How to Start Improving Today

I once booked a session to go paragliding up in the sky when I was on holiday on Reunion Island several years ago. If you haven’t been there its along the indian ocean, always sunny and very sportive place.On the Island with its calm and cool beaches are every kind of adventure sporting activity you could imagine. I don’t know what made me decide to do it but I did without thinking too much about it. On the day of the activity as we climbed up the hill that we were to jump off, I suddenly started to feel fear as I thought about all the things that could go wrong when we jumped off the cliff.

As the instructor put all the ropes and belts around me to secure us to the glider, I felt even worse. We were close to beginning and I could feel myself torn between the fear of what could happen and the excitement….

The instructor gave me the final details and we were ready to go. Actually when you paraglide you have the instructor attached next to you for your safety, so there isn’t a reason to be afraid. However looking at the height that we were about to fly over, I still had butterflies in my stomach!

Would I have the guts to pull this off?

‘Let’s go’ cried out the instructor and he started running, I followed in earnest. But in all my fear and excitement I managed to fall down right at the jumping off point on the hill!

The instructor gave me a sympathetic look. He calmed me down but told me we had to try again.

Off we went again running. This time I kept the pace with him and in a beautiful instant the glider lifted us up into the air. The relief was immediate as fear left me and wonderful excitement took over as we flew several thousand feet high in the air. We went passed rocky mountain tops and then circled over the sea and beach before making a smooth landing.

The feeling back on the ground was indescribable.A fear conquered and the feeling of actually achieving the goal and really enjoying yourself at the same time..

Trying to become fluent in English can give the same feeling of fear and disbelief to the learner. Especially when it’s easier to put it off and wait for the perfect moment to begin working on it. Is there such a thing as the perfect time to work on your English? I don’t know if it exists but I know the second best time to start. That is to start NOW. Don’t wait for the perfect moment.

A Famous interview by TV show host Steve Harvey says it eloquently like this:

‘If you want to be successful, here’s what you have to do: you have to jump!
There’s no way around it, you have to jump. That’s because every successful person in life has had to jump. You have to take a leap of faith and jump off that cliff as far as you can. Many times we all stand on the cliff of life and watch other people soaring by as they glide through the air naturally like a bird. You can see them expressing themselves and it feels effortless. Do you why this happened? it’s because their parachute finally opened after countless times trying. But the only way you too can fly and get your parachute open is to jump! Now here’s the problem my friend and I can promise you this: When you first jump, your parachute will not open right away. That’s the fear part preventing you from succeeding. You’re going to hit the sides of the rocks by the cliff, you’ll get scratches on your back. You’re going to cut yourself and get wounded. Eventually though your parachute will open. Here’s the other thing you need to know too. If you do not jump, I promise another thing. Your parachute will not open. Therefore you’ll be safe but you will never soar and fly high in the sky like that bird. Remember you have to jump!’

Start working to be fluent and Do SOMETHING.

DO ANYTHING IN ENGLISH.

BUT DO SOMETHING. JUMP! Take a leap and start the journey.

Read that book. Speak to someone. Take a class. Listen to that CD or watch that youtube instructional Video.

Start your jump today.