Time to celebrate how far you have come!

The next edition of Beyond English Fluency is here.

If you are new, Beyond English Fluency dives into topics and shares strategies around communication that go beyond language.

Every other Wednesday (twice per month), I share a theme related to communication that goes into depth about one theme, strategy or idea. Whether you are a non-native English speaking professional or consider yourself a native looking to excel in your communication- you’ll find a strategy that you can apply to your own situation.

The strategy I am sharing with you today is all about slowing down to celebrate where you are at and acknowledge how far you have come.

Sometimes it can feel like we are working really hard, studying English, developing our skills, and putting a lot of effort into our careers and doing all the things, but not really making any progress. Or as much progress as we would like.

I know it can feel like this with any skill we are developing or project we are working on.

We get impatient and frustrated because we aren’t there yet.

It can also be so overwhelming when there are so many resources and content out there.

I’ve noticed for many learners, when they don’t slow down and take a moment to check in, they can feel pretty stuck.

When we are so focused on now and looking forward, we tend to forget to look back to see where we have reached.

Have you ever been there?

We spend a lot of time adding new projects, saying yes to more opportunities and then getting overwhelmed.

A mistake I know I have made and I see others make is setting too many goals.

Trust me when I say you don’t need to do everything all at once.

I always believe in making it easy. Yes, we need to step out of our comfort zones but when it is manageable you will start to find your self-esteem and build more confidence. Start small and get constant with that one thing, worry about adding more goals later.

When we set goals, schedule in some check in points or benchmarks for you to reach.

You can measure your progress by breaking down your goal into smaller chunks and at each stage you can seek feedback.

The feedback could come from yourself but it helps if it is a friend, a mentor, a colleague or a teacher.

I’ve also learned that the feedback can be a two-way dialogue to co-create with yourself. This has been quite a new concept for me this week.

I have spent a lot of time reflecting recently. As I celebrated my birthday and took my first full week off from business and stepped away, it was a perfect time to slow down and think about where I am and acknowledge what has already been accomplished.

This is not easy to do, but going for walks and being outside has helped me in doing this.

I reflected on my feelings of using Spanish and how I can have so many more conversations effortlessly. Checking in and feeling great about it has made me even more motivated to develop and focus on building my skills.

How do you feel when you are using English right now?

Did you have a really great conversation with someone or maybe an interview that went well? Did you have to defend an idea and you were given some great feedback about your presentation? Ask yourself what went well and focus on the feelings that you had during and after the experience.

You might be reading this and think urrrghh… feelings!

It might feel a bit uncomfortable to do it at first but opening your mind and being grateful for where you are and how far you have come is huge.

This week I was told:

‘ Let life guide you!’

I wanted to share that message here with you, too.

This week I have joined a free 5 day journaling challenge ‘The Gift of Pages’ which is being hosted by a dear friend Regina Sih-Meynier. It has been such a great experience and so cool to learn how you can get a competitive advantage without too much time or effort.

One of the biggest takeaways I’ve learned so far is just how powerful it is to slow down and take 10 minutes to write and reflect on the page. I’ve been quite surprised by the impact it can have, almost immediately!

I’m sure you have heard how important and helpful it can be to journal and spend time reflecting but it’s so easy for us to get caught up in our busy lives and avoid it.

We spoke about how our lives are on autopilot and it can feel like we are riding this wave of life and being pulled along with it.

When we check in with ourselves we are taking that important time to slow down.

I personally like to write my goals every night for the next day and continually check in with where I am at. With this challenge, I have also learned a lot of the benefits of journaling in the morning.

I will then assess them the next day and every Sunday I will assess the goals I have completed for the week. I have found that this schedule works for me but having someone to check in with, an accountability partner or teacher can be a great way to keep momentum and celebrate.

On our language learning journey, and when we are building our communication skills in English we can make a lot of progress but unless we stop and acknowledge that, it can be so easy to get caught up in the wave of moving forward.

Have you taken a chance to slow down to check your progress?

How do you feel about the progress you are making as a professional?

What are you celebrating when in comes to the progress you are making?

Let me know your thoughts about this strategy. I love to hear from you!

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If you would like to build your communication confidence and foundations in English but are not really sure how or where to start then check out my free guide to build your confidence today.

Do you have any additional questions? Feel free to reach out and send me a message. I’m happy to help.

If you are interested in learning all about the Gift of Pages FREE 5-Day Journaling Challenge – you can check it here!