Introduction to Narnia
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Welcome to N arnia, my friend. This is the paradise of English learning. First, you're going to learn a lot of English through these staries, of course. I have prepared mini-staries with questions which are the favorite types of lessons for most of my students, but the content, the focus, the topics in these staries are going to be focused on the psychology of learning and the psychology of success.
Now these ideas, they're not just my ideas. In fact, they corne from a lot of other people. They corne from people like Tony Rabbins, who is a famous success coach, Robert Anton Wilson, Joe Vitale, Robert Kiyosaki, Alan Watt etc., so I've taken a lot of ideas from a lot of different people about this topic of the
psychology of success. And the reason that we're going to talk about this in these staries is that in my experience, most English students struggle and fail because of psychology, not because of methods, not because of teachers.
Those things are important, but Tony Rabbins talks about the fact that psychology is 80% of success. And I think he's right, based on my experience with many, many latinamerican English students. Psychology is 80% of success, so 20% are the methods you use to study. But the other 80% is psychology, your motivation, your emotions, how you manage your time. All of these things are in fact much, much more important.
What I've experienced as an English coach over the years is that the enthusiastic students, the energetic students, the optimistic students always learned much faster. They succeeded. The ones who failed, the ones who dropped out and quit, the ones who struggled had the opposite mentality. They had a very negative mentality. Their motivation was low. They tended to be pessimistic. They felt that they weren't good at English. They had ideas that English was very tough, very difficult, they struggled.
They didn't have enthusiasm for English. They didn't love English.
Soin these staries we're going to talk about how you can manage your emotions, how you can develop that strong, powerful, enthusiastic attitude towards English and how you can maintain it so that you don't get bored.
The idea is that as you go through these staries, you get stronger and stronger with English and your psychology gets stronger and you succeed, you reach your goals. You speak fluently, effortlessly. So among teachers, English teachers, language teachers, this topic is called Non-Linguistic Factors. Non-Linguistic Factors.
So what "Non-Linguistic Factors" means is things that are not related to language learning directly. When we talk about language learning research, when we talk about the best methods to use when you learn English, those are linguistic factors, right?
They are related to the language. Non-linguistic factors means not related to the language. This has nothing to do with English, it's more about psychology. Motivation, for example, is a non linguistic factor. So all it really means is just emotional factors.
And there are actually many research studies about this topic.
Dr. Stephen Krashen, a scientist in language acquisition and language learning, has clone many studies and he has also looked
at many studies and he's found that non-linguistic factors are equally or in fact more important than the linguistic factors to determine who is ultimately successful. What that means is that things like your emotions, things like your close group of friends, the community that you belong to, your feelings about English are as important or more important than the methods you're using to learn English.
So how are we going to do this? How are we going to learn?
W ell, one of the things we have to do is create a daily English ritual. You need to engage your physiology. That means you need to engage and use your body. You need to engage and use your subconscious. That's how you start to affect and strengthen your psychology. So we have to strengthen our psychology, what does that mean? Really it means affecting your body and your mind at the same time, so that you actually feel better. Your emotions are happier while you're learning English. And I know this is the opposite of what you learned in school.
You probably didn't feel very happy when you were sitting in your English classes. But when you're learning with me, it's very important for you to feel happy, for your body to feel good, for your mind to feel good. It's very important for you to emotionally enjoy the process of learning English. Of course, it's just more fun, you're going to like it a lot better. But the other benefit is
that you actually will learn faster. You'll improve your grammar faster, you'll improve your pronunciation faster. You'll remember vocabulary words better, longer and faster when you feel good. So there's a very practical reason for doing this, too.
So we're going to talk a lot in detail in these staries about how to do this. But just right now, during this introduction, let's talk a little bit about a daily plan. Something you could do immediately, right now, today, to start improving your success with English by changing your psychology. So here's a little ritual, a little plan you can follow every day to start improving, to start feeling better and therefore improve your motivation and to learn English faster and faster and faster, better and better and better. And it's very simple.
So the first thing you're going to do is when you get up in the morning, the first part of this plan, this daily plan. You want to get into a peak emotional state. Peak means top. For example, the top of a mountain, when we talk about a top of a mountain, the very top we call the peak. So we're saying a peak emotional state means a top emotional state or top emotional feeling. It means you want to feel great. Not just good, you want to feel really great.
That's the first thing you need to do before you listen to any English content. Before you study or use any of my methods that
you have learnt in Programa RAIO, you want to first be sure that you feel great.
How can you doit? Well, it's really easy. I recommend, for example, using music. And I actually do this myself in the morning, most mornings. I will put on some great, exciting music that I love in Spanish, jump around, act like a crazy persan, and get myself feeling energetic and happy. Do that first before you listen. So move your body, smile. We're going to talk about this more in detail in later staries. But just for now, every morning when you get up, first put on some music. Sorne energetic, happy
music that you like, smile, move around. Do that for maybe 5
minutes, maybe 10 minutes. Then when you're feeling really great, your body is moving, you feel like you have energy, you're happy, then start with the staries, the methods, the voice messages to your native friends etc.
The first thing you want to listen to is the main explanation, the main audio. So the first thing is listen to the main talk. And you can read this as well the first time if you cannot understand easily, you can read the transcript and listen at the same time. Do this perhaps two times per day, starting with the main story and reading along. Use the Cambridge dictionary or the Reversa.net chrome extension if you need to to look up new words.
There's always a transcript you can read if you can't understand my speaking, if I'm too fast, then read at the same time. It' s okay.
Next, you'll listen to the mini-story and the mini-story is the most important lesson. The mini-story is designed for deep learning. In the mini-story I am going to ask a lot of very easy questions while I tell a story. In fact I really ask the story, I don't tell the story.
Why am I doing this? Students ask me "Why are the questions so easy?" W ell, the questions are supposed to be easy because I want you to answer fast and automatically. I want you to train your brain, teach your brain to answer very quickly.
I don't want you to translate from your language to English or from English to your language. It's a bad habit, it will make you speak very slowly. I want you to just answer quickly, automatically, very fast. So that's why I ask so many questions, like questions again, again, again, again, again...very easy. Your job: answer the questions quickly. You can answer with only one or two words, its okay. Short answers are fine. You don't need to answer with a big, long sentence. In fact, short is better. That's how we mostly respond to questions in real life, right?
So that's the order that you're going to follow. You're going to listen to the main explanation of the topic first, one or two times so that you understand the concept and the sense of morality of
the following mini-story. You can read as well if you need to. Look up words and sentences you don't know. Revise them quickly, just intime. And then, you're going to listen to the mini story one or two times or more first. You can also read theat last transcript for the mini-story in the beginning. And then finally, you will listen to the mini-story again, this time answering simple questions to practise your automatic, fluent understanding and speech.
Now another important point, when you're listening to these lessons do not study them. Don't struggle to memorize. Just relax and listen. If necessary, you can read as well, as I said if you need to. But relax, you're not trying to memorize anything. Just let it corne in. Let the English corne into your ears and into your eyes.
Don't think aboutit. Don't analyze it. Do not think about grammar. The mini-staries will help you learn grammar subconsciously, so don't interrupt that process by trying to analyze it. Don't think about grammar rules. NEVER think about grammar rules.
You want to learn like a native speaker and that means you're going to learn the
patterns of English in these mini-staries. You might not be able to explain them, just like native speakers cannot explain grammar rules. But that's okay, you want to be able to use them correctly.
That's the important part. So again, you want to relax. Do not study. Do not think about grammar rules. Do not try to translate entire sentences, just enough so that you understand the context if needed. Just relax and listen. It should be effortless. You should be smiling, relaxed and just listening.
Now another important point. You want to move your body while you're listening to the lessons. This will keep your energy high.
So, what do I mean by that? W ell, a really easy way to do this is just to walk. You've got a phone, you've got your earphones in, listen to the lessons while you go for a walk. You can do two things at one time. You exercise, you improve your body and you listen to English staries and improve your mind at the same time.
If you're sitting on a train, then maybe you just stretch your body a little bit. If you're in your car, you can move a little bit. You can move around in your seat. If you're at your house you can go crazy, you can jump around. You can exercise very strongly. You can go to the gym. Do something with your body while you're listening to the staries.
lt will keep your energy high. It will keep you feeling better. You will actually learn faster by doing that.
And finally, a very, very important point. You need to use my deep learning method. That means you listen to each story set for one week or more. There are 3 sets in every section; The explanation, the mini-story and the mini-story with questions.
Well those three, you want to listen to those three every day for seven days. You want that repetition.
Repetition is very important. You want it to go deeply into your brain. Just one time is not enough. Even if it is very easy for you, if you listen you understand everything, it's simple, still follow the deep learning method. Still listen to the whole set for one week or more. On the other hand, if it seems very difficult, listen longer. Two weeks is okay. Doesn't matter, the point is you want it to go very deeply into your brain which means you want it to be almost effortless. It's going to just go into your brain and eventually just corne out without you thinking and that requires deep learning. lt requires a lot of repetition.
So that's kind of your basic plan for using these staries in Narnia. Again, first you're going to get into a peak state. You're going to get excited. You're going to jump around. You're going to listen to music. You're going to feel great. Then you're going to listen to the main explanation of the concept, the main audio, one or two times. You note clown the phrases and words you didn't know.
Then revise them. Don't study them hard, just revise quickly. Then you're going to listen to the mini-story, one, two, three, four, five times...every day. The full version and the interactive version with the questions. And remember, relax, feel good and enjoy the lessons while you listen.
Okay, that is it for our main explanation for this introduction.
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Let's get started. ln the mini-story I will tell a kind of strange, funny, stupid story.
You don't need to think about the grammar. Just relax, listen to the story. If you need to you can pause to translate some words or phrases so that you understand the context. Just listen and relax.
Okay, let's start.
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There was a beautiful woman named Sophie. Sophie had to play Tiger Woods in golf in just one month.
So Sophie went to Japan to find a golf coach.
She found a coach called Yoda.
He said "I can help you learn golf Sophie." He said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
So Sophie tried to use her subconscious. She closed her eyes every time she played golf. Yoda said "Use your subconscious, close your eyes." Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Every time she hit the ball it went into the trees.
So Sophie went to Hawaii.
So Sophie went to Hawaii and she found a coach named Farley.
He wasn't a golf coach. He was a surf coach.
He said "If you practice golf and surf every day, you will always succeed."
She did it, and she failed.
Now she was very worried. Only one more week to play Tiger Woods. She went to San Diego to find another coach.
She went to Tony Rabbins.
Tony Rabbins was a peak performance coach.
Sophie said "Help me, Tony. Help me." Tony said "If you engage your physiology, you will be a master."
She was in a peak emotional state, a top emotional state. She felt top, great, wonderful, best.
Then Tony said "N ow, practice golf."
She improved very quickly. Finally, the day came. Sophie played Tiger Woods. Tiger was very tired. He looked very tired. But Sophie was in a peak emotional state during the whole game. Finally, at the end of the game Sophie won. She beat Tiger Woods! Tiger cried "Sophie, you're the best now." He wrote a check to Sophie for $85 million dollars.
Tiger cried and cried. He was very sad.
Step 3: Listen to the mini-story again and answer questions
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N ow, I will ask a lot of questions. The reason I ask these questions is to get a lot of repetition so that the grammar structure, the grammar pattern will go into your brain deeply because you're getting it again and again and again.
You don't need to think aboutit. Just relax, listen to the story, answer the questions quickly. If you need to you can pause and answer the questions. Or if it's too fast, just listen. You don't have to speak. Speaking is optional. If you can doit, if you want to answer the questions, great! Shout them out. If you don't, if it's too difficult or you're in a train with other people, that's fine.
Just listen and relax, that's okay too. Okay, let's start.
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There was a beautiful woman named Sophie. Sophie had to play Tiger Woods in golf in just one month.
Who had to play Tiger Woods in golf in just one month?
W ell, Sophie. Sophie had to play Tiger Woods in golf in just one month.
What kind of woman was Sophie?
Sophie was a beautiful woman.
Who did she have to play?
Tiger Woods, she had to play Tiger Woods.
Who had to play Tiger Woods?
Sophie, Sophie had to play Tiger Woods.
ln tennis, right?
No, no, no, not in tennis. ln golf, Sophie had to play Tiger Woods in golf.
When did Sophie have to play Tiger Woods in golf?
ln one month, Sophie had to play Tiger Woods in golf in just one month.
Was Sophie worried or was Sophie happy?
Sophie was worried.
Why was she worried?
Because Tiger Woods is the number one golfer in the world and Sophie was not good.
Was Sophie a good golfer?
No, no, no, no, no. Sophie was a terrible golfer in fact.
Was Tiger Woods a good golfer?
Oh yes, of course. Tiger Woods was a great golfer. And he still is a great golfer.
So Sophie went to Japan to find a golf coach.
Where did she go?
Japan, Sophie went to Japan.
Who went to Japan?
That's right, Sophie. Sophie went to Japan.
Why did she go to Japan?
T o find a golf coach.
She went to Japan to find a golf coach. Where did she go to find a golf coach?
To Japan, she went to Japan to find a golf coach.
To find what?
A golf coach, she went to Japan to find a golf coach.
She found a coach called Yoda.
What was the coach's name?
Yoda, the coach's name was Yoda.
Was the coach's name Bob?
No, the coach's name was not Bob. The coach's name was Yoda.
Whose name was Yoda?
W ell, the coach's name was Yoda.
What was Yoda?
Yoda was a golf coach.
He said "I can help you learn golf Sophie." He said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
What did Yoda say?
He said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
What did Sophie need to use?
Her subconscious, Yoda said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
So if she used her subconscious, what would she become?
A golf master, he said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
Would she become a tennis master or would she become a golf master if she used her subconscious?
W ell, if she used her subconscious, of course she would become a golf master.
What did she have to use?
Her subconscious, she had to use her subconscious to become a golf master.
Who said this to Sophie?
Yoda, Yoda said this to Sophie.
What did he say?
He said "If you use your subconscious, you will become a golf master."
So Sophie tried to use her subconscious. She closed her eyes every time she played golf. Yoda said "Use your subconscious, close your eyes." Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Did Sophie become a golf master?
No, she didn't. She did not.
Every time she hit the ball it went into the trees.
Did Sophie try to use her subconscious?
Yeah, she did. She tried to use her subconscious. She closed her eyes and tried to use her subconscious.
When she tried to use her subconscious, was she successful?
No, she wasn't. She was not successful when she tried to use her subconscious. Every time she hit the ball it went into the woods, into the trees. Poor Sophie.
So Sophie went to Hawaii.
Who went to Hawaii? Yoda?
Not Yoda, Sophie. Sophie went to Hawaii to find another coach.
Why did she go to Hawaii?
T o find another coach.
Why did she go?
T o find another golf coach.
Did Tiger Woods go to Hawaii?
No, no, no. Tiger Woods didn't go to Hawaii. Sophie did. Sophie went to Hawaii.
So Sophie went to Hawaii and she found a coach named Farley.
He wasn't a golf coach. He was a surf coach.
What kind of coach did she find?
A surf coach.
Who found a surf coach?
Sophie, Sophie found a surf coach.
He said "If you practice golf and surf every day, you will always succeed."
What did she have to do?
She had to practice golf and surf every day.
She did it, and she failed.
W as she successful?
No, unfortunately not. She failed.
Was Sophie successful practicing golf and surfing?
No, she wasn't.
Now she was very worried. Only one more week to play Tiger Woods. She went to San Diego to find another coach.
Why did she go to San Diego?
Well, of course, she went to San Diego to find another coach.
Why did she go?
T o find another coach.
She went to Tony Rabbins.
Who was Tony Rabbins?
Tony Rabbins was a peak performance coach.
W as he a peak performance coach? Or did he teach people to do things badly?
W ell, of course, he was a peak performance coach. He taught people to do things very well.
Who was a peak performance coach?
Tony Rabbins, Tony Rabbins was a peak performance coach.
Was Sophie a peak performance coach?
No, she wasn't. Sophie was a terrible golfer. Tony Rabbins was a peak performance coach.
Sophie said "Help me, Tony. Help me." Tony said "If you engage your physiology, you will be a master."
What did he say?
He said "If you engage your physiology, you will be a master."
Did Tony want her to use her mind, her brain?
No, no, no. He said "If you engage your physiology, your body, you will be a master."
Did he want her to use her body very well or did he want her to use her mind, her brain very well?
He wanted her to use her body, her physiology. He said "If you engage your physiology," if you use your body, "you will be a master."
Who wanted Sophie to engage her physiology?
Tony Rabbins, Tony Rabbins wanted Sophie to engage her physiology. Tony Rabbins wanted Sophie to use her body correctly in a peak performance way.
Did he teach her to feel bad?
No, no, no. He taught her the opposite. He taught her to get into a peak emotional state. He taught her to feel really great.
Was she in a peak emotional state or a bad emotional state?
She was in a peak emotional state, a top emotional state. She felt top, great, wonderful, best.
Who was in a peak emotional state?
Sophie, Sophie was in a peak emotional state.
Then Tony said "N ow, practice golf."
Did Sophie practice golf while she was in a peak emotional state?
Yes, exactly. Sophie practiced golf while she was in a peak emotional state.
Did she practice golf at the same time that she was in a peak emotional state?
Yes, at the same time. She practiced golf while she was in a peak emotional state.
She improved very quickly. Finally, the day came. Sophie played Tiger Woods. Tiger was very tired. He looked very tired. But Sophie was in a peak emotional state during the whole game. Finally, at the end of the game Sophie won. She beat Tiger Woods! Tiger cried "Sophie, you're the best now." He wrote a check to Sophie for $85 million dollars.
How much money did Tiger give Sophie?
$85 million. He gave Sophie $85 million.
How much did Sophie earn?
She earned $85 million.
Did Tiger Woods earn $85 million or lose $85 million?
Tiger lost $85 million.
Was Tiger happy?
No, he wasn't.
Tiger cried and cried. He was very sad.
Was Tiger in a peak emotional state?
No, Tiger was in a terrible emotional state. He was sad. He was depressed. He was in a very bad emotional state.
How about Sophie? Was Sophie in a great, top, peak emotional state?
Oh yeah, she was in a top, great, fantastic, peak emotional state.
She was happy, she was excited and now she was rich.
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Okay, that is the end of the mini-story for the "Introduction to Narnia". Again, listen to this mini-story once or twice every day for seven days or more. The questions, the repetition will help you effortlessly learn the vocabulary and you'll be learning grammar, too. It's kind of a secret grammar method.
Don't think about the grammar, please do not think aboutit. Just relax, listen to the questions, answer the questions. And every day you will start to learn these basic patterns of English, again and again and again, more deeply each day.
So again, listen to this lesson every day for seven days or more. If you get bored, move your body, jump up and clown, feel better and then start again.