mastering English will open doors
chances and opportunities in your life
I'm sure you know this but knowing it
making it reality are very different at
school were taught languages in a
certain way it's all about passing tests
and getting a good score but this
doesn't prepare us for the real world
and it wasn't until I was forced to
master Japanese that I figured out how
to help people who just like me was
stuck with their English all through my
childhood I loved art I didn't like
school much and I got terrible grades
especially French our second language it
was all boring grammar explanations that
I didn't understand copying from the
blackboard I spent most of my time
reading science fiction novels hidden in
my textbook unsurprisingly I failed the
subject
I just wasn't talented in languages I
decided for me art was the opposite of
French
I did well I've got great grades and I
went on to study at university after
University I decided to go to Japan with
my wife
I managed to get an interview for a job
working in a gallery in Harajuku
fashionable part of Tokyo I thought this
is it this is what I wanted to do this
is the life I was going to live four
months later I was on the plane
but I didn't get the job I had
everything they wanted except one thing
my Japanese wasn't good enough I met
someone who was working for a famous
artist I was shocked to learn that he
had no qualifications or even experience
with art but he got the job because he
could speak Japanese at a native level I
couldn't do that I felt totally lost and
didn't know what to do then before I
knew it everything changed dramatically
my son was born if I'm honest I wasn't
ready for that kind of responsibility
but it just happened
life became serious fast I got a job as
an assistant English teacher working in
a school the wage was low but it was the
best job I could get I enjoyed the
teaching but I hated all the other work
I felt embarrassed about my bad Japanese
I felt humiliated almost every day the
other teachers were busy and always
seemed annoyed at having to deal with me
I had to join meetings and I had a lot
of ideas but I didn't understand what
people were saying I was afraid of
saying something stupid so I always just
sat in silence nodding and agreeing with
everything you've asked a question home
life was getting harder as well I had to
write and send a lot of emails but I was
always embarrassed about making mistakes
so I had to get my wife to check
everything writing a simple email took
so much time
my wife was busy working and looking
after the baby all day and she was
getting pissed off at having to spend so
much of her time helping me I was more
like another kid that she had to look
after than a husband I thought that if
only I could improve my Japanese my life
would get better I just wanted to forget
that Japanese wasn't my first language
and live a normal life like I had done
in England but even after I passed the
highest level of the Japanese
proficiency test I couldn't do that on
paper I was there but I didn't feel good
at the language and to make it worse I
had no idea what I should do to improve
I felt like I tried everything and
nothing seemed to work I often thought
about school French and how I failed the
subject I obviously just wasn't talented
at languages perhaps it was time to give
up
I think one of my co-workers had noticed
that I was having a hard time supporting
my family because he asked me why I
didn't consider doing a masters and
teaching English at University the money
would be much better and the job more
interesting he said all this time I'd
been focused on Japanese and not going
anywhere getting an English teaching
qualification sounded like a good idea
after several months of talking about it
with my wife I decided to apply it was
difficult to afford the fees but it was
an investment for the future
the course was really hard work but
something totally unexpected happened
I turned my masters to become a better
English teacher and to help my students
learn English but actually the biggest
benefit was for me for the next three
years I became totally absorbed in the
topic of second language learning
I read hundreds and hundreds of books
research articles I attended seminars I
talked to professionals and researchers
I learned how languages are learned the
things successful language learners do
and the things that they don't do I
studied how the human brain works
I studied language learning psychology
and I conducted my own research all this
time the barrier that had held me back
was downs
you
I've been doing a lot of stuff but
everything was so random and messy I'd
start things but I'd never finished them
I'd gone from studying textbooks to just
watching TV in Japanese all day I'd gone
from trying to improve my Japanese by
chatting to native speakers to trying to
learn just by listening
I bought countless courses that promised
instant fluency nothing worked and I was
constantly looking for a better way to
improve my Japanese
I realized that the reason my Japanese
wasn't improving wasn't because I wasn't
talented at languages but simply because
I was putting all my time and energy
into the wrong things I needed a clear
structured path that I knew would work
free from doubt
from that point on a lot changed in my
life for the better I got a job in a
Japanese company and eventually left to
start my own business I'm able to do
simple things that I couldn't do before
like take my kids to the doctor's when
they get sick or call a maintenance man
if something stops working I'm able to
be a much better husband somebody who my
wife can rely on
it's like barrier that had held me back
disappeared and I was free to move
forward for a long time after coming to
Japan I lost interest in arms I stopped
going to art galleries and doing art
myself I sold all of my art in
photography books I completely turned my
back on that part of my life
art is something that I take great
pleasure from again I go to art
galleries as often as I can it's
something that I do with my kids and my
office walls are covered with their
drawings while I was in my first year at
university I was offered a chance to go
to Switzerland for three months I would
study at a university there all expenses
paid it was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity but at the last minute I
dropped down I made all kinds of excuses
as to why I couldn't go the reality
though was that I was afraid I was
scared of being in an environment where
I couldn't speak the language
there were so many times that I wanted
to quit Japanese but I'm so glad that I
didn't because if I had I wouldn't have
the life that I have now drawing
pictures and playing with my kids in the
evening running my own business here in
Japan going to art galleries cycling
running doing all of the things that I
do if I wanted to I could easily go back
to that art gallery in Harajuku and get
that job but I choose not to instead I
chose a different path in life I decided
to start a business helping people just
like me who are struggling with English
and failing to reach their full
potential in life
the goal of doing English is simple to
help you forget that English isn't your
first language so the question is are
you being held back by English if you're
an intermediate to advanced English
learner who feel stuck and unable to
progress with their English don't worry
I can help you just leave your name and
email address in the box is provided and
also into a series of emails designed to
help you break the barriers you face and
reach your full potential in life but be
warned this is not some magic instant
fluency method the way that I teach
takes work and I expect you to do the
work but if that's okay go ahead and
sign up and I'll see you on the other
side
you