1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:05,639 Here's another great question that I got from one of my followers on Instagram. 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:11,880 Is it true that if you don't have any certain goals then you won't be 3 00:00:11,919 --> 00:00:18,320 improving your English? Is that true? Do you need specific goals to improve 4 00:00:18,399 --> 00:00:27,519 your English? Let's discuss. Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to 5 00:00:27,559 --> 00:00:32,719 you from New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael. All 6 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,960 right, thank you Jann, and thanks everyone. It's Michael here from Happy 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:45,320 English and I help people speak English better. And this is Happy English Podcast, 8 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:53,240 Episode six seventy five. Can you improve your English without goals? I 9 00:00:53,439 --> 00:01:00,560 recently asked my followers on social media what questions they had about learning English, 10 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,840 and I got a lot of good responses, so I thought it would be 11 00:01:03,879 --> 00:01:11,000 a great opportunity for me to share some advice here on the podcast. Today's 12 00:01:11,079 --> 00:01:19,879 question is about goals. Do you need a specific goal like a certain score 13 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:25,680 on the toeek or tofel in order to improve your English? First of all, 14 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,280 setting a specific goal, such as reaching a certain score on the toeek 15 00:01:30,359 --> 00:01:40,040 or tofel can be helpful for structuring your English learning journey. Here's why having 16 00:01:40,079 --> 00:01:45,680 a specific goal gives you a clear sense of direction. It helps you understand 17 00:01:46,159 --> 00:01:52,799 what you want to achieve and where you want to focus your efforts. Plus, 18 00:01:53,079 --> 00:01:59,400 it allows you to prioritize certain skills such as reading or essay writing, 19 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:07,079 so you can focus more on those as well. These kinds of goals could 20 00:02:07,159 --> 00:02:10,919 be a source of motivation for you. If you are looking to reach nine 21 00:02:12,039 --> 00:02:16,719 hundred on the toech or one hundred on the toful, that goal itself could 22 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:24,039 drive you to study constantly, practice regularly, and motivate you more. Having 23 00:02:24,159 --> 00:02:30,039 such a goal allows you the chance to measure your progress over time. You 24 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:38,240 can track your improvement by regularly checking your current score on practice tests. Maybe 25 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:44,080 when you started studying you needed an hour to write a complete toful essay, 26 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:50,680 but after three months you can cut that time down to thirty or forty minutes. 27 00:02:51,759 --> 00:02:57,680 This kind of self assessment can also keep you motivated as you see yourself 28 00:02:57,759 --> 00:03:04,280 getting closer to your goal. Lastly, preparing for standardized tests like the Tower 29 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:09,840 KUTOFL can help you focus your attention on particular skills. Maybe you need to 30 00:03:09,879 --> 00:03:15,439 build your vocabulary or expand your knowledge of grammar, or maybe you want to 31 00:03:15,479 --> 00:03:23,680 improve your general test taking skills like time management or skimming and scanning reading passages. 32 00:03:24,199 --> 00:03:30,000 By focusing on this kind of test preparation, you can enhance your abilities 33 00:03:30,159 --> 00:03:37,879 in these areas and gain valuable language skills that you can use not only on 34 00:03:37,919 --> 00:03:44,759 the exams, but in your daily English conversations as well. On the other 35 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:52,080 hand, it's important to know that having such a goal is not necessarily the 36 00:03:52,159 --> 00:03:58,919 only way to improve your English. There could be other reasons why you want 37 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:05,159 to learn English. Maybe it's for personal growth or to communicate better when you 38 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:12,840 travel. Learning another language is a great way to deepen your cultural understanding and 39 00:04:13,039 --> 00:04:20,800 expand your own personal universe. Another reason for learning English maybe because you are 40 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:27,399 already living in an English speaking country or are planning to do so, or 41 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:34,000 perhaps you work for an international company. I know from my own experience both 42 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:43,959 living in Japan and working for an international company that consistently working on your language 43 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,240 skills makes those experiences much more fulfilling and a heck of a lot easier. 44 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:56,240 If I had not invested the time and energy to learn Japanese while I was 45 00:04:56,319 --> 00:05:02,079 living there, I probably would not be here talking to you on this podcast. 46 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:09,120 My language learning introduced me to the idea of learning another language from the 47 00:05:09,199 --> 00:05:15,199 point of view of a teacher that in and of itself was life changing. 48 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:23,279 Plus those language skills came in really handy living overseas. And this brings us 49 00:05:23,319 --> 00:05:28,800 to long term motivation. Do you remember when you were in high school and 50 00:05:28,879 --> 00:05:33,319 you studied for that history or biology exam? What happened after the exam? 51 00:05:34,399 --> 00:05:40,480 If you are like most people, you probably forgot most of what you studied 52 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:46,879 after the exam ended. And it's the same with English. Once you get 53 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:51,439 that nine hundred score on the toek, do you still have motivation to keep 54 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:57,360 improving your English? If you get a one hundred on the toful and get 55 00:05:57,399 --> 00:06:03,439 accepted to your university of choice, will you maintain that same motivation level to 56 00:06:03,519 --> 00:06:10,000 keep improving English? Maybe not, but I'll tell you that for me, 57 00:06:10,759 --> 00:06:16,839 even thirty years after I first started studying Japanese, I'm still motivated to keep 58 00:06:16,879 --> 00:06:24,759 at it, build my vocabulary and improve my communication skills. And I have 59 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:30,079 no plans to take any exams. Oh yeah, did you know that research 60 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:38,439 has shown that learning a second language can help prevent Alzheimer's and other cognitive issues 61 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:45,000 as you age. For me, that's motivation enough. And maybe you just 62 00:06:45,319 --> 00:06:50,040 enjoy the process of learning and using English. That's reason enough to keep at 63 00:06:50,079 --> 00:06:57,079 it. What I mean there is you can do things and improve your skills 64 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:03,839 at those things just because you like doing it. I cook almost every day. 65 00:07:03,879 --> 00:07:09,240 I like cooking, and of course I do need to eat, But 66 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:15,120 I'm not cooking and trying to cook better because I have a goal of becoming 67 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:19,680 a five star chef. I don't need such a set goal to want to 68 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:27,040 improve myself. Maybe I just do it because I enjoy it. And maybe 69 00:07:27,199 --> 00:07:33,000 you study English because you just enjoy the process, and that's motivation enough to 70 00:07:33,079 --> 00:07:39,199 keep improving. If you are the kind of learner who needs a push and 71 00:07:39,639 --> 00:07:45,480 needs a set goal to motivate yourself to study, then I recommend studying for 72 00:07:45,519 --> 00:07:51,120 an exam as a way of pushing yourself. But if you learn English simply 73 00:07:51,199 --> 00:07:59,199 because you enjoy it, then keep doing that and you'll improve. Hey, 74 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,800 send me a message and let me know what you are struggling with, and 75 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:09,959 who knows, your question could become a podcast like this one. If you'd 76 00:08:09,959 --> 00:08:16,079 like to get more practice speaking English, why don't you join my podcast Learners 77 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:22,319 study group. There you can make new friends, join me for live group 78 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:28,279 coaching every week, plus get the PDF transcript and audio download for every Happy 79 00:08:28,319 --> 00:08:37,399 English podcast in the past and in the future, and each episode has exercises 80 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,919 where you can practice this English point with speaking and writing checked by me. 81 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,200 To learn more, just visit my Happy English dot com and choose podcast lesson 82 00:08:48,759 --> 00:08:56,159 six seventy five. Remember, learning another language is not easy, but it's 83 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:01,960 not impossible, and I'm here to help you on your journey. This podcast 84 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:07,399 is brought to you by Happy English. Please visit my Happy English dot com 85 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:11,840 show your support for Happy English by leaving us a review. Get English, 86 00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:26,120 Get Happy, Happy English.