“Goals are for losers.”
That’s a direct quote from Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic.
I was reading his book this weekend, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.”
I underlined that sentence.
And then I read it again.
So true.
Some common English goals students tell me about include:
>>pass the FCE
>>make zero mistakes
>>become fluent
“What’s wrong with those goals,” you ask?
Well, I’m glad you asked…
“How’s The Weather?”
Good morning from windy Virginia!
Although everything is green here, there’s still a chill in the air.
On Saturday my niece told me a friend sent her a picture of snow in New York!
And the wind blows.
That’s actually one good thing about this virus: people don’t talk about the weather so much.
I find it boring.
And now even the virus has become boring.
But what is endlessly interesting is… your English!
And today — maybe this week — we’re talking about goals.
“I ran a marathon” vs. “I love running.”
I knew a guy once who trained for one of the half marathons that used to be so popular in Prague.
Every day he ran to prepare for the big day.
Every day he ran longer.
And then a little bit longer.
Finally, he was ready.
The big day arrived.
He ran.
The race was over.
And so was his running.
Goal – accomplished.
Long-term benefits — none.
Back to Scott Adams, he says that better than having a goal is to have a system.
Here’s what he means by that:
“If you do something every day, it’s a system. If you’re waiting to achieve it someday in the future, it’s a goal.”
For English, if your goal is a certificate, that’s a marathon.
If you listen to an English podcast every morning while walking the dog, that’s a system.
The first is short-term.
The second will make your English better every day, at least until the dog dies.
See how that works?
It’s also exactly what I teach inside The Society.
When you join, you watch a short video every night.
In these videos I teach you how to install three English sytems.
And in 28 days you will be like the runner who stays fit his whole life, and enjoys it.
28 days from now is June 8.
That day will come.
The question is, will your English be the same? Or will it be better because you’re finally using systems….