Hello listeners and welcome back to the English with Neil podcast.
This is episode number 98.
The topic is two steps back, three steps forward.
Now, one of the interesting things about life is Things happen to us in life and right at that moment we feel like it could be bad luck.
It could be bad fortune.
We feel like maybe someone cursed us or we feel like life isn't going our way.
This happens to everyone.
Sometimes there is no reason for it.
Sometimes there is just no reason for why we can't make progress when we want to.
We have goals that we'd like to achieve, we have things that we want to experience, but for some reason, we can't do it when we would like to, and so This is what I mean by taking two steps back.
You feel like you're moving backwards versus moving forwards.
Now when you're moving backwards, you may experience a few emotions such as disappointment.
You may feel discouraged.
And that will also lead to negative thinking.
We've all experienced it.
I've just experienced it.
And so I'd like to tell you what has helped me and maybe what can help you.
So when these unfortunate things happen, what should we do?
The first thing is we need to sit back and assess the situation.
Assess means to check.
It means to review.
We have to assess the situation and figure out what's wrong.
Why can't we make progress in this area?
Why can't we move forward?
What is stopping the progress?
We need to assess next, after we assess, after we have figured out the answers, then We need to adjust our previous plans.
We don't have to necessarily change the entire plan.
We just have to make some new adjustments after we make those new adjustments.
We have to implement our plan.
Implement means we need to take action.
We need to start moving.
Yes, we took two steps back.
But now that we have this new plan, now that we have made these adjustments, Now we can move forward.
And so I'd like to give you an example just to give you more clarity about what I'm talking about.
So here in my English school, I had.
This idea to start a summer program taking some of my students abroad to America for a week.
I had the goal.
I had the vision of us spending time in America.
However, When I went to the travel agent, I realized that the plane ticket, the hotel, staying in America would be very, very costly very, very expensive for my students and their families, and so i had to take a hold on these plans.
I would still like to go.
I still want to take students to the us every year.
However, Now I am in the second phase, where I am assessing the situation.
So now I'm figuring out.
Okay, I can't take my students to the US right now, but maybe there is another alternative.
Maybe instead of going to the US, maybe we can go to another English speaking country.
Because the whole goal was for my students to speak English.
I wanted this to be an immersion.
And so, although we can't go to the US, maybe we can go to another English-speaking country that is closer to Japan.
And that will be more cost effective for everyone.
If I keep studying, if I keep moving forward, I think I will be able to find another alternative.
And that's step three, is to have the desire to move forward.
In life there are a lot of obstacles.
But one thing that separates people from achieving their goals and people that don't achieve their goals is that the people that achieve their goals, they keep moving forward.
Because we all have obstacles.
I want you to imagine an Olympic race, the hurdles where you run and you have a hurdle in front of you that you have to jump over.
We all have the same hurdles.
Some people will jump over those hurdles.
Some people won't.
I want to be a person who jumps over the hurdles.
I want you to be a person who jumps over the hurdles.
So it's important to keep moving forward.
We may trip over a hurdle, we may hurt ourselves, but we will never get to the finish line if we stop.
And so that's what I mean by taking two steps back to take three steps forward.
Because you have to sit back analyze, assess the situation and probably, when you figure out the answer, you'll probably have a better plan than what you originally started from.
And so two steps back, three steps forward, it's not being negative.
It's actually a positive thing because you're taking two steps back to take three steps forward.
So you're taking an extra step forward.
Now, that extra step may require you to put in a little bit more work, to put in a little bit more effort.
But it's progress.
It's not about perfection.
It's not about being perfect.
It's about always making progress.
And that will help you achieve your goals.
So that is it, everyone.
Thank you for tuning in to the English with Neil podcast.
I look forward to speaking with you in the next one.
Take care, everyone, and talk to you soon.
Peace.
