Lesson Transcript

Intro

Becky: Welcome to a special Inner Circle Audio Lesson! I'm Becky and I'll be your host. My co-host today is the founder of InnovativeLanguage.com... Peter Galante!
Peter: Hi everyone! Peter here.
Becky: In this Inner Circle, we’re talking about How to Reach Your Goal for the Year
Peter: ...The Long Term Strategy for Success
Becky: You’ll learn...
Peter: ...One, The Results of My Goal for the Year. Did I Fail or Succeed?
Becky: Two: How to Get Back on Track And The Power of Good, Old Habits
Peter: And Three, The Long Term Strategies I Applied for 2016
Becky: ...That You Can Use For Yourself.
Peter: ...All so you can master your target language and reach your goals!
Body
Peter: Listeners, welcome back.
Becky: Last time, you learned about the importance of making big commitments...
Peter: ...and having something to lose. This is a powerful motivation tactic.
Becky: ...and having anchor points...
Peter: ...so your schedule and life revolve around your goals...
Becky: ...and not the other way around. Last time, Peter, you made a big commitment.
Peter: That’s right. I signed up for German in-person classes in early November because... I was falling off track...
Becky: ...because desperate times called for desperate measures...
Peter: Very true. And I needed to reach my goal. One way or another.
Becky: Alright, let’s talk goals! Today’s the big day. The end of the year!
Peter: So let's get into the FINAL Inner Circle.
Becky: How to Reach Your Goal for the Year: The Long Term Strategy for Success.
Peter: You’ll learn...
Becky: One, The Results of Peter’s Goal for the Year. Did he Fail or Succeed?
Peter: Two: How to Get Back on Track And The Power of Good, Old Habits
Becky: And Three, The Long Term Strategies Peter Applied in 2016
Peter: ...That You Can Use For Yourself. Okay, let’s get to the first part.
Becky: One, The Results of Peter’s Goal for the Year.
Peter: Well Becky, I see you’ve been waiting for this huh?
Becky: You have no idea. I’m about to win $200. Becky needs a brand new bag and or finish the the Christmas shopping.
Peter: Ah, Becky, always the hustler. Very good attitude to have!
Becky: Hey it’s gotten me excited all month. You were at 14 minutes last time. What’s the bottom line, Peter?
Peter: You can say...Becky, that I FAILED my ORIGINAL goal that I set in January...
Becky: The 30 minute goal, yes. But, you re-calibrated.
Peter: Right. I downgraded to 20 minutes of German conversation in the middle of 2016.
Becky: ...because the original goal was unrealistic. Too much for your schedule.
Peter: Exactly. So... if we’re talking about my ADJUSTED goal of 20 minutes.
Becky: Right...?
Peter: The bottom line, is Becky... YOU owe ME a dinner at a German restaurant.
Becky: Wait, what?
Peter: ...because I hit my goal – 20 minutes. Tested and timed by my German Skype teacher as of Saturday, December 31st. That’s the deal we made in the last Inner Circle.
Becky: Ah... I do not remember that part...
Peter: That’s okay, Becky, we have it on record. You made the promise. So, we can go back and re-listen if you’d like.
Becky: Alright. You win. My next question is...How, how were you able to hit your goal? I think a lot of listeners are wondering about that. Me included.
Peter: Becky, that’s a great question. Let’s get into the next part.
Becky: Two: How to Get Back on Track And The Power of Good, Old Habits
Becky: Alright, so how did you hit the goal?
Peter: Let's look at what I did last month.
Becky: You enrolled in a class...
Peter: ...and I kept with this routine until the first week of December.
Becky: Oh, you stopped? I thought the class was working well for you!
Peter: Actually, it worked really well for me! It got me back on track.
Becky: What do you mean?
Peter: So, if you remember, my number one issue was getting German into my daily routine.
Becky: Yes. And by enrolling in a class that you couldn’t back out of, it became an anchor point.
Peter: Exactly. My motivation for studying German wasn’t as strong as some of the other languages. So, by enrolling in the course, it dictated my schedule and life as we talked about before.
Becky: Alright, so why stop?
Peter: Simply put... it did the job. The in-person classes got me refocused. I was doing my homework. I was going to class. And that effort pushed me back into my old habits and routines.
Becky: Your old habits? You mean learning with GermanPod101 and Premium PLUS?
Peter: Exactly. Before, I wasn’t FULLY taking advantage of GermanPod101 and Premium PLUS and the 1-on-1 learning. But now, because of the class... being a really good anchor, I’d have German on my mind all day long. Or at least on the days when I went to the class. So, what do you do when you’re motivated, Becky?
Becky: You want to get the most value out of the learning tools you have. You want to get even better.
Peter: Exactly. So, I was using the site more and more. I’d take 2-3 audio lessons in the morning and review them later at night. I’d read the lesson notes on my commute if possible. And, I was sending 3 to 4 messages and recordings a day to my Premium PLUS teacher.
Becky: Ah, I see.
Peter: So, you know it’s easy to get pushed off track by everyday life, but there are techniques to get you back on track.
Becky: And making that big committment to join the class..
Peter: ...that was the technique. It helped me refocus on German and put my goals in focus. And because I already had some old routines and habits in place...
Becky: ...you could easily slide back into learning German.
Peter: Exactly. And that’s the power of having established habits. If you fall off track, coming back into them is fairly easy.
Becky: I think starting a NEW routine would be tougher.
Peter: You’re right. So listeners, pay attention to the habits that you can stick with.
Becky: Even if they’re small habits... like... checking the word of the day...
Peter: If you can stick with them, but you end up falling off track sometime later...
Becky: ...Listeners, return to these proven habits that have worked for you.
Peter: That way, you can easily keep going.
Becky: So Peter, you didn’t do anything differently this month, huh?
Peter: This month, no. But, take a look back at this year, I did LOT of things.
Becky: Hmmm.
Peter: And, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but... I stuck to 5 powerful strategies that carried me through. So let’s get into the third part.
Becky: Three: 5 Long Term Strategies Peter Applied in 2016
Peter: ...That You Can Use For Yourself
Becky: Alright then, let's get into them.
Peter: Here they are. The first one and my favorite: Forget fast.
Becky: What do you mean by that?
Peter: I think most learners can relate here. You set a goal. You try... and much like I did, you fail.
Becky: Yeah, I think everyone can relate here.
Peter: But the key, and this is the tricky part, is NOT to beat yourself up, but to: forget fast.
Becky: The reason you failed might be because the goal was unrealistic, maybe life got in the way...
Peter: In my case, life got in the way. But there are a ton of reasons why you might fail. Some of them, you have no control over.
Becky: But instead of feeling bad....
Peter: ...you take your loss and move on,
Becky: I remember when you were aiming for 15 but could only deliver 11 minutes.
Peter: Becky... I felt really bad for about... 3 minutes. And that was it. I kept going.
Becky: So, listeners, forget fast.
Peter: The second strategy is: Try New Things.
Becky: You’re doing GermanPod101 lessons. Premium PLUS. These aren’t new things.
Peter: Well you’re right but... I stuck with them because they simply work. But, remember, I did enroll in a class for the first time in...
Becky: ...in about what, 10 years? 20 years?
Peter: I think about 11. So that’s new and that stuck. What’s also new is: I’m also tracking my input versus my output...
Becky: ...which is the time studied versus the actual results...
Peter: ...and if you remember, I started doing that in October. Now, the routine reminder checklist...
Becky: ...we covered thatin February.
Peter: Right. That didn’t stick so I stopped using that.
Becky: Why?
Peter: Mostly because I was super busy at the time. No checklist will save you if you have higher priority things to do. But I’m not saying that the method is bad....
Becky; Right. Listeners, that’s why you have to try new routines and methods...
Peter: ...until something sticks and gives you real language progress.
Becky: Alright, what’s next.
Peter: The third strategy is... Be flexible because life gets in the way.
Becky: Life gets in the way...
Peter: I’ll give you a few examples, Becky. I injured my neck in February. And because of that, I failed my 3 minute goal.
Becky: Ah, definitely something out of your control...
Peter: It happens. Just one of the things that life throws at you.
Becky: But you did reach your goal in March. Also what about your failed 30 minute goal?
Peter: That’s another good example.
Becky: Can you tell our listeners how exactly you were flexible about it?
Peter: So, most people - when they realize they won’t hit a goal - they take it as a brutal failure. They beat themselves up hard. They expected a big result. They didn’t get what they expected. And they can’t accept anything less... so, for them, it becomes a big failure.
Becky: So true.
Peter: Now, I’ve made this mistake in the past too. But, in my case, I decided to aim for an easier goal: 20 minutes. So you have to have flexibility about your expectations. I’ll say that again because that could be the most important thing. You have to be flexible about your expectations and you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.
Becky: Actually, Peter...
Peter: Yes, Becky?
Becky: Here’s a great example of this. We received this from a reader named Daniel. It’s part of a longer message but he wrote:
I made a commitment to write a 1000 word story in Japanese at the beginning of November. Unfortunately I only made it to around 600, but I was still blown away by how much I managed to achieve and how much I could feel myself getting better based on the input vs output metric. And of course I had my premium plus tutor check every sentence, so the corrections were extremely helpful.
Peter: That’s an incredible example, Becky. So, he aimed for 1,000...
Becky: ...and he made it 600...
Peter: Which is still massive progress by the way. But instead of marking it as a failure, he adjusted his expectations and saw it for what it truly was: a success.
Becky: And he applied the input and output tactic that we talked about in October!
Peter: Daniel, by the way, thank you very much for your email.
Becky: Thanks, Daniel! Alright, what’s next.
Peter: The fourth strategy is -- use good old habits to get back on track-- just as we mentioned before.
Becky: Simply put, if you have a habit that you can stick to...
Peter: ...even if it doesn’t give you the best results...
Becky: ...the fact that you can stick with it, that by itself is important.
Peter: How does that saying go, Becky? The enemy of a good plan is a better plan?
Becky: Yeah. Just adjust.
Peter: So, if you fall off track and are wondering how to get started again...
Becky: ...go back to a routine that works for you. Whether it’s just checking the word of the day...
Peter: ...or listening to one easy audio lesson a day. That will help you get going.
Becky: And don’t worry because you can always scale up later.
Peter: Okay. Becky. The last strategy is a simple one. You could probably guess what it is.
Becky: Really?
Peter: It’s not a deep or profound quote that will shake your soul. But it only works when you get up, take action and apply it.
Becky: Ah, I was really hoping for something profound, Peter.
Peter: Becky, mastering a language is pretty simple if you think about it. And a lot of us make the mistake of making it more complex than it is.
Becky: So, the last strategy is:
Peter: Keep at it. This doesn’t require extra brainpower. It doesn’t require talent.
Becky: It’s just putting the time in. Oh! I got a profound quote for this.
Peter: What is it, Becky?
Becky: “It's not that I'm smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein said that.
Peter: That’s actually a perfect quote. Just stay with problems longer.
Becky: So, listeners, thank you for tuning into the Inner Circle.
Peter: Thank you so much for your emails and responses.
Becky: And please let us know how your goals are coming along.
Peter: What worked for you this year?
Becky: What didn’t work?
Peter: Email us and tell us at inner dot circle at innovativelanguage dot com.
Becky: Alright, Peter. What’s your goal for next month? You’re at 20 now.
Peter: Okay, Becky. Let’s just wait for the New Year for that.
Becky: You just said to keep at it. C’mon.
Peter: Okay, well, how about this.
Becky: Listeners, stay tuned!
Peter: That’s it. Let’s end with that! New Inner Circle lessons are coming in 2017. But in the meantime...
Becky: Alright, Peter.... Have a Happy New Year, listeners, and we’ll see you soon!
Peter: Thank you again!

Outro

Becky: Well, that’s going to do it for this special Inner Circle lesson for this year!
Peter: Bye everyone!
Becky: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.

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