Ep 9: Talking about Dreams & Goals
Welcome, everybody, to another episode of B1 English Talks. This podcast is here to help you improve your English at the B1 level and feel more confident in your progress. Each episode, we'll dive into fun and real-life topics to help you sound more natural and practice your listening skills, so let's get started.
What are your biggest dreams and goals? Everyone has something that they want to achieve, whether it's a dream job, a place they love to explore, or a skill they've always wanted to learn. Today, we're talking about dreams, goals, and desires, and how they shape our lives.
For example, one of my personal goals has always been to travel more, and I've visited a few amazing places, but there are so many more on my list. Have you ever dreamed of visiting a specific country? Maybe you want to see the mountains, explore a famous city, try food that you've never had before, or go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure like Machu Picchu in Peru, for example.
Dreams aren't just about travel, though. They can also be about learning something new. Imagine wanting to play an instrument or speak a new language like English. If you work hard and stay focused, these dreams can become goals you work towards and then eventually achieve.
It was my personal dream to become a YouTuber, and I actually had a lot of success as a streamer. I worked on this dream for over 6 months every day, and then finally, after all that time, I was able to make a YouTube short that broke into millions of views, and I was so proud. I actually realized that I didn't want to stream video games as my career, so I put it aside and focused on other goals. But the point is, I set the goal, I worked at it every day, and I achieved some level of success in that area.
How Do We Take Dreams and Turn Them Into Goals?
Dreams are wonderful, but turning them into goals requires effort and planning. If you want to achieve something big, you might need to set up a schedule or work towards smaller milestones. For example, I had always dreamed of running a half marathon years ago. But at first, I just started by running 30 minutes without stopping, 3 times a week, and from there built up to eventually, after months, almost a year, running a half marathon.
Sometimes, you need to overcome challenges along the way. You might feel like giving up, but if you stay determined, you will see progress. I remember a friend who wanted to become a chef. By the time she opened her own restaurant, she had practiced cooking for years and had built up a lot of confidence in her skills.
What About Inspiration and Motivation?
What inspires you? For some people, it's seeing others succeed. For others, it's their own passion and dedication. Staying motivated is key to reaching your goals. For example, if I stay focused and practice every day, I will improve my English skills.
Have you ever noticed how small successes along the way can keep you going? Imagine learning a new skill. You start small, but with each step, you get closer and closer to your goal. One of my favorite examples is, obviously, learning a new language. As you've studied new languages, or English specifically perhaps, I know you know how satisfying it feels to understand your first conversation or read your first book or story and understand it. It is so empowering.
Phrasal Verbs for Achieving Goals
Throughout this episode, I've mentioned a couple of phrasal verbs. Let's look at them and a couple of other ones for achieving goals:
Set up: This means to organize or to plan.
Example: I've set up a plan to study every evening.
Work towards: To make progress on something.
Example: She's working towards becoming a doctor.
Follow through: This means to finish something that you've started.
Example: If you follow through with your plans, you'll achieve your goal.
Give up: To stop trying.
Example: I've made mistakes, but I've never given up.
Celebrating Successes
It's really important throughout your journey to celebrate your successes, big and small. If you've reached any kind of milestone, take a moment to appreciate how far you've come. For example, by the time I finished my first project, I had learned so much about teamwork and creativity. That step of learning about teamwork and creativity is a milestone, even if you didn't initially set it up as a milestone. This is worth your celebration.
Final Thoughts
Dreams and goals are personal to everyone. Whether it's learning a new skill, traveling the world, or growing in your career, each step brings you closer to the life that you've imagined.
When I was first learning to become a chef, in the beginning, I didn't really know what to do or how to make progress. So I just started watching videos, practicing at home, working a job where I was forced to cook, and then reading books. I spent the majority of my time focusing on it. Not sure how everything was going to add up to helping me grow and become a chef. But after a year or two of all that focus and determination and not giving up, I eventually did become a well-respected and admired chef in my own right and in my city, and still am today.
Here are my final thoughts, guys. Dreams give us hope. Goals give us direction. And successes give us the motivation to keep going. So what's a dream or goal you have right now? Is it to learn English? Think about how you can turn your dreams into plans and take steps today to start achieving a routine that will take you there.
Thanks for listening to today's episode of B1 English Talks. Remember, if you're ready to connect, feel free to share your thoughts with me. What's a dream or goal you're working on right now? Let me know. Have a great day, and I'll see you next time.
B1 Grammar Highlighted:
Present perfect: "I've set up a plan," "I've visited amazing places."
Past perfect: "By the time she opened her restaurant, she had practiced cooking for years."
Conditionals: "If you follow through with your plans, you'll achieve your goal."
Modal verbs: "You might need to set up a schedule," "I will improve my English skills."
Key Vocabulary Highlighted:
Dreams and Goals: achieve, goal, milestone, progress, dream job.
Actions: set up, work towards, follow through, give up.
Adjectives: empowering, motivated, proud, successful.
