Lesson 32: The 4C's of learning French

Bonjour mon amis.  This year as with all other years once you turn 35 is flying at a rapid speed. There are a couple of things off my checklist already … label stationery for the kids, cover books, walk 10 km’s a day, lose 2 kg’s (yes, it’s a new year miracle!) and argue with my daughter about things I clearly have no clue about but she has already mastered in her 12 years of life apparently - so the year is clearly off to an interesting start. Jokes aside – this is life hey!

So it led me to thinking about the next blog(as do most things in my life at the moment), the next lesson in the said life of Michelle – madam working – wishing to be free to roam the French countryside, buying fresh produce from the local market and learning her p’s and q’s of the French language. Le sigh – if I dream it, it will come.

Last year I wrote a post on the 3 P’s of learning the French language – this year I am leaning towards the C’s. I am still nowhere near where I want to be in my mastery of said French and when people hear I am learning the language and they know a little French – it completely freaks me out because I really am not anywhere near confident enough to speak the frighteningly beautiful language with flair and so I must look like a possum about to keel over and feign death just to get out of having to actually respond!

So what in the words of the longing to be wise… are the key ingredients to getting over the hurdle of the fear of speaking French?

Ingredient 1 – confidence is required. How do I get this elusive confidence? Do I just jump in head first and make it happen come hell or the proverbial high water? Or is it something left to simmer away slowly over time until perfectly stewed and creamy? I think it requires a bit of both – sometimes we do need to just jump in, head first immersion, which is not my most available option just yet. If I take a little moment each day to focus on perfecting just a small snippet of the dialect I would naturally gain confidence, so I choose to stew for now.

Ingredient 2 – charisma. The French are well known for their flair, flamboyance and flavour (maybe the next blog should be the 3 F’s although that could be construed as adult content and we don’t want to go there…). How can you speak the language without a little smattering of charisma? The word itself creates the picture of a  French mademoiselle smoking a cigarette at a small café staring into the distance with determined style. Without confidence your charisma will be nothing more than deflated souffle so it seems we need to simmer these two together to achieve something worthwhile.

Ingredient 3 – courage of course. It is going to take a determined courage for me to actually open this English mouth of mine and speak ‘la langue’ (the language) without feeling like an absolute fool.

In essence we need to operate with all three of these ingredients simmering every day in order to attempt what we feel is out of our reach, not within our grasp or way too challenging. And I am not just talking about learning a foreign language – I am talking about doing those things you have always wanted to be but have never felt that you met the criteria. Maybe you have always wanted to study but never have and now you have a hundred and one reasons why you couldn't do it, or you always wanted to dance but you think you are too old or tow left footed, maybe it’s a business that needs to be registered or a relationship that requires the next step to commitment.

 This is the time to take the 3 C’s and make it happen which leads me then to the next ingredient, the 4^th C – choice. We need to choose to be confident in who we are. 

What will you choose?

But can we choose to be confident?
Yes, you can. 

When you choose to believe that you are able, when you choose to ignore the lies and negatives about who you think you are and choose to see your promise and possibility, then you can start working on your confidence. I know it doesn't happen overnight but once you choose to think confidently and to see yourself in victory, you will begin to grow in confidence, the right confidence, a true deep knowing that you are able, chosen and destined for more. When we choose this, we ultimately begin to believe that we are capable (wow another C…)  and then we can step out with more confidence, be it a little shaky to begin with. Charisma in the making and courage, strong enough to learn and grow – to achieve the dreams and goals we once put aside out of fear or self-sabotage. 

You can do this – it’s a significant choice granted – and maybe one that has been put off for one day too many. Haul out the dreams – dust off the vision and start cooking!

Let’s make a deal, I learn to speak French and you agree to chase (yeah another C) down your dream and fervently pursue it – with all the gusto you can muster. I don’t want to allow my excuses to determine my future I want to know that despite the number of times I fail that I am pursuing my dream, the only real failure in this would be shelving it because it seemed too hard or impossible.

In the words of Audrey Hepburn “Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE. The word itself says I’M POSSIBLE!"

Find your C’s  and make it happen.

Much confidence, charisma and courage,

Michelle