I felt out of breath. My legs ached. I was only on the 5th floor.
Since the power outages in Ukraine began, taking the elevator has become risky. Who wants to get stuck there for hours during a blackout?
So I started taking the stairs.
I should have been doing it long ago, just for exercise. But I’m lazy, and the elevator has always been there.
Now I saw how unfit I’d become. On the 4th floor, I already felt my legs were heavy as sandbags. On the 5th, I was panting hard. When I reached the 6th floor (mine), I felt like I was gonna die. And if I was carrying groceries, I almost felt like fainting.
But now, a few weeks into this routine, I’ve got used to it (almost😅). I pass the 4th floor without any trouble anymore. When I am at my door, I am still out of breath, but I don’t feel like crumpling.
I’m wondering about how easily I did it as a student when I lived on the 9th floor in a dormitory (without a working elevator). Up and down, several times a day. No problems whatsoever.
This experience taught me a few lessons that relate to learning English:
Just like climbing stairs, when you are younger, it’s easier.
But don’t let the thought “I’m too old for this” stop you from learning English.
It’s doable at any age, trust me. It’s a matter of habit. If you do it daily, you’ll get back into shape sooner. In the same way, you’ll get fluent sooner if you practice English consistently.
Making progress
Progress might seem intangible. I couldn’t reach the 6th floor 3 without panting 3 weeks ago. And I still can’t.
Am I getting better?
Sometimes it’s difficult to measure your progress in English. With stair climbing, I ask myself:
- With English, you can ask about how many successful conversations you have had.
- Or measure your progress by how many words you started using.
- Or by the level of interest and motivation in English.
- Or by how many mistakes you stopped making.
Choose the metric that’s important for you and check your improvement.
After the 6th floor, there are 3 more floors in my building. If I like exercising and I have toned muscles, I might keep climbing.
In English, too, there is always more to learn, even after you’ve reached your initial goal. When you get to your destination, you might find that you like the process and you want more. Embrace the discomfort to reach your goal. Or reconsider your goal: you might actually be OK with your level.
Both are fine.
If you want to reach your goal, know that you can reach it, practice as often as you can, and notice your achievements.
Basically: don’t stop and keep believing in yourself.
If you need advice on achieving your English destination, book a consultation with me today.
