Listening transcript · Episode 58

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B1–B2VocabularyAbout 6 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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Have you ever looked at a complex English grammar rule and thought I just can't do this?

I Think we have all felt that heavy sensation in our chest.

It feels like hitting a brick wall Exactly, it feels like a final judgment on your intelligence Welcome to your English toolbox Where we train your ears and your mindset.

I am Martin and I am Julia Today we are talking about a tiny three-letter word that changes your brain chemistry

It sounds like magic Martin, but it is actually neuroscience If you stay with us for the next six minutes, you will learn how to stop blocking your own progress You will also learn three advanced to see one vocabulary terms to describe your own potential and Finally, you will learn the power of yet part two the story I Want to take you back to a moment when I was learning to play the guitar.

I Was 18 years

old and I was trying to learn a specific chord The F chord right Exactly the terrible F chord my fingers hurt.

The sound was buzzing and it was just a disaster It is frustrating when your hands do not obey your brain After two hours, I put the guitar down aggressively.

I Looked at my teacher and said I am NOT musical.

I can't do this You made a statement about your identity not your skill precisely, I Decided

that my inability was a permanent trait.

I decided that my talent was static.

I Felt that the challenge was simply insurmountable part three the analysis You just used two very powerful see one adjectives there Martin Let's look at them because they define the problem perfectly You said you felt your talent was static right static means lacking in movement action or change I Believed my brain was finished growing and that brings us to the psychological concept from

dr.

Carol Dweck She calls this the fixed mindset In a fixed mindset you believe your qualities are carved in stone If you fail, it means you are not smart Exactly.

That is why I used the word insurmountable That is a great word for our listeners Insurmountable means too great to be overcome.

It is like a mountain you cannot climb But here is the science The brain is not static the brain is malleable Malleable that means it

can be pressed into shape without breaking like clay or gold So when I said I am not musical I was scientifically wrong I was just describing my current state, but I treated it like a permanent sentence Part four the shift But here is the truth There is a way to hack this feeling immediately But Martin How do we change a feeling that is so strong?

You do it by adding one single word to the end of

your sentence The word is yet.

Just yet just yet Instead of saying I can't speak fluent English you say I can't speak fluent English Yet I See the difference The first sentence shuts the door the second sentence leaves the door slightly open Exactly When you add yet you tell your brain that the situation is temporary But you shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset a growth mindset believes that Dedication and hard work can develop

your abilities it transforms a failure into a learning curve So here is your challenge for this week catch yourself when you say I don't understand and Immediately add the word yet Do not accept the static view of your English accept the malleable view part five the recap So remember the three key words from today static means unchangeable insurmountable means impossible to overcome and malleable means capable of being shaped and improved Martin I have a question for

our friends listening go ahead What is one thing in English you feel you cannot do?

Yet, I would love to read those answers is it phrasal verbs is it listening to fast movies Tell us what you cannot do yet and claim your potential Thank you for letting us be part of your routine today see you in the next episode

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