Free yourself · Let's Master English

Free yourself

For the past year or two, I’d been only doing the regular blanks—the four red sections. I usually tried to finish it according to coach Shane’s recommendation-within 30 minutes. It became a comfortable routine, something familiar and predictable.

But this morning, December 1st, something felt different. I opened the new month’s dictation files as usual, but when I glanced at the options, I noticed an advanced version sitting there—quiet, almost saying hi to me. I caught myself thinking, “Why not try the advanced one?”

It wasn’t the first time that thought crossed my mind. I’d hovered over it before, even imagined clicking on it… but I always backed out.

Even the regular blanks were challenging enough; the advanced version felt like a door I wasn’t ready to open.

So why did I open it today?

It wasn’t about testing how much my listening had improved. What I really wanted was to figure out what blue sections I kept missing or mishearing.— Afterall, these parts we also practice in live classes— If I could spot those weaknesses, maybe I could strengthen them in the future.

It was a quiet shift in mindset, but a powerful one: “I’m not here to test myself. I’m here to improve.”

And with that shift, everything changed.

When I heard gibberish and had no idea what George was saying, I didn’t spiral. I didn’t blame myself. I didn’t ask the usual painful question: “Why haven’t I made more progress after studying for so long?”

Instead, I thought, “Oh, so that’s what George said. I can follow the story, even if I can’t catch every word. I’ll understand the details when coach Shane shares the answers.”

This mindset didn’t appear overnight. It had probably been growing quietly inside me for a long time. I’d typecast myself without realizing it—I just kept myself inside a small box because I thought that’s all I could handle.

But here’s the thing: even while staying in that box, I never stopped learning.

My dictation results over the past couple of years were hit-or-miss, but I kept going, little by little. Whenever I felt like “ Oh, my listening was finally improving, the next passage would completely stump me. And that’s normal. That’s part of learning. It doesn’t mean I’m incompetent.”

So today, I decided to free myself. To do what I felt right. To do what I’d wanted to do.

After finishing the dictation, I left a note to Coach Shane:“I know the advanced version is tougher than the regular blanks, but it’s not tougher than I imagined.”

My LME friends, keep going, with love, without fear. Just do it!

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