Feeling Like Giving Up? This Conversation Will Change Your Mind

Feeling Like Giving Up? This Conversation Will Change Your Mind

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I'm doing well, yes. How about you?

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Yeah, doing great. Thanks for asking.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Yeah. So uh how's the day going today?

SPEAKER_03 0:09

The day is going quite slowly, I would say. Uh it's quite cold here. Uh it rained yesterday, though the sun is trying to shine uh today, but it's still cold, and I didn't uh conduct any session. This is going to be the very first session of the day. So I think uh I'll feel uh char I feel energetic after the session, otherwise, it was a very slow day.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Okay, all right. I uh and have you been regular with your classes here on this platform?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Uh yes, yes. I guess uh now it's it would be my uh hundred something session. So it's been a long time. Yes, it's been a long time.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

How many years has it been? Sorry, how many years uh have you spent?

SPEAKER_03 0:57

I tell you when I started my channel, then only I came across uh one of uh videos of English Yari, uh maybe on uh Facebook or uh YouTube. So it's been uh more than two years, or it can or three years, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Okay, so it was not after it was not before you started a channel.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

No, no, no. Okay, once I started the channel, then only I got to know uh about these things, how people uh were connecting uh with each other through certain platforms. So, yes, uh I started my channel, I started um uh sending mails to people for having conversations, and then uh during this uh journey or this process I came across you uh this English Y platform.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Okay, uh and it made your life much easier, I believe.

SPEAKER_03 1:50

Yes, yes, and it's like a second home to me. I always tell this English A is like a second home to me.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Okay, yes. Wow, so uh today what would you like to talk about? Do you have any question for me?

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Uh I can ask you questions, or we can go with the topic. Uh if you feel like yes, if you feel like about topic also, and yes, or if you want to ask me anything, you can ask.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Okay, okay, all right. So, normally how you take sessions? Do you go by the session document and uh you prepare and then you discuss, or what is it like, or is it random?

SPEAKER_03 2:29

No, no. Before I turn my laptop on, that was a time when I just checked my topic. Otherwise, I I always want to be spontaneous. That's my uh panda or rule of thumb. I never cram anything. Sometimes I try to go through uh some kind of uh ready-made sentences, but that's not my cup of tea. So, yes, I sometimes I go through the notes, I just try to understand what is the topic all about, and that's it. I I don't mug up anything, I prefer uh random discussions, very natural and spontaneous.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Okay, so as you have been in this journey for such a long period of time, what still challenges you when it comes to speaking in this language?

SPEAKER_03 3:16

I think uh sometimes my mindset, as I just mentioned, I didn't do anything, I was just uh filling my time or twiddling my thumbs, I would say. And so sometimes my mindset, and most of the time, it is vocabulary, because uh, once you are in this journey of learning uh this language, so um now I'm comfortable, I'm quite good uh at uh using certain phrasal verbs, idioms, expressions, still, there's a long way to go. So it's all about adding new expressions, new vocabulary words, and it's all about uh becoming a good listener. So I try to listen to the tutor, I try to observe the way that the tutor is speaking, presenting himself or herself. So, yes, uh, there is no major challenge, it's all about learning uh something every day.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Okay, how do you learn? Because having conversation is just going to keep and maintain your fluency. Okay, but uh how do you learn new words and expressions and phrases? How do you challenge yourself more every day?

SPEAKER_03 4:27

Ah, I'm a quick learner. Uh, and sometimes uh let's say you are speaking something, I observe you, I uh I'll observe you the way you uh maybe you use certain new expressions. So while editing my video, I get a chance to uh re-watch it, right? To watch it again because while editing, if I find any good expression, I just jot that expression, and uh in the very next video, uh you will see you uh you will see me using that very expression.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Oh wow, very good. Okay, I think that's one of the best ways how you observe other people and you just figure out, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:02

Right, and I I always make a deliberate effort to use a new vocabulary word or expression because um you need to, you have to be conscious. Initially, you need to be conscious uh while using certain expressions, gradually it becomes your nature, then you are comfortable, and then uh you can use those uh expressions easily without any uh specific effort, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Yes, yes, yes. Uh as a matter of fact, I also learn by observing other people. So I'm in the habit of watching a lot of movies, TV shows, or speeches, right? So I observe how they uh use a certain phrase, a certain natural sounding phrase. Okay, I don't target heavy words at all times, but something that sounds very natural to me, and which I have not been using it. So I try and make sure and add it to my list as well. So in between our conversation, I just uh put in some really natural sounding phrases, quotations, right? That uh convey my thoughts more articulately.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

This is the best way to uh learn this language in a natural way. Uh the thing is, I don't get much time to watch anything. Earlier, I used to do the same. I would watch a lot of stuff on TV, on my phone, but uh just because of my eyesight and cervical issues, I can't use my phone or I have to reduce my uh screen time. So, because yes, uh frequent headaches, these are part of my life now, so I have to reduce uh my screen time. So I don't watch many uh videos on YouTube these days, it's all about uh recollecting those words which I've already known. I can say I have a good collection of vocabulary words. I now now I don't uh bother uh much to use a lot of idioms and phrases while interacting. Earlier, when I started learning idioms and phrases, so I were I used to use a lot of idioms and phrases. Whenever you learn something new, you flaunt yourself, right? Gradually it becomes a normal thing for you. Now I want to be very simple and basic. Now my focus is on uh expressing myself very naturally, the way I express myself in my first language. Okay, and uh, I guess uh uh these days this term is quite ready that intermediate plateau when uh when you start learning something, uh something, let's say. So there comes a point, okay, and the journey from there to there is quite interesting. You feel so energetic, so uh you know pumped up to learn, to flaunt yourself. But when you reach here, you feel like you're getting stuck now, you are not growing, you are not uh making any progress, right? I don't want to feel this because I've already um uh come across a lot of videos where people are talking about this thing that now I don't feel that kick, I don't feel that energy to uh converse with people, to interact with people. I don't want to uh put myself in that uh area, so I don't force myself uh to add any new words, I want to be comfortable and I just enjoy the session. So that's the reason I don't uh really go through the session notes. Once you go through the session notes, you feel like preparing something in advance, right? Maybe certain expressions, certain vocabulary words. So my panda is very clear. I just want to enjoy the learning learning journey, I just want to feel the rhythm. That's it. I'm still I feel that uh I feel that energy, I feel that I want to add something new to my vocabulary. So, with this motive, I take these kind of sessions.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

So, yes. That's fine. Okay, all right. Well, but everybody is going to feel that intermediate plateau. Now it's not about losing interest, it's about not seeing progress. Yes, yeah. There was a time when I also experienced this plateau, all right. So no matter how much effort I was putting in, I cannot see any progress for at least a few months. Okay, it was quite frustrating as well. But persistence is key, so you have to keep on going in. And now I felt I feel that I will hit another plateau. Another plateau that I've hit that's a blockage, right? So, whatever I do, I'm just hitting the wall. I really need to get out of this as well. It's not about losing interest. I don't lose interest because I have been have happy in this profession for quite some time, but once again, yeah, you really need to come out your shell and express yourself more vividly, the way how you really want to.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

I think my my regular classes helped me a lot uh in this in this process. I mean, I do feel uh I do feel these kind of feelings, uh, though I wasn't aware of the names that we call it intermediate plateau or something like that. I uh I would feel, I used to feel like okay, I'm maybe I'm not uh making any progress or maybe I'm not learning any new thing these days. I never uh try to keep myself in a in a kind of cage where I question myself or I doubt my uh self. I'm learning to go in the flow, go with the flow. So I'm in that process where I sometimes I do things and most of the time I'm enjoying whatever is going on, I just enjoy the process. I conduct regular sessions, so I uh my learners ask me a lot of questions about vocabulary, about grammatical stuff. I tell you these days it's all about conditionals, zero conditional, then first, second, third, right? Ma'am, use of word would have been a had I not been so it's like they keep me on the track, right? Because because I have to answer their questions. Okay, so this is how I am uh revising my stuff. Okay, a lot of questions about tenses, about active, passive, though I tell them that uh if you just want to work on your spoken English skills, don't get into these complex structures of grammar. Okay, you are going to put yourself in uh hot water. There are certain uh learners who just want to get into these nitty-gritties of grammar, ma'am. Uh, what is the structure of this? How to use good as a model verb, how to use good as in conditional sentences, and a lot of things. So I can tell you that I am polishing my grammar to the next level. So this is something which makes me um or which keeps me on my toes. So I'm thankful to my learners that they they are the main factor or they are that main force which is keeping me away from any sort of plateau.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Okay, wow. All right, it's great that uh you constantly motivate yourself and you don't really want to go that route where people are struggling and they feel that this blockage, right? It's such a desirable trait to have in a person.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

Exactly, exactly. And it's not only about this language. Um, I run a YouTube channel, two YouTube channels, uh, one Instagram uh page, Facebook page. So um getting views and subscribe, gaining subscribers uh on YouTube, it's a challenge. People are struggling with this kind of phobia, stress. I mean, uh, whenever you post a video, then you just start checking your views, your likes, right? And uh your subscribers. I am grateful that I'm no more a part of this rat race. I just post my video and I forget about the views, the likes. Yes, I check, I go uh to my channel, I visit my channel, I check the comments, I reply those comments, and that's it. I don't bother about how many subscribers I gained today, how many likes did I get on my that particular video? Uh, it is one of the major reasons of stress these days. To be very honest, yes, people are crazy, people are truly crazy. They just want to get uh they just want to be viral on uh social media, and you know what? I don't want to be to be very honest, I don't want that overnight success. My mother, my mother always asks me one question that I don't know why people uh you don't get that visibility on YouTube, you post such uh uh useful content and so on. Uh, why don't uh your videos uh get go viral on YouTube? So I tell her that let's imagine, let's say my one video goes viral, then what? What next? Am I ready to tackle that? Maybe uh overnight success, and to be very honest, I don't want to be the flavor of the month. To be very, very honest, I just want to be consistent in terms of my learning, in terms of my achievements. So I'm very happy, very grateful for whatever I have. So this is one of the major achievements of mine. I would uh like to tell you that I don't bother about my channels, my views, and my subscribers. What do you want to add here? Have you ever encountered this kind of scenario from your learners?

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Yeah, so when I talk with YouTubers, everybody has this desire to grow on what they do, right? So I myself, let's say if I start my own channel, tomorrow I'll have this expectation. Okay, so I'm garnering a lot of attention and views, and maybe someday down the years, I may want to see myself at uh a level where I'm uh influencing a lot of people, I'm helping uh a mass, right? So uh the thing is it's a human feeling. Uh not to be too moral to say that I would not chase success, but definitely I would also like to have a good fan following, not to be famous, but uh just to uh help people in mass.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

So that is I know I know I know I I I used to be uh I used to be the kind of person, I mean, there was a time when I uh would check my views and all things, but you know what? Um we can't control everything, so right? So why to let these things rain your brain? If if you if you are not enjoying your work, okay, if that thing is um hampering your peace of mind, then what is the use of doing that work?

SPEAKER_05 15:34

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

When I ask this question, that let's say I always tell that I love my job, I walk I love my work, okay, but actually I need to introspect myself. Is it true? Am I really enjoying my work? Okay, there was a time when I used to get worried about my views and all things. Then I um tell I told myself that this is not what I'm looking for, right? I need to count my blessing. Second thing, this is not uh I'm not the bread runner of my family in my case, right? Uh, this is something extra. I mean, it's I can say that it's my hobby, uh right. I um am earning, as I mentioned, you indirectly uh through my classes and all. Okay, I get my classes through my YouTube or social media platforms. But the thing is, yes, in your case, let's say you start your uh uh career as a YouTuber, then you need to put your heart, heart, and soul into it, and of course, the growth is going to trouble you, right? Right, because you need if that is going to be the source of your income, the only and prime source of income of your income, then of course it'll affect you. In my case, things are different, it's not my major uh source of income.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Okay, okay. I I feel that in order to grow on any platform, be it YouTube or Instagram, you need a certain strategy. So that's why people outsource uh other skills, you know. They need an editor to make their videos quite uh what do you call stimulating for the viewer so that they can retain the attention, right? There are a lot of factors actually that go into making a video or even running a few uh one YouTube channel. Now, right? So that's ultimately what's going to be there. And even content creators who may have been relevant maybe two years, three years ago, now they struggle. They have to constantly look for content, right, in order to stay relevant so that they can keep their subscribers because it's it's also quite heartbreaking when you see your followers going down, right? Yes, yeah, some content we share about their appliance.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

It is heartbreaking once you get that taste of uh success, then it's not easy to uh face the failure, right? Once you get, let's say, your uh you get a lot of uh subscribers, no, you gain a lot of subscribers, your videos uh starts start getting a lot of views and all things, but suddenly if you see that uh that lower phase in terms of your growth, so it's not easy to digest to face uh that scenario, and uh that's the thing I would say that yes, uh we need to get the uh we need to know the algorithm of uh YouTube and you need to be strategic enough. That's it, it's not a matter of that you sit in front of the camera and you record yourself and you put your video on YouTube and you expect the results. No, you need to be technical and you need to be quite strategic in terms of everything, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, nowadays we see a lot of small time creators, right? They they try to pull off a very dangerous stunt, probably taking a video of themselves in front of a coming train, incoming train, right? And they do some risky stuff just to get some views, right? Just to go viral on the internet, and they uh end up risking their lives. Some people, unfortunately, they also lose their lives, just perfect selfie. You might have to come across a lot of news like such, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Yes, we should have that uh stability, I believe. Right? All right, should be a stability in your uh thinking, in your thought process, and always have a second plan. Plan B. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. That's what I want to tell you. Yes, that's for sure. In this era of technology, we need to be mindful.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

But you know what? I want you to contradict my idea, okay? Some people also say that if you're truly passionate about something, if you really want to achieve that one particular goal, you should not have any second plans. All your energy should be driven towards achieving that goal. What do you have to say about this? If you can contradict and place your ideas and yeah, I I believe the same.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

I believe the same that yes, if you are passionate about something, just as I just mentioned, that put your heart and soul into it. But the thing is uh hard work plus smart work, okay. That should be the key to uh that should be the approach towards anything about those aspirants who want to crack UPSC or any sort of uh test or exam. Okay, now maybe um in their first, second, third attempt, they uh were not able to crack that exam. So, what next what next? Okay, we can't say that they were not passionate, they didn't put uh all their uh uh efforts to crack that exam. So that's the reason there should always be a plan B so that in any case you need to change the strategy, you need to change the road of your career. You can. The thing is, uh, we are living in this world, it's full of skills, it's full of opportunities, you need to your uh keep your eyes open, right? So if you are it's no, it's of no use uh beating a dead horse. That's my point of view. It's good to be passionate, it's good to be goal-oriented, but at the same time, you need to be smart enough, okay? Because if you again, if you are trying to get something uh that's not working for you, and it's been a long time, then you need to change the strategy or change your plan. So it would be a smart move. Okay, okay, all right, brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Okay, anyway, today I I don't even realize time passing whenever I'm engaging in such kind of very deep conversation. But uh before we wrap up, any question that you have for me today?

SPEAKER_03 21:38

Uh not exactly, but what do you uh I mean, whatever I said about this plan B. Would you like to add your insights?

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Yeah, I feel too yes, it is important. All right, we can be idealistic and be really ambitious. Okay, uh, I'm only set for this particular role. There's nothing that I see myself doing, right? But uh to have plan B is quite practical.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Yeah. Um we have seen many examples like that, even through movies, right? So there's this one movie, it's it's not a movie, it's I think it's a TV show, okay. Where a group of friends they prepare for the UPSC exam, okay, but it's audible, then he has a plan B and he get uh he cracks the uh state uh service uh the exam, right? Which is uh comparatively easier than the UPSC, of course, right? But he has a plan B and at least he has a government job, right? I think we can apply this in our own aspirations as well, all right. If not obviously we have to be ambitious, but what if it doesn't work, right?

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Right, right, so I conquer uh what you just said.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Okay, anyway, what are you gonna do now after this lesson?

SPEAKER_03 22:52

I'll uh have my lunch.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Okay, okay, okay, all right. On a side note, I understand this video is going uh on YouTube, all right. Uh but I would just like to offer my feedback if it's okay.

SPEAKER_03 23:06

Yeah, for sure, I would love to.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Just on the pronunciation part, okay. Okay, you're gonna do this by yourself here, and we're gonna have a look at the chat box.

SPEAKER_03 23:15

Okay. Sure, sure. Uh phobia. Phobia, correct?

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Not for, it's for phobia.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

Okay, phobia. Uh I have this, I have a problem with o sound specifically. It's phobia. Phobia.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Tackle.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Uh it's tackle.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

Tackle.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Uh not tackle. Okay, because we are looking at the syllabic stress. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

Okay, tackle. Yeah, next. Okay. Uh ready?

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Uh yeah, correct. Ready?

SPEAKER_01 23:49

Okay. Uh strategy. Strategy.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Uh strategy.