language, wellbeing, finances, relationships and so on.
The thing is, most people are not aware of their focus and the quality of it. Have you ever stopped to think about whether you are someone who imagines the worst or best case scenarios?
Think about the classroom setting for example. Are you someone who anticipates what is going to happen in each class imagining all the ways in which you are going to “fail”- get it wrong, feeling perhaps embarrassed or annoyed at oneself?
Or maybe you are someone who envisions all the ways in which you are going to be successful - get it right and feel good about yourself? Or maybe your thought process is something else…
Already you are reflecting and becoming aware of your quality of mind and your focus. What you focus on, does indeed grow bigger impacting how you perform in class and in real life situations where you use English.
Then there’s confidence
You probably already know that confidence in yourself, in your own language ability massively impacts how you perform. You most likely have evidence of your own success in language learning when you have felt incredibly confident and achieved great results. Can you recall a past experience?
Confidence is key, yes, but how do we become more confident? Confidence is a feeling state that is generated by your focus as mentioned above. The quality of our mind’s focus is driving a sense of confidence or lack of it. The secret to achieving a sense of confidence to ensure optimum performance and results in your language learning lies within the quality of mind.
So, our mind is always driving how we feel
And you’ve heard a lot about stress
Stress is also something you will most likely have experienced affecting your results, not just in language learning but all aspects of life. Why does this happen?
Well, it directly impedes the function of those neural connections for language in the brain. Stress is also a product of our mind’s focus, the quality of thought we opt into.
Imagine, you are called into a business meeting for instance where you are expected to utilise English but there are thought patterns (that you are unaware of) such as:
“What if I make a mistake?”
“What if I can’t think of the right words?”
“What if I appear incompetent?”
“What if they think I can’t do my job well?”
“What if I go blank”
Now the stress response is triggered and we are feeling the process of “stressing” that literally switches off the communication in the body for example, access to language skills. You might relate this to a time you sat an exam. Nervousness is a form of stress in the body that without the skills of managing it well can cause someone to completely shut down and as a result not perform well.
What has my attitude got to do with it?
Hmm, a lot! Your attitude is a vital component of your mind. The quality of one's attitude towards themself and their own language learning massively impacts their results.
A person who adopts an attitude of giving oneself permission to get things wrong (without fear of feeling embarrassed ) allows themself to learn with ease. They are not limited by the stress, worst-case scenario focus that prevents them from acquiring language.
Instead, this is a person whose mind is working for them. It is generating a sense of compassion, self- acceptance and confidence.
In summary, our mind is the driving force behind our results in language learning and more. How you choose to nurture your mind will determine the quality of your future results. We can all explore our own mind, raise awareness around our focus, thinking patterns that cause us to feel stress, confidence and attitude that directly drive us towards our language results.
So, wouldn’t it be worth exploring this even more to optimise your success in language learning?
Would you like us to invite Beth to teach you tips and strategies?
Yes, I would love to!
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