Steps to Success: Practice Makes Perfect (Part II)

“Non perdere mai la speranza: i migliori inizi capitano dopo i peggiori finali.”

- Cit.

This week the “Steps to Success” series comes to a close with a special holiday edition, putting together all the pieces we have seen since September.  We have seen how important it is to balance passion with patience, and now it’s time to add the final element, which makes everything else come to life: practice. 

Last month in Part I, I asked some questions to help you focus on the ideas that are essential to successful practice: ideas like gratitude and being thankful for the little things in life.

You might be wondering why gratitude is important for learning and practicing new concepts - how can gratitude affect your ability to learn English, for example? The answer lies in the fact that gratitude is a combination of awareness and celebration. 

This is a wonderful time of year to celebrate many things - the winter holidays, Christmas, New Year’s, vacation time with family and friends… celebrating special moments in life gives us perspective and an awareness of how far we have come, how much we have accomplished - and it encourages us to keep moving forward, to keep growing, to keep learning.

Obviously, in a month like December, celebrating seems a lot easier because it has become a habit. But there are other times during the year when finding a reason to celebrate might seem more challenging, maybe because there are no special holidays or because we don’t feel that we have accomplished as much as we wanted to. And that is why gratitude is a magic ingredient in the process of learning, living and showing love to other people around us. 

There is passion, and there is patience, as we have seen; but practice requires us to take consistent action, and the only way to do that - without becoming a robot - is to first practice gratitude and then practice new concepts, new habits and new skills. Gratitude keeps us grounded. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate what we already have, and it gives us awareness of all the reasons we have to be encouraged, and to be hopeful about the future. 

Without gratitude, there can be no true hope; and without hope, practicing new skills such as English can become discouraging and depressing - because the focus of our energy is in the wrong place. 

In 20 years of teaching, I have seen many students who become discouraged quickly because they are only focused on getting immediate results, instead of making deeper changes and developing long-term study habits that will help them to learn English every day - not just for an exam or for work - but for life.  

How do my students find lasting success in English? By celebrating small victories, being aware of how far they have already come, and being grateful for every opportunity to learn. My most successful students have passion, and they develop patience as they study… and they practice, over and over and over again, not because they are crazy but because they have learned to love the process of practicing and all the benefits it provides. 

As one year ends and a new year begins, may you celebrate your victories, whether they are big or small, and may you nurture your passion for learning English with patience, practice, and gratitude. Many warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year - see you in 2025!! ♥