Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel, where learning English is easy and fun.
I'm Emily.
Hello Emily.
Hi everyone.
Oh, it is so wonderful to be here with you today.
I am feeling very, very good.
I can see that, Paul.
You have a big smile on your face.
You look very happy.
I am happy, Emily.
I had a very productive morning.
No excuses today.
I got out of bed early, I exercised, and I even studied a little bit of my Italian.
Wow, Paul.
That is amazing.
You are a superhero today.
Well, maybe not a superhero, but I feel strong.
And you, Emily?
How are you today?
I'm great, thank you.
I am drinking my favorite coffee and the sun is shining through the window.
It is a perfect day for a podcast.
It really is.
And I am excited because today we have a very special topic.
It is a topic that helps everyone.
Yes, it is.
But wait, Paul, before we tell everyone the topic, we must do our small favor.
Oh, yes, you were right.
Everyone, if you are listening and you like our chats, please click the like button right now.
It helps us so much.
Yes, and please subscribe to Mr. English channel.
We want to make more and more videos for you.
When you subscribe, you don't miss our new stories.
And share this with your friends.
Do you have a friend who says, English is too hard or I don't have time?
Share this episode with them.
That is a very good idea, Paul, because that is exactly what we are talking about today.
Exactly.
Today's episode is called No More Excuses.
It's Time to Rise.
I love that.
No more excuses.
Paul, do you know what an excuse is?
An excuse is a reason we give when we don't want to do something or when we are afraid to do something.
Yes, it is a story we tell ourselves.
We say, I am too tired or I am too busy.
I do that sometimes.
Yesterday, I wanted to go to the gym, but I looked at the sky and said, it looks like rain.
I should stay home.
That was an excuse.
And did it rain, Paul?
No.
It was a beautiful evening.
I felt so bad later.
I lost my chance to exercise because of a silly excuse.
We all do it, Paul, especially with learning English.
Many people say, I want to speak English, but... Ah, the word but.
That is the start of every excuse.
I want to study, but I have no time.
Exactly.
So today, we want to look at these excuses and find ways to rise above them.
We want to help you start today, not tomorrow.
Not tomorrow.
Today.
So, Emily, what is the most common excuse you hear?
The number one excuse is definitely, I don't have enough time.
People are very busy with work, family, and chores.
Yes, that is true.
Life is busy.
I have my big reports at work.
You have your meetings.
It is hard.
It is hard, but here is the secret, Paul.
You don't need three hours to study English.
You don't, but I thought I needed to sit at a desk with a big book for a long time.
No, not at all.
That is an old way of thinking.
You can rise by using just five minutes or ten minutes.
Five minutes?
What can I do in five minutes?
So many things.
You can listen to one of our short podcasts while you make your coffee, or you can learn three new words while you wait for the bus.
Ah, i see.
So i don't need a perfect time, i just need any time.
Yes, use the small moments when you are washing the dishes.
Talk to yourself in english.
Say i am washing a plate, the plate is white, the water is warm.
The water is warm.
I like that.
It is simple, it is easy and it uses no extra time because i'm already washing the dishes, Exactly.
No more excuses about time.
If you have five minutes, you have time for English.
That is a great tip, Emily.
Okay, so we fixed the time excuse.
What about the next one?
I hear this a lot.
English is too difficult for me.
I am not good at languages.
Oh, I hear that one too.
It makes me a little sad because everyone can learn.
I agree, but some people feel that their brain is not for English, especially math people.
Hey, you know I am bad at math, Paul, but I can speak English.
That is true.
But really, Emily, how can someone rise if they feel it is too hard?
Well, the problem is often the big goal.
If you look at a huge mountain, you feel afraid.
You think, I can never climb that.
Yes.
If I think, I must speak like a movie star today, I feel very small.
Exactly.
So don't look at the mountain, look at your feet.
Just take one small step.
One small step.
So instead of trying to learn everything, I just learn one thing?
Yes.
Today, learn how to say your favorite food.
Tomorrow, learn how to talk about the weather.
Small victories are very important.
Small victories.
I like that expression.
It makes me feel successful every day.
Yes.
And remember, Paul, learning is a journey.
It is not a race.
You don't have to be the fastest.
You just have to keep moving.
That is very encouraging, Emily.
So if someone thinks English is hard, they should focus on small, easy things first.
Yes.
Start with what you like.
If you like music, listen to English songs.
If you like cooking, read a simple recipe in English.
When you have fun, it doesn't feel hard.
Hmm.
Fun.
Yes.
Fun is a great way to stop excuses.
It is easy to find time for fun.
Exactly.
Now, Paul, there's one more big excuse, and it is a scary one.
Is it the fear of making mistakes?
Yes.
I am afraid to speak because I will make a mistake and people will laugh at me.
Oh, I know that feeling so well.
When I started learning Italian, I was so nervous.
My heart was beating fast every time I had to say hello.
It is a very normal feeling, but we have a secret about mistakes, don't we, Paul?
We do.
We talked about this before.
Mistakes are actually our friends.
Yes, they are.
Imagine a baby learning to walk.
The baby falls down many times.
Do we laugh at the baby?
No, of course not.
We say, good job.
Try again.
Exactly.
Falling down is how the baby learns to walk.
Mistakes are how you learn to speak.
That is so true.
If I don't make a mistake, it means I am not trying.
It means I'm staying in my safe zone.
And nothing grows in the safe zone, Paul.
To rise, you must be brave.
You must say, it is okay if I say the wrong word.
It is okay if my grammar is not perfect.
Communication, not perfection.
That is our favorite phrase.
Yes.
If I understand you and you understand me, the conversation is a success.
Who cares about a small mistake?
You are right, Emily.
Most people are very kind.
When they see you trying to speak their language, they want to help you.
They don't want to laugh at you.
Exactly.
So no more excuses about fear.
Be brave, smile, and speak.
A smile helps everything.
A smile is the best grammar in the world.
It really is.
Now, Paul, I have a question for you.
What about the excuse, I am too old to learn?
Ah, I hear this from my uncle.
He is 60 years old and he says, Paul, my brain is too old for new tricks.
But is that true?
No, it is a big excuse.
Scientific studies say our brains can learn at any age.
In fact, learning a language is like exercise for the brain.
It keeps the brain young.
Yes, it is like going to the brain gym.
The brain gym.
I love it.
So if you are 20 or 50 or 80, it doesn't matter.
You can start today.
Your brain is ready.
That is so important.
Age is just a number.
Your desire to learn is what matters.
So we have talked about time, difficulty, fear, and age.
Are there any more excuses, Emily?
Hmm.
There is one more.
I don't have money for expensive classes or books.
Ah, yes.
Money can be a worry.
But Emily, look at us.
Exactly.
We are here.
This podcast is free.
The internet has so many free videos, songs, and articles.
You can go to a library and get books for free.
You can find a language partner online and talk for free.
You don't need a lot of money to rise in English.
You just need a plan and a little bit of effort.
A plan, like our budget episode.
A plan for your time.
Yes, a budget for your time.
I will spend 10 minutes on English every morning.
That is a perfect plan.
I feel very motivated now, Emily.
I want to go and study something right now.
Me too.
It feels good to rise and take control of our goals.
No more, I will start on Monday.
Oh, that is the most dangerous excuse of all.
I will start on Monday.
Why do we always wait for Monday?
I don't know.
But Monday never comes.
Because when Monday arrives, we say, oh, I am too busy today.
I will start next Monday.
It is a circle of excuses.
Yes.
So the rule is start now.
Not in an hour.
Not tomorrow.
Now.
Even if it is just learning one new word?
Yes.
Even if it is just saying hello to the mirror.
Just start.
This is so powerful, Emily.
I think our listeners are ready to rise today.
No more excuses.
I hope so.
It is such a great feeling when you stop making excuses and start making progress.
You feel proud of yourself.
Yes, you do.
And that pride gives you more energy to keep going.
Exactly.
Wow, Paul, we have talked about so many good things today.
I feel like we should remember the main points together.
I agree.
It was a big conversation.
So the first thing we said was about time, right?
Yes.
We don't need hours.
We just need small moments.
Five minutes is enough to start.
Right.
No more, I'm too busy.
And we also said that English doesn't have to be a big scary mountain.
Exactly.
Just take small steps.
Focus on one small victory every day.
Learn things that are fun for you.
Yes, fun is the key.
And my favorite part, mistakes.
Yes, mistakes are our friends.
They show we are brave and we are learning.
Don't be afraid to speak.
Communication, not perfection.
I will remember that.
And we said that age and money are not problems.
Everyone can learn, and there are many free ways to study.
That's right.
And the most important thing of all, start now.
Don't wait for Monday.
Yes.
No more, I'll do it later.
Today is the best day to rise.
Oh, Paul, I feel so inspired.
I am going to practice my French today with no excuses.
That's the spirit, Emily.
And I am going to finish my report at work early so I can study more Italian.
Good job, Paul.
Well, everyone, that is all the time we have for today.
We hope you enjoyed this conversation.
Yes, thank you so much for listening to us.
We really appreciate you.
Please, if you haven't yet, subscribe to Mr. English channel and give this video a like.
It helps us reach more people who want to learn English.
And we want to hear from you.
Leave a comment below.
Tell us what was your excuse before and what will you do today to start your English journey.
Yes, we love to read your stories.
It is our favorite part of the day. share this episode with someone who needs a little motivation.
Let's help everyone rise together.
Thank you again, everyone.
You are amazing.
See you in the next episode.
Bye bye.
See you soon.
Bye for now.