CHAPTER 4
Your Beliefs Determine
Your English Success
In the last chapter, you learned the importance of fuel, or psychology, for
English speaking success. You also learned how to anchor (connect) strong
positive emotions to English.
In addition to peak emotions, there is another important element of
psychology that you must master in order to speak English powerfully:
belief. Beliefs are our most powerful “brain programs.” They guide our
decisions, our feelings, and our thoughts. They tell us what is possible and
what is not. They open us to success or limit us to failure.
We can put beliefs into two general categories: limiting beliefs and
empowering beliefs. A limiting belief is typically a negative “program” that
limits your potential and performance. In other words, limiting beliefs limit
your success.
The hidden curriculum is the source of most negative beliefs about
English. Over time, schools consistently program limiting beliefs into the
minds of their students. After years in school, most students share some or
all of these limiting beliefs:
English is complicated and difficult.
It takes many years to speak English well.
English is stressful.
Grammar study is the key to English speaking.
I’m not good at English.
There is one right answer. There is one right way to say it.
Something is wrong with me because I still can’t speak English well.
