The Stanford press release announcing the article is titled, “Instead of ‘finding your passion,’ try developing it.” As the release elaborates:
“While ‘find your passion’ is well-intended advice, it might not be good advice.
A new study by Stanford psychologists examines the hidden implications of the advice to ‘find your passion.’
…
Mantras like ‘find your passion’ carry hidden implications…they imply that once an interest resonates, pursuing it will be easy. But, the research found that when people encounter inevitable challenges, that mindset makes it more likely people will surrender their newfound interest.
And the idea that passions are found fully formed implies that the number of interests a person has is limited. That can cause people to narrow their focus and neglect other areas.”
“While ‘find your passion’ is well-intended advice, it might not be good advice.
A new study by Stanford psychologists examines the hidden implications of the advice to ‘find your passion.’
…
Mantras like ‘find your passion’ carry hidden implications…they imply that once an interest resonates, pursuing it will be easy. But, the research found that when people encounter inevitable challenges, that mindset makes it more likely people will surrender their newfound interest.
And the idea that passions are found fully formed implies that the number of interests a person has is limited. That can cause people to narrow their focus and neglect other areas.”
Preparing a presentation is easy.
Preparing yourself for the unknown, i.e. questions at the end of your presentation that will be asked in English, is a whole different level of mastery.
I spoke in front of 40-1000 people in Barcelona, Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London....
I prepared other speakers for conferences in Singapore, London, Athens, Bangkok, San Francisco, etc. I prepare senior executives for interviews in English with the press.
It's easy when you have done it enough times.
But spontaneous situations are different. You can't predict anything. You can't prepare your words. Only yourself.
And that's what I do best.
I prepare people to be themselves and sound like themselves in English even if they are not prepared.
Learning to be be clear and spontaneous is my favorite skill to practice.
In the end, it's what matters.
Prepared speech gets forgotten.
The skill of being YOU in a foreign language is never lost.
P.S. The fragment is from my recent youtube video "Native-Like Fluency: What people want" https://youtu.be/1UePmVaZKTg
Preparing yourself for the unknown, i.e. questions at the end of your presentation that will be asked in English, is a whole different level of mastery.
I spoke in front of 40-1000 people in Barcelona, Stockholm, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London....
I prepared other speakers for conferences in Singapore, London, Athens, Bangkok, San Francisco, etc. I prepare senior executives for interviews in English with the press.
It's easy when you have done it enough times.
But spontaneous situations are different. You can't predict anything. You can't prepare your words. Only yourself.
And that's what I do best.
I prepare people to be themselves and sound like themselves in English even if they are not prepared.
Learning to be be clear and spontaneous is my favorite skill to practice.
In the end, it's what matters.
Prepared speech gets forgotten.
The skill of being YOU in a foreign language is never lost.
P.S. The fragment is from my recent youtube video "Native-Like Fluency: What people want" https://youtu.be/1UePmVaZKTg
YouTube
Native-Like Fluency: What Do People Really Want When They Say They Want To Be Fluent in English?
I am not a native speaker who is passionately committed to achieving mastery in a foreign language.
I do not believe in so-called "unique programs" or "secret methods." Instead, I provide simple and transparent resources that are publicly available. The…
I do not believe in so-called "unique programs" or "secret methods." Instead, I provide simple and transparent resources that are publicly available. The…
👍2
Meet my student - a consultant principal in a life-science company based in London. He faces the challenge of leading a team of native-speaking experts who are older and have been with this company for longer.
His daily meetings in English demand clarity in communication above all else.
How can he ensure his ideas are not only heard but also acted upon?
How can he strike the perfect balance between human warmth and professionalism when speaking with English-speaking clients and team members?
Many people often ask me what exactly I teach. It's hard to explain in a single post, but I’d rather show you. If you can relate, if your career also depends on how well you articulate your ideas in English - despite imperfect accent or occasional grammar mistakes - my method can make a difference.
I primarily coach senior executives. They need real-life results and confidence in high-stake situations. We focus on two key areas:
1) Breaking bad speaking habits through self-correction
2) Mastering clarity in spontaneous English conversations, where understanding goes beyond mere words.
You can check out the individual mentorship program on my website.
https://nataliatokar.me/mentorship
P.S. The full interview is coming out soon! Subscribe to my Youtube channel to get notified.
His daily meetings in English demand clarity in communication above all else.
How can he ensure his ideas are not only heard but also acted upon?
How can he strike the perfect balance between human warmth and professionalism when speaking with English-speaking clients and team members?
Many people often ask me what exactly I teach. It's hard to explain in a single post, but I’d rather show you. If you can relate, if your career also depends on how well you articulate your ideas in English - despite imperfect accent or occasional grammar mistakes - my method can make a difference.
I primarily coach senior executives. They need real-life results and confidence in high-stake situations. We focus on two key areas:
1) Breaking bad speaking habits through self-correction
2) Mastering clarity in spontaneous English conversations, where understanding goes beyond mere words.
You can check out the individual mentorship program on my website.
https://nataliatokar.me/mentorship
P.S. The full interview is coming out soon! Subscribe to my Youtube channel to get notified.
👍1
You want to improve your vocabulary, so you decide to read books in English.
You quickly realize though that finishing one book might take forever....
If this is you, read this ⬇️
Everyone says "Read more books in English. That will help you improve your vocabulary".
And I agree. But I also FEEL your pain ⬇️
⚫️ When you read a book or a blog post in English, you want to easily understand every word of it. People who say, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand some words. Simply keep reading. You'll eventually get the idea", give you advice on reading books in English, not on improving your vocabulary.
📌 If the focus of your practice is "better vocabulary", the advice to ignore vocabulary is USELESS.
⚫️ Here is what most people do:
They pick up a book, having no idea how much to read, when to stop, and what to do with confusing words.
They look up every word that they don't know and by the end of the page they feel exhausted and are convinced that they will never be able to read the entire book. Looking up words takes forever! What's more, all these words get immediately forgotten.
The conclusion that the brain makes is this: reading in English is pointless, frustrating, and takes forever.
The exercise is NEVER completed.
⚫️ Try this instead:
Pick a book that you like or want to read. Put your finger on a random sentence in that book. Literally, close your eyes and do it! Read that random sentence out loud. One sentence might be enough for you.
If you feel like doing more and you like the sentence, consider reading a paragraph. If you don't have a lot of experience of reading out loud in English, don't read more than one paragraph because all you're going to achieve is internalize your unconscious mistakes. You strengthen your guessing habit. Instead, you want to apply conscious effort to achieve a clear improvement.
Swipe ➡️ to see an example sentence
P.S. This text is from my newsletter. If you don't receive my emails, consider having practical tips land in your inbox exactly when you need them.
Sign up here - nataliatokar.me/sign-up
You quickly realize though that finishing one book might take forever....
If this is you, read this ⬇️
Everyone says "Read more books in English. That will help you improve your vocabulary".
And I agree. But I also FEEL your pain ⬇️
⚫️ When you read a book or a blog post in English, you want to easily understand every word of it. People who say, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand some words. Simply keep reading. You'll eventually get the idea", give you advice on reading books in English, not on improving your vocabulary.
📌 If the focus of your practice is "better vocabulary", the advice to ignore vocabulary is USELESS.
⚫️ Here is what most people do:
They pick up a book, having no idea how much to read, when to stop, and what to do with confusing words.
They look up every word that they don't know and by the end of the page they feel exhausted and are convinced that they will never be able to read the entire book. Looking up words takes forever! What's more, all these words get immediately forgotten.
The conclusion that the brain makes is this: reading in English is pointless, frustrating, and takes forever.
The exercise is NEVER completed.
⚫️ Try this instead:
Pick a book that you like or want to read. Put your finger on a random sentence in that book. Literally, close your eyes and do it! Read that random sentence out loud. One sentence might be enough for you.
If you feel like doing more and you like the sentence, consider reading a paragraph. If you don't have a lot of experience of reading out loud in English, don't read more than one paragraph because all you're going to achieve is internalize your unconscious mistakes. You strengthen your guessing habit. Instead, you want to apply conscious effort to achieve a clear improvement.
Swipe ➡️ to see an example sentence
P.S. This text is from my newsletter. If you don't receive my emails, consider having practical tips land in your inbox exactly when you need them.
Sign up here - nataliatokar.me/sign-up
❤4
Let's do an experiment.
What do people say in each of these videos?
Can you hear every word of it? Or do you find yourself guessing?
Watch the fragments and write what you hear in the comments.
I will reply to show you the exact percentage of how much you can hear.
The answers will be in the next post.
****
Many language learners have a strong "guessing habit". They think they’re being intuitive, but in reality, they’re fantasizing.
People say "I understand", while in reality they didn't hear half the words.
As humans, we desperately need meaning. We create meaning where we can't find it. Many learners guess the words that they can't hear because they don't know WHAT to do to actually hear them.
The “word guessing” habit can stand in the way of learning to read and understand spoken language.
People don’t guess because they’re lazy; they simply use the process that seems most logical or intuitive to them.
Believe it or not, guessing is taught as a reading strategy in many language schools. Previous teachers may have encouraged a student to look at the word or use context clues to see if they could figure out what the unknown word was.
This habit is the hardest to break! People rely on the sand castles they build in their heads, and not on what actually is. Students strengthen the habit of guessing instead of developing the habit of understanding.
Native-Like Fluency is about mastering communication in English, and not about knowing enough words in order to pass a test.
It's impossible to reply if you don't understand what was said. You can't answer the question that you didn't hear. You can't influence people if you can't hear how your own messages land.
Stop guessing. Learn to hear what people say in English.
Every word of it!
➡ To learn more about improving your listening skills, listen to my podcast episode "How to listen and understand: 10 steps in between"
➡ To learn to understand everything that native speakers say, do the synchronization exercise with me in the community (see “weekly focused practice”)
I look forward to your comments!
What do people say in each of these videos?
Can you hear every word of it? Or do you find yourself guessing?
Watch the fragments and write what you hear in the comments.
I will reply to show you the exact percentage of how much you can hear.
The answers will be in the next post.
****
Many language learners have a strong "guessing habit". They think they’re being intuitive, but in reality, they’re fantasizing.
People say "I understand", while in reality they didn't hear half the words.
As humans, we desperately need meaning. We create meaning where we can't find it. Many learners guess the words that they can't hear because they don't know WHAT to do to actually hear them.
The “word guessing” habit can stand in the way of learning to read and understand spoken language.
People don’t guess because they’re lazy; they simply use the process that seems most logical or intuitive to them.
Believe it or not, guessing is taught as a reading strategy in many language schools. Previous teachers may have encouraged a student to look at the word or use context clues to see if they could figure out what the unknown word was.
This habit is the hardest to break! People rely on the sand castles they build in their heads, and not on what actually is. Students strengthen the habit of guessing instead of developing the habit of understanding.
Native-Like Fluency is about mastering communication in English, and not about knowing enough words in order to pass a test.
It's impossible to reply if you don't understand what was said. You can't answer the question that you didn't hear. You can't influence people if you can't hear how your own messages land.
Stop guessing. Learn to hear what people say in English.
Every word of it!
➡ To learn more about improving your listening skills, listen to my podcast episode "How to listen and understand: 10 steps in between"
➡ To learn to understand everything that native speakers say, do the synchronization exercise with me in the community (see “weekly focused practice”)
I look forward to your comments!
Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice
Login to Native-Like Fluency. The Community of Practice community via email or SSO today.
👍1
Check yourself! Which words surprised you?