This is an All Ears English podcast episode 1247, the magic of the aha moment.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 130 million times.
We believe in connection, not perfection.
With your American host, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Los Angeles and New York City, USA.
And to get weekly transcripts delivered to your email inbox, go to allearsenglish.com slash subscribe.
What is an aha moment and how can you have more of them?
Find out how to use this phrase and why it will help you reflect on life on a deeper level.
Do you ever feel like your English is good but not quite where you want it to be?
Maybe you can have conversations, but you still hesitate when expressing complex ideas.
Maybe you know what you want to say. but you can't always say it naturally.
If that sounds familiar, our B2 English fluency course was designed for you.
You'll learn how to speak more naturally, express yourself with confidence and finally stop feeling stuck at the intermediate level.
This week, you can save $50 on our basic plan or save $100 on our personal coach plan.
Go to allearsenglish.com slash B2.
That's allearsenglish.com slash letter B number two.
Hey, Lindsay, how's it going?
Excellent, Michelle.
I'm feeling good.
I tried a little surfing over the weekend and that was fun.
I got jostled by the waves as I shared on Instagram.
Guys, you should be on our Instagram channel if you're not over there.
Definitely, oh my gosh, i am having so much fun over there.
I feel like it's like yeah cool, because it's like another like like, like cool place for all of our listeners to hang out and for, you know, because it like happens.
So a lot of it happens in very real time.
Yeah, it's so real.
There are so many people over there and i mean, you shared over the weekend you were doing yoga, i think think.
Is that what was going on?
No, I was dancing, I was dancing.
Okay, dancing it looked like yoga.
Actually, that's funny.
Um yeah, so I was dancing and I was you know, you know, so you guys can learn extra stuff over there, and I feel like it's just another like way for it to build our community, that we're like getting to know each other more even.
Yeah, it's so cool.
So guys go over and find all ears english on instagram.
I love that.
I love that.
Yay, definitely so lindsey, as an entrepreneur um, Can you describe maybe, an aha moment that you've had?
Oh, totally.
I mean, definitely.
I'll never forget the moment.
It sounds so cheesy, but it's so true.
I'm telling you the truth.
I'll never forget the moment when our slogan not just our slogan, our mission, our vision connection, not perfection.
When it first came up, it actually came up in the middle of...
An episode that we were recording where we said it right.
We were trying to deliver a message to our listeners.
It was with my former co-host and we just said it on the mic and we looked at each other.
We're like, oh, my gosh, that's brilliant.
Like, that's exactly what we need to stand for.
That's what we have to believe in.
So that was.
I can still remember like, where I was sitting what, what was going on.
Yeah yeah, that's amazing.
Yeah, i love that.
Yeah, recently i heard someone use this phrase.
I think they were talking about how they realized they wanted to have a certain career.
Um, they said something like and my aha moment was when i love remember what they said but yeah, i love it.
I mean what?
What in the world is an aha moment, lindsay?
Yeah, it's when you say aha right right, right.
So guys, this means it's when the light bulb goes on and, all of a sudden, the clouds clear and something becomes so clear and it's just like a message from above Right, right.
And like how you said with aha.
I love it because it's kind of, it's really like a not a sound effect, but it's something that you would just like naturally say aha.
And it's changed into an actual expression.
And just instead of saying aha, like we can actually describe that moment by saying oh, an aha moment.
It kind of changed into that.
Oh, I love that.
If our listeners could start using this guys, you would make some real connections, because you want to be able to ask people this question, right?
You want to be able to ask in their careers, in their personal life, maybe in their romantic life.
Did you have an aha moment?
I think it's all about internal reflection, this aha moment, don't you think?
Oh, yeah.
I think, you know, it's when you realize something that you didn't know.
Yeah.
Right.
And it could happen in a couple ways.
So, for example, you could say something like, OK, let's say you're proving something you knew.
So that's one way you could do.
So you could say, this is just about aha, right?
Yeah, right, right.
It's a little different, right?
Yeah.
A little bit different, right?
So we'll get to it though.
So, okay, if you're just saying aha, so you might say, aha, I knew you weren't doing work.
Get off your phone.
Yeah.
That's kind of when you're like accusing someone or you're catching someone in the act of something.
Right.
And I think the tone of voice is a little different, too.
Right.
It's like, aha.
Right.
Maybe slightly different.
I don't know.
But yeah, I just said it and I didn't even realize.
Yeah.
Another time.
Like, let's say you're it's also for realizing or deciding something.
Right.
You might say it in a different way.
You might say like.
Aha, I should wear the blue dress because the bride is wearing a pink dress.
I don't know why.
You know, who knows?
But interesting.
Yeah, I love that.
I love that.
And then what's the third situation when you're trying to figure out something out, right?
And you're almost there.
I love that.
Right right, right.
So let's say you're like I see aha, so that's why you wanted to go to the movies, or aha, so you use applesauce not oil.
Yeah, I like that.
It's like when you're trying to take notes from a pro and you're trying to learn things, or asking them all these questions because you want to get good at that thing.
Are you like, aha, I see how you set up your organization or I see how you do this.
Right.
It's like secrets that you're learning.
Exactly, exactly.
So that's kind of, you know, separate from aha moment.
But, you know, the aha moment, getting back to that, is really when you realize something.
Maybe it's a bit of a surprise to you or something that you weren't expecting, right?
So let's talk more about aha moments.
Yes.
So when might someone say they had an aha moment?
Well, definitely when you're talking about career choice.
Right.
So if you, you know, you didn't know you wanted to be in a certain career and then maybe you had some life experience that made you realize.
For example, I was thinking about working in marketing, but I had an aha moment when I saved a squirrel in the park.
Right.
Then I knew I was meant to be a veterinarian.
That's so beautiful.
Did that happen to you, Michelle?
Are you thinking?
Did that happen to me?
No.
Oh my gosh, I would be running in the other direction.
I mean, I would want to save the squirrel, but I wouldn't know how and I'd be scared.
It would just not be.
I mean, squirrels are cute, but they're so aggressive these days.
I think we've talked about these days.
Yeah, we just recently talked about squirrels stealing food.
Um, they i love how you say these days, like as in the past like right, squirrels like used to be like a lot more chilled out and now i don't know what's going on with it's true, i do i have some theories about that, but we won't get into it.
That'll be another episode.
Okay, I'll have to hear about that later.
For sure.
Okay.
Or another thing is like, let's say, you couldn't figure out the answer to something you had to write about for a paper, like you're having an essay to write and then you realized what to do all of a sudden.
And I remember being like that in school being like, I'm stuck.
I'm stuck.
I'm stuck.
So all right, here we go.
Ooh, that's great.
So trying to think of something to write about, maybe drawing a blank, as writers do, right?
Yeah.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
And what's another one, Lindsay?
All right.
So talking about when you met a significant other.
Ooh, okay.
So, for example, I didn't think we were compatible, but I had an aha moment when he visited me when I was sick.
He was so sweet and I knew he was the one.
And I think we all...
We all probably have this moment with our partners and we can remember that something.
Just we realized that maybe they were the one for us.
Right.
Or many of us do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Actually, that's true.
Yeah.
Are there any other times you can think of when you might use this moment?
Yeah, no, I think I really think we've we've covered them well here, Michelle.
I mean, these are kind of most of them.
Honestly, I think anytime we come to a realization and things become clear.
Right, right.
That's the key here, right?
So it could be clear for whatever reason, but you can call it an aha moment.
And I like what you said, Lindsay, about the light bulb, right?
The light bulb goes off, right?
And it's like, ah!
Right.
Something becomes clear.
So yeah, but there are there are other things that we can say that are similar to this.
If maybe we don't want to say aha moment, maybe we feel a little bit funny, but you shouldn't.
Right.
First of all, I mean, Lindsay, would you let's just I just thought of something.
Would you say aha moment like in a job interview or with a boss kind of tricky uh like in terms of describing or what do you mean like formally i meant i mean like how formal is it like let's say you know you're on a job interview and they want to ask how you got into such and such and you say oh i was in this career and you want to talk about how something changed could you use aha moment or do you think it would sound funny i think you could i think you could i think it just depends on the rapport that you've already built right in that room with that person are you building a rapport where you can loosen up a little bit it's it's a bit of a storytelling kind of thing when we add the aha and then i realized aha i understood how to do this right so it requires a level of playfulness To some extent, right?
So you just need to have you built that relationship and that rapport to the point where you can use it.
That's what I think.
That's good.
Yeah, I agree with you.
I think that's good.
Yeah.
So what else could we say?
Lindsay, what's one thing?
Hey guys, if you're preparing for IELTS this year, then you should be subscribed to the IELTS Energy podcast from All Ears English.
We have the insider insight on the exam because Jessica Beck, my co-host, was an IELTS examiner for 14 years.
So go over and subscribe to the IELTS Energy podcast.
See you guys there.
Okay, so that's when I knew.
And this also goes back to like meeting your partner and having some experience when you knew that they were the right person for you.
But here's another example.
So we went to the store and I saw a stray dog wandering around, and that's when I knew I had to get a pet, a rescue one specifically.
Nice.
Nice.
So that's another way to say an aha moment.
Right.
Or here's another one.
Moment of clarity.
Right.
Yeah.
So I had a moment of clarity at the football game.
I should work as a stadium tour guide.
I love being there and I love working with people.
Yeah.
You know what I love about these aha moments?
They always come when you're not.
Well, when it comes to work at least, they never come when you're sitting at your desk like trying to struggle.
They always come for me.
When I go out and I get active, like if I'm on a jog or a walk or I'm out in the world doing something else then those moments come.
It's really interesting.
Yeah, that's kind of you know.
So maybe sometimes when you're stuck you just got to get away from your desk and you know, just get out there.
And sometimes it'll just come to you naturally.
But it's counterintuitive because you would think if you're stuck you got to work through the problem.
Sit down, dig in and work through.
But that's not always true.
Yeah.
That's a good point, Lindsay.
And what's the last one?
So it's a moment of realization, right?
So I don't know how it happened, but I did have a moment of realization when the teacher called on me and I wasn't paying attention.
I had to work harder and I was inspired to work so hard that I became number one in the class.
Okay, so in this case the person you know almost slipped right academically and they realized they had to pick it up.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
Lindsay, I think we say that word differently.
How do you say it?
So I heard you saying realization and I say realization.
Oh, you might be right.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Maybe it's just like, no, I mean, it's just an interesting thing.
I don't think it's wrong or right.
I just I love when, you know, I hear someone saying something different.
And guys, you know, that goes to show you that not all, not all people in the US and not all native English speakers speak the same.
So it's a slight difference.
But it's sometimes it's kind of fun to notice those things. that is really fun and the way i hear you say that i feel like there's a hint of brooklyn in there maybe from your parents for example kind of like softening the vowels a little bit could that be realization i don't know i'm gonna take a poll i don't know maybe i'm gonna go ask around and ask people how they round yeah you ask around too because i wanted to get to the bottom of this yeah i wanted to i wanted to i'm curious we'll do an update for our listeners Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
All right.
So, guys, so how do these moments help us, these aha moments?
So what about in English, right?
Just in general, when we have an aha moment, we never forget them, right?
Lindsay, like you said, with Connection on Perfection, you remember where you were sitting.
You remember the moment.
It's stuck in your mind.
It's amazing how we remember these moments because they're so pivotal, right?
Because that particular moment gave our show such meaning, right?
And so it meant so much.
It was so important.
So I love how we can remember these moments.
Yeah.
Exactly.
And guys, for your English.
You know, you might have an aha moment where you realize that you know how to connect with others, right.
Maybe you had one good or bad experience that teaches you something very important and critical for the future right.
So maybe you have...
Maybe you're like out and having a conversation and you realize oh, either I understand something all of a sudden that I couldn't and I'm having an aha moment.
Oh, I see how that works, right?
How to use that word.
Or maybe it's a moment where you're having trouble and you realize, aha, I'm having this aha moment.
I want to be able to improve my English.
I want to work hard and I need to do such and such to get there, right?
So whatever it is, you might have some of those aha moments with language learning.
Yeah, but I think the point here, I think a great takeaway, just to extend on what you just said, Michelle the only way to have aha moments is to get out into the world.
Get up from your desk, get away from your textbook and go out there.
Right?
We want you to have the kinds of aha moments where maybe you don't have the perfect grammar but you still build that connection.
You realize that you can still do it.
You can still connect.
So get out into the world.
I think that's the takeaway for me today.
What's your takeaway, Michelle?
Yeah, I think that's great, Lindsay.
I think aha moments are really beautiful and amazing.
I think they're really just, they're fun.
And it's like, wow, I can't believe I figured something out that I was waiting on, you know.
And these phrases are really useful.
So try and use them today with other people, because I think you'll notice that you can connect with people over these.
Aha, I love it.
This is so great.
And guys remember, if you want to see us out in the world engaging with you and teaching you English in the real world, go and join our Instagram channel.
Find us on Instagram.
We'll see you guys over there.
All right.
Definitely.
Well, this was fun, Lindsay.
Thanks for hanging out and thanks guys for listening.
Very cool.
Talk to you soon, Michelle.
Bye.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
If you are taking IELTS this year, get your estimated band score with our two minute quiz.
Go to allearsenglish.com slash my score.
And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything.
See you next time.
