shoulda

Have you ever heard someone say, “I shoulda gone,” or “I shoulda studied harder?” Sure, we all have. It’s used when people regret their decisions of doing, or not doing, something. Shoulda appears after days, months or years of bad choices that leave us thinking what might have been but isn’t.  Studying is probably the ultimate shoulda. When we start studying something new it’s tough as our mind has trouble wrapping itself around new ideas, movements or words that are completely new to us. The key is not to give up too soon. Regardless of what we choose to study we must give it both time and effort. These are two elements that people seem to forget in this day and age thanks to technology gives us instant food, microwaves and the Internet.

While I might not be a fortune teller and can’t see the future I can say one thing for sure, the decisions we make today will create tomorrow’s results. So shouldn’t we be asking ourselves – what do I want? It sounds silly but so many people go through their lives living but never really planning their own future. By simply knowing what we REALLY want our mind can plot its course and start heading in the right direction.

I often hear students and friends saying how they shoulda done something but the fact is they didn’t. Forget about what’s done and focus on what can be done. The best time to learn something is when we don’t need it. The pressure is off, time is available and we can focus on the task at hand. So rather than saying, “I shoulda,” wouldn’t it be nice to say, “I’m glad I spent the time…” because when opportunity comes knocking it’s best to be prepared.

I admire so many of my students at Smith’s 英会話 Hirakata because they know understand that the greatest investment we can make is into our own education and growth. By becoming more, we can achieve more. Over the past week students have written fabulous diaries, read books and watched DVDs. What eager beavers I have. Keep up the great work everyone.

Adrian