When you're waiting for results...

How do you know if the path you’re on is taking you where you want to go? // ¿Cómo sabrás que la senda en que caminas te lleva donde quieres ir?

Are you waiting to see results?

I feel like I'm waiting for results ALL. THE. TIME. I like to have goals I'm working toward, and every time I put in effort toward a goal, I want to see the results of that effort.

I started a new meal plan (ok, ok - it's like a diet, but I'm watching my language around that because it's supposed to be much more of a "health mindset shift") just over a week ago, and it's actually going really well. Instead of turning into a hangry monster and then cheating like crazy, I feel pretty satiated, with my cravings under control. I'm also really proud of myself for being able to make some changes, as I haven't felt like I'm as physically healthy as I'd like to be for a few years now. Needless to say, I'm eager - excited - to see some positive results!

I know exactly what kind of results I want from this plan, too.

Goal weight, size, check. ✅

Feelings of more energy and confidence, check. ✅

I make sure my language students know exactly what results they want from our time together, too.

When we start a new Language Semester, I invite my students to create their personal success strategy with me to help them get the most out of our five month program together. One of the questions I ask my students upfront is, where do you want to be five months from now? I get great answers, like more fluent and more confident.

The next question I ask is, how will you know when you're there?

This is where I usually need to help students out a bit. It can be hard to identify what "more fluent" and "more confident" will be measured by, but it's certainly possible. (I'll give you a great hint in just a sec.)

Identifying the results you want is key, because then we can create ways to measure whether or not we're there.

Then comes the "fun" part.

After you've set your (measurable) goal, then it's time to put in the effort and...wait.

So how do you know if it's working?!

I'm just over a week into this new diet, and I know I can't expect to see a ton of change yet. That doesn't stop me from holding my breath every time I step on the scale to see if it's different, or turning at different angles in front of the mirror to see if I can notice any changes, or imagining that my jeans feel just a tiiiny bit looser today.

We get so darn excited to see results, y'all, because results are exciting!!

Trust the process, and give it time.
//
Confía en el proceso, y dale tiempo.

My students have all started this Fall Language Semester so strong, mis amigos! They are watching the classes, showing up for live sessions and extra practice in the online student community, and generally doing their best, just like they committed to do in their semester application.

It's also right about now, a few weeks into the semester, that I hear a familiar question: how can we do more? How can we get more practice between classes?

There's nothing inherently wrong with this question, but it depends on where it's coming from: lack, or abundance.

Abundance looks like a student who is already giving 100% to the semester experience and has the energy and time for more, in which case, I will happily recommend other practice!

However, lack looks like a student who is worried that everything they're already doing "isn't working" because they can't see or feel results for it yet, and I don't want them to do a single extra thing.

I want them to trust the process, and 👏 give 👏 it 👏 time.

It's ALWAYS tempting in our instant-gratification society to focus on the results we haven't gotten yet. It can even blind us to seeing the results we have gotten, because we're so forward-focused, we forget to look back.

At the end of the Language Semester, the first recommendation I have for all of my students is to go back and watch themselves in our first live session, then watch our final live session. What do they notice about the change in level of conversation, vocabulary they're using, how they sound? I also recommend that they listen to the first class again. How much easier does it seem? Is their comprehension now at 100% whereas the first time around it was lower?

One of the best ways to measure your results is to measure backwards. Can you see how far you've come? In life and in language journeys, there will always be further to go in front of you. Don't let that blind you to seeing how far you've come.

Here's the thing, though: in order to be able to look backwards, in order to measure those results you're waiting for, you HAVE to trust the process, and give it time.

Please note: giving it time alone is not enough. If you're not trusting the process, you won't be doing your part of putting in just the effort needed to get the results you want.

If you don't put in sufficient effort, you might be really discouraged by the lack of results.

If you put in too much effort, you might reach burnout before time is up.

I picked a meal plan because I felt fairly confident that the person designing it understood where I was coming from and what I wanted, they knew what they were doing, and they could get me there. I know exactly what's expected of me to see results: follow the meal plan, check in regularly, and tell my coach if there's something that I just can't follow for any reason (FYI: I hate turkey jerky).

I sincerely hope each of my students feels similarly that I understand where they're coming from, where they want to go, and trust that I can get them there, before they ever sign up for any class or program with me. I hope you feel that way about any coach you hire, mi amigo/a!

Then there's your part.

Are you following the plan? Are you checking in regularly? Are you communicating whenever there's any problem?

If any of those is a no, not really, then you know exactly where to make a change.

The rest is simple: trust the process, and give it time. The results you're waiting for will be there.

Your life & language coach,

P.S. - None of us are perfect, and we can't always follow the plan perfectly. Kind of like dieting, a good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule: if you can be consistent 80% of the time, the 20% that you're not won't really have an impact. Are there times when we can't meet that? Absolutely. It's always, only, about doing your best. ❤️

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