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School Of Juan πŸ“ˆ

by Juan Cifrian

I help you unblock your speaking in your second language with better habits, daily challenges, and curated frameworks πŸš€ β€’ Past lives: Synthesis teacher, Time Out editor, hospitality consultant, finance grad, corporate castaway 🏝️ β€’ Now: πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Fluency coach for πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΈπŸ‡§πŸ‡· speakers, recovering nomad, autism sib living closer to family πŸ’™

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πŸ₯³ Start 2024 right and review these

Pre-P.S. Want to start 2024 with more clarity and purpose? Click here to learn about my FREE 21-day annual review challenge, which starts on January 11. Want an added boost of accountability and feedback? Upgrade to the Rocket Fuel version for just $24 and get video feedback from me on your reflections and your English. Happy New Year, Reader! Are you ready to embark on another year in your language journey? A new year brings new hope, energy, and intentions. It's also the perfect window of...

4 months agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read

Pre-P.S. You have 1 more day to take advantage of my Black Friday week deals and make a commitment to unblocking your English and speaking it with confidence in 2024. Here's the announcement in case you missed it, and the answers to your most frequently asked questions. You can see the full details of both deals for Rocket Fuel and Rocket Fuel Plus here. Hey Reader, If you ask my students (like I have), Rocket Fuel works. It helps students unblock their English, feel more confident, and speak...

5 months agoΒ β€’Β 3 min read
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Hey Reader, My best students think long-term, but act daily. They focus on slow growth and build a language practice so that when the right opportunity presents itself, they're ready. Some of these students are disciplined by nature. Others are not. But regardless of which of the two you are, you can manufacture the discipline and motivation you need with commitment devices. As James Clear says, a commitment device is "a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the...

6 months agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read
morning pages desk

Hey Reader, Speaking a second language is an art, so if your English feels blocked, you have to treat it like a creative block. Thankfully, there's a teacher who has spent the last 30 years solving creative blocks. Her name is Julia Cameron, and she's the author of the timeless book, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. The Artist's Way has sold over 5 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. Today, I'll share the most actionable takeaways from The Artist's...

6 months agoΒ β€’Β 9 min read
brown wooden ship's wheel

Hey Reader, Want to start speaking English with confidence and flow? Stop using time as an excuse. Back in 2011, when I first started teaching in SΓ£o Paulo, 90% of my students would tell me they didn't have the time to practice their English outside of class. Between work, exercise, family, friends, travel, and traffic, they couldn't figure out how to squeeze English into their day. I didn't know any better, so I accepted time as a valid excuse. But it's hard to make any progress in a...

7 months agoΒ β€’Β 5 min read
silver imac on brown wooden table

Hey Reader, How conscious are you of the impact that your environments have on your actions? If you're interested in personal growth, you've heard a version of the following: "You're the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with."– Jim Rohn, author/entrepreneur But the places you spend the most time in, both digital and physical, are just as influential on your actions. That means you're also the average of: the 5 rooms you're mostly in the 5 apps you're mostly on the 5 visual...

8 months agoΒ β€’Β 6 min read

Hey Reader, Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your to-do list? Or too busy for the non-urgent projects most important to you? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, you might have a toxic relationship with time. Nurturing your relationship with time can change those answers. It can make you a better learner, creator, and traveler, too. All you have to do is forget everything you've been told about efficiency, productivity, and time management. That's no small task. But you can give...

10 months agoΒ β€’Β 7 min read
three crumpled yellow papers on green surface surrounded by yellow lined papers

Hey Reader, Can you think in your target language? Or do you still depend on translation? You probably don't think about thinking in your target language very often. But you should. It's the missing link between knowing the language and writing or speaking it well. "Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly should be able to write clearlyβ€”about any subject at all."– William Zinsser, Writing to Learn And until you start thinking in your target language, you have to depend on the...

11 months agoΒ β€’Β 4 min read

Hey Reader, Language learning is a trojan horse for self-mastery. To succeed in your second language, you need to: Have the courage to take action Develop your self-awareness Keep a growth mindset Conquer your habits Trust the process These are the same things required to become your best self. And by the end of this email, language learning will be your trojan horse for working with artificial intelligence (AI), too. As an early adopter, techno-optimist, and overall futurist, I've always...

12 months agoΒ β€’Β 5 min read
white and gray round frame

Hey Reader, Once you have clarity on what language habits you need to do, the next step is to decide when you'll do them. This isn't as simple as it seems. There are many people competing for your time and attention every day. And while language habits are an important part of being a successful learner, they're not as urgent as the obligations you have at work or home. If that wasn't enough, you also have to deal with the unexpected: The internet goes out Your business flight gets delayed A...

12 months agoΒ β€’Β 6 min read
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