Transcript: “Listening Time” Episode 58

Welcome to the Listening Time podcast. Hey everybody, this is Conner, and
you're listening to Episode 58 of the Listening Time podcast. I want to thank all of my
members of course. Remember that if you want to improve your listening and reach an
advanced level of listening comprehension, and you want to be able to understand
native speakers when they're speaking fast, then make sure to become a Listening
Time Member today. All of my members receive access to my Listening Practice
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when they speak fast. And so, this is the training that you need if you want to become
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Alright, well, in today's episode, we're going to talk about success. This is a great
topic to talk about. I'm sure it's interesting for all of you. We all want to be successful in
life. So, we're going to talk about that today. Remember that you have the transcript
available for this episode in the Episode Description below this episode. So, go down
and click on that link if you need it. And remember to share this podcast with anyone
else you know who's learning English, anyone else who might find it useful, and help
this podcast grow. Alright, let's get started.
Okay, so let's talk about success. First of all, it's important to note that success
means something different to different people, okay? People have different definitions of
the word "success", and you could be successful in different areas of your life. And so,
success isn't necessarily one overall thing that defines your whole life. You could be
successful in one area but unsuccessful in another area. So, this is a very broad topic
with different categories. In English, when we say the word "broad", we're saying that
something is big or wide. So for example, if I say "he has broad shoulders," I'm saying
that his shoulders are very wide, right? He has a very big frame, a big upper body. So,
this topic is very broad.
So, let's divide it into three different categories, three different types of success.
First of all, let's talk about career success. So, this is probably one of the most popular
ways that today's society defines success. Okay? When people talk about success, and
when you hear people talking about being successful on TV, or in the media, or just
when you talk to people in general, oftentimes, they're talking about career success,
professional success. So, of course, this puts a lot of pressure on all of us to have a
good career, right? When you see other people who are doing well in their career, and
they're moving up, it makes us feel this pressure to also succeed in our professional
domain. The word "domain" in English just refers to an area. So, if I say the
"professional domain," I'm saying the professional area.
 So, we can definitely feel pressure to have success in our careers, and young
people really feel this as well. I remember when I was in high school, that everyone told
me that it was really important to choose a good career, to choose a good path because
it was going to define the rest of my life. In English, when I use the word "define" in this
way, it was going to define the rest of my life, I'm saying that it was going to affect or
influence my whole life. Okay? It was going to define the rest of my life. So, I remember
the pressure of having to choose a university and choose a major, knowing that this was
a huge decision. Remember that the word "major" refers to the subject that you study in
college. So, for example, my major was English and Writing. This was the subject that I
studied in university. This was my major.
So, I remember the pressure of having to choose a major and choose a
university because this was going to define my career success in the future, or at least
this was going to play a big role in defining my career success. When something "plays
a role" in something else, this means that it plays a part. It is something that influences
that thing. So, choosing the right major and right university can play a big role in a
person's career success. It can really influence this. It can play a part. So, I remember
feeling that when I was younger.
And then, when you're actually in your career, once you've actually entered the
workforce and you're working, and you're trying to build a career for yourself, you
definitely feel a lot of pressure to build a successful career and move up and do great
things in your career. Some of the ways to move up in your career are to get promoted.
For example, this means that you get a higher position that's above your position. So, if
you're a junior developer, you can become promoted to senior developer, for example.
So, being promoted is one way to move up and getting a raise is another way to have
more success in your career. In English, when we say that you "get a raise", this means
that you earn more money. So, if you get a raise, this means that your boss decides to
pay you more, to pay you a higher salary. So, of course, everyone wants a raise. People
want to earn more money.
And you can also be given more benefits or perks if you move up. So, the word
"perk" in English just refers to some benefit or advantage that you have. So, if you get
more perks, this means that you get more benefits with your job. So, you can get
promoted, you can get a raise, you can get more benefits, your boss could also give you
have a leadership role on your team, for example. Like you don't necessarily move up
and get a higher position, but your boss makes you the leader among your team
members. This could also be a sign that you're advancing in your career and you're
having some success. So, these are some of the things that people look for and strive
for in their career. In English, when we say that you "strive" for something, this means
that you try really hard to obtain something. So, if I say "he always strives for success,"
I'm saying that he always tries to obtain success. He always tries to be successful. He
gives his full effort to do this.
So, how can we move up in our career? How can we attain success in our
career? Well, if you gain more technical skills or if you improve your technical skills, this
is one way that you can move up. For example, I'm an English teacher. And so if I want
to move up and become a better teacher and more successful, I can focus on improving
my teaching skills, or I can focus on learning more about English and learning more
about language learning in general. So, that's a way I could improve my technical skills.
 And learning in general is going to help you move up in your career. If you're
constantly reading books and articles about your field of work, this is definitely going to
help you move up and be more successful because it's going to give you useful
knowledge in your domain. And another way that you can move up is to increase your
soft skills. Your soft skills refer to the skills that you have that aren't technical, right?
These are the skills like communication and leadership and things like that. If you
improve your soft skills, this can help you get a higher position or a leadership role, and
it can help you stand out among your other co workers. In English, when we use the
phrase "stand out," we're saying that someone is different from the other people around
them. Someone is a little bit unique and you notice them because they stand out. So,
these are some of the ways that you can move up and achieve success in your career.
Next, let's talk about financial success. This is the other type of success that we
hear a lot about in today's society. And for many people, this is the most important type
of success. Okay? I don't necessarily agree with no and for many people, this is the
most important type of success. So, people compare themselves to others based on
how much money they have and how financially successful they are. And this puts a lot
of pressure on people. So, this is definitely a big way that people define success in their
lives. I don't necessarily define my success this way, but of course, a lot of people do,
and this is a way that people can show if they're achieving a lot in their career, if they're
doing well with their investments and things like that.
So, I think that a lot of people chase financial success with all of their energy. In
English, when we say that you "chase" something, this means that you go after
something, you follow it and try to catch it. So, a lot of people chase financial success
with all of their energy and all of their effort. And a lot of people want to get rich quick,
and this just simply doesn't happen most of the time. There really is no good way to get
rich really fast in a legal way. So, if you're trying to get rich quick, you're probably going
to fail. So, I think that if you chase money, if you chase financial success and want to
get rich quick, you're probably not going to attain it.
But for example, if you don't view money as the goal, if you just view money as
the tool that's going to help you achieve your goal, then you actually might make more
money, right? I think our mindset plays a big role on how successful we are financially. If
you have a mindset where you just want money, you need money now, you want to be
rich now... if you think like this, you're probably not going to attain this goal. But if you
have the right mindset when it comes to money, if you view money as a tool, if you view
it as a good resource, but not your overall goal in life, this is probably going to help you
out a lot.
So, what are some ways that people make more money and achieve financial
success? Of course, if you do well in your career, you're probably going to make more
money, right? If you move up and get promoted and get raises, you're obviously going
to have a bigger salary, and you're going to earn more. So, that's the most obvious way
to earn more money. Of course, there are many investments that you can make that can
also help you make more money. So, a lot of people have gotten really rich because
they've invested their money very well. And so, if you make the right investments, then
this can also lead to financial success.
And one of the most important ways to be successful financially that most people
don't really talk about is having good money management skills. So, I learned recently
that according to some studies, a lot of rich people don't actually spend a lot more
money than middle class people, for example. So, we tend to think of rich people as
people who constantly spend money on a ton of different things. And some rich people
do this, but many rich people don't just spend money left and right on things that they
don't need. In English, when we say that you do "left and right", this just means that you
do it all the time. You do it in many different situations.
So, rich people don't always spend money left and right on things they don't
need. They might actually try to spend money only on things that they really need. And if
they have this type of habit, they're probably going to save a lot of money, and this is
going to help them grow their wealth. So, having good money management skills is
important for all of us. If we all manage our money better, we're all going to have better
financial success.
Okay, lastly, let's talk about the most important type of success in my opinion.
This is personal success. So, I think that this is the most important type of success
because this success can actually make you happy and can actually fulfill you. In
English, when we say that something "fulfills" you, it means that it makes you satisfied.
So if you have personal success, this is going to fulfill you. It's going to make you feel
satisfied. If you only have career success or financial success, you're probably not going
to be happy. It's important to have success in your personal life.
So, for example, it's important to set goals for yourself and to work to achieve
these goals. It's very satisfying. It's very rewarding to set a personal goal and work
towards it and achieve that goal. This makes you feel very good. It makes you feel like
you're accomplishing things, and it just helps you become a better person, a more well-
rounded person. In English, when we say that something is "well-rounded", we're saying
that overall, it's good. It's good and balanced. So, becoming a well-rounded person
could mean that you achieve your personal desires, your personal goals for your life. It
could mean that you feel good emotionally, that you have a good emotional state. It
could mean that you're achieving your spiritual goals as well. It could also mean that
you're learning a lot of new things and increasing in knowledge. These are all different
types of personal goals that could help make you happier and more well-rounded and
make you feel successful personally.
And another way that you can achieve personal success is in your relationships.
So, if you have good relationships with your family members, your wife, your husband,
your kids, and if you have good relationships with your friends and your community, this
can also help you feel successful personally. So, this is a very important type of
success, because no one is going to be happy if they have an amazing career, they
have all the money in the world, but they have no relationships and everyone around
them hates them, for example. This is not going to make you happy. It's important to
have good relationships and to make sure that you're achieving those personal goals.
And so, I think that personal success is the type of success that actually breeds
happiness and confidence in our lives. In English, when we use the word "breed," we're
saying that something produces something. It results in something else. So, this type of
success breeds happiness and confidence. It means that this type of success results in
happiness and confidence in our lives. So, I think that this is the type of success that we
want to strive for the most, moreso than career success or financial success.
 Alright, why don't we stop there for today? Remember that if you need help with
your listening, if you can understand me, but you can't understand native speakers
when they're speaking fast, then definitely become a Listening Time Member. Click on
the link in the Episode Description below this episode. That's
www.patreon.com/listeningtime And if you become a member, you receive my
specialized training. In my Listening Practice Seminars, I help train your listening skills
so that you can understand difficult phrases and words, and I help you understand the
real sounds of English, the sounds that you hear when you actually listen to native
speakers speaking at normal speed.
Of course, in this podcast, I speak slowly and I speak clearly, so you're not
getting the sounds that you hear when you listen to native speakers speaking fast. And
so, if you want more practice with that, make sure to become a member to receive my
training. And of course, if you become a Listening Time Family Member, then you
receive my advanced podcast episodes. They're just like these episodes, but I speak at
normal speed. So, you get that training that you need to actually understand native
English when it's spoken fast.
So, make sure to click on the link in the Episode Description below this episode
to become a Listening Time Family Member if you want my advanced podcast
episodes. And of course, remember that you have the transcript for this episode in the
Episode Description, so click on that if you need it. Alright, thank you for listening to this
episode and I'll talk to you on the next episode of Listening Time.
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