Accent Reduction: Move Beyond Procrastination and Perfectionism in your Professional and Personal Life
Procrastination Factors
“It’s never too late to procrastinate.” My daughter pointed out a message on a humorous sign at Chicago restaurant. The message is very true. HUMAN NATURE can be to procrastinate. I procrastinate. Have you ever procrastinated with: projects at work, cleaning the house, hiring someone to clean the house, or perhaps looking for a new job that fulfills you more than your current one, or starting your own business? In my work as an accent modification specialist, one of the HURDLES that CLIENTS OFTEN HAVE TO OVERCOME is procrastination.
“I don’t have the time right now. I know I need to do this, but I won’t be able to invest the amount of time it takes.” Not only have clients said this; I personally have made that statement. What moved our clients and I beyond that procrastination was that I began running into enough obstacles that made it worth my while to STOP PROCRASTINATING! Up to that point, I hadn’t been UNCOMFORTABLE enough. The benefits had not outweighed the disadvantages.
5 Signs you’re Ready for Accent Reduction
If you are beginning to encounter more and more obstacles in your communication, you may be ready to move past procrastination. You may be ready to contact an accent modification specialist. Do you notice your communication partners:
- Asking you to repeat yourself often?
- Nodding politely but not asking follow up questions?
- Body language indicating they don’t understand?
- Asking you to tell them more?
- Asking you to “Say it slower”
Ironically, if you’re experiencing more FREQUENT interruptions in your ability to communicate, it very well could mean that you are becoming more AWARE. You may be “tuning in” and attempting to take more responsibility for your communication exchanges. This is a good sign that you may be ready to obtain support for advancing your communicative effectiveness.
Replace Procrastination with Action
Most speakers want to give their communication partners the GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES to understand them as much and as often as possible. They don’t want to spend time repeating and explaining themselves. They want their listeners to understand them the first time. They want natural, free-flowing interactions. If you are one of those people, and there are situations in your day that others don’t understand you, then accent modification is worth your time and investment. Accent modification/reduction may have even been on your “To Do” list for a while. That is the case with many of our clients.
Our clients finally got to the point where they saw the VALUE of accent modification; they no longer wanted to spend valuable time repeating and explaining themselves. They wanted more NATURAL, EASIER INTERACTIONS that developed relationships, not question-answer sessions. This awareness resulted in them stopping their excuses. You may have been waiting for the right moment so you can commit 100% to get the perfect outcome with accent modification.
Disadvantages of Procrastination
Trust our clients who were once feeling the same way you do. They too, made excuses for a long time until they no longer wanted to endure the “interview question-answer” type of interactions. They wanted more natural efficient communication that could develop deeper relationships. What our clients have taught us (and you can learn from them too) is that
- Perfectionism and procrastination are the seeds of inaction.
- Perfectionism and procrastination both interfere with people meeting their full potential.
- Perfectionism and procrastination limit a person’s belief in themselves by discounting their dedication, perseverance, motivation, and capabilities.
One of my business managers introduced me to a phenomenon that knocks out procrastination: the more that people prioritize in a BUSY schedule, the more PRODUCTIVE people are! The more they tend to accomplish! This is relating to the law of physics; an object in motion stays in motion. In this case ENERGY IN MOTION STAYS IN MOTION! When clients focus on their communication priorities, their mental energy sees the accent modification through to completion. Prioritizing your time diminishes procrastination and perfectionism
Advantages of Moving out of your Comfort Zone
Do you feel DISCOMFORT when you think about pursuing accent modification? That is also one of the reasons our clients have told us they waited so long to pursue accent reduction. They were AFRAID they wouldn’t be SUCCESSFUL with it. They were afraid they may lose their native culture or language. They were afraid they may not be able to learn the techniques. Does the DISCOMFORT compel you to AVOID accent reduction? MOVING OUT of our comfort zones is what causes us to GROW and FURTHER ACHIEVE our potential. CELEBRATE the fact you’re uncomfortable. It’s a sign that you’re going to be growing! The BEAUTY (yes the ironic beauty) of having a list of things that don’t fit into a 24-hour day is it forces you to prioritize your most important tasks
Perhaps your communication EFFICIENCY and EASE has become a PRIORITY. Most of our clients’ priority is developing DEEPER CONNECTIONS with their clients, or customers, or patients, and colleagues. You DON’T NEED to let your communication interfere with establishing your own connections with your clients and colleagues. If you’ve procrastinated pursuing accent modification/accent reduction, and you’ve finally decided that the time spent repairing communication breakdown is VALUABLE, and could be BETTER SPENT on making deeper social and personal connections with others, an accent reduction specialist can help.
Moving through Discomfort
Remember, the prospect of stepping out to learn new methods can be UNCOMFORTABLE. Don’t let the discomfort stop you. Get SUPPORT to move through it. The only WAY OUT of discomfort is THROUGH it. Search for a certified speech-language pathologists who is skilled and experienced in providing strong emotional support for clients. Accent modification involves more than the technical aspects of speech. It involves identifying and overcoming any EMOTIONAL issues that many clients face in feeling like they don’t want to lose their heritage or severe the unique ties to their mother tongues; their native languages and cultures.
Accent modification is NOT about changing you or your heritage or culture. It’s about EMPOWERING you with tools for improving your business and personal relationships with others who speak English as their first language. MOVE THROUGH DISCOMFORT, and MOVE BEYOND PERFECTIONISM and PROCRASTINATION. Experienced certified accent reduction specialists will support you and give you the tools you so much deserve to know and use.
DON’T let perfectionism and procrastination:
1. Be the seeds of inaction.
2. Interfere with you reaching your full potential.
3. Limit your belief in yourself by discounting your dedication, perseverance, and capabilities.
We are here to SUPPORT you at Master Your Accent.
