Czy nauka nowych umiejętności jest zarezerwowana tylko dla dzieci? Czy dorosły może zacząć od zera i odkryć nowe pasje? A może na wszystko jest już za późno? Zapraszam na piąty odcinek podcastu “Umiem po angielsku”.
I remember one of my students vividly. Let’s call him Mikołaj, for the sake of the podcast. Back then, when I was his tutor, I think he might have been 13. I’m not sure, though. His schedule was so packed with various activities other than our English lessons and, you know, normal lessons at school, it was very, very problematic to arrange the dates of our lessons, since his schedule, schedule was so packed with all those activities. To me, he resembled [like] a little businessman with no free time to simply sit down, relax, do nothing, or simply be a teenager, have fun with some friends, and it was flipping horrific. All the pressure put on him for his self development, as if he had to start learning in his childhood to achieve anything in his adulthood, like his parents wanted him to try everything possible when he was just a little boy. So how about us adults? Can we still pick up new hob…, new skills, new hobbies? Can we start anew to make some changes in our life? Or are we like Mikołaj and and it is already too late for us to learn from scratch? My name is Anna, and you’re listening to the fifth episode of Umiem po angielsku.
Have I ever told you that not only do I speak languages, but I also play the piano? So I’m 31 and started playing the piano at the age of 29. You might think: ‚not seven?’ Let me tell you, back then, my beloved and ever-supportive husband was well aware that it had always been my dream to be able to, you know, let my fingers dance across the piano keys. He figured that the best birthday present for me would be a voucher for a piano lesson. So why not? I was an adult. I was 29 and I could just have one lesson and then later on, do nothing about it. But little did he know that the gift he gave me would ignite a passion in me, and it really did.
It’s been almost three years since I embarked on my piano journey, and I still keep playing the instrument, which has proven to me that growth knows now age limits. Each piece I’ve learned -even the easiest one- has left me with a sense of accomplishment. As for now, I don’t aspire to be the world’s best pianist, and I probably won’t make a lot of money playing the piano. But let me tell you this, I aspire to take joy in life, and that’s what piano and music is to me. I don’t have to be perfect, and had I believed that searching for passion was a privilege of youth, I wouldn’t have discovered that the feeling of a keyboard beneath my fingertips is pure bliss,
As I’ve said before, becoming the world’s best pianist is unlikely, I regret nothing. Not even a single millisecond of my time spent at the piano. Bcause not only does it foster my creativity, provide me with a sense of fulfillment and tranquility and bring me solace, but it has also blessed me with new experiences. And those experiences are amazing, because you would probably think that if I started playing the piano at the age of 29, I could achieve nothing. But let me tell you this, I’ve already played public pianos for passers-by, because there are lots of pianos in the streets, like in pubs, cafeterias, restaurants and so on, and usually they are out of tune. But waiters and the owners of the restaurants allow people who know how to play they allow them to play those instruments, actually. So yes, I have already played in many places like that, in Poland and abroad. It has always made me happy to do so. And what is more, I have also played the piano for over 100 people at a concert organised by my… By the school that I take lessons in. It was an amazing experience, and I do not regret anything. I don’t regret playing for all those people. Was my concert, perfect? Absolutely not. Am I satisfied with it? Definitely yes.
In previous episodes, we debunked the myth that talent is the key to learning. In this one, let’s challenge the opinion that it’s already too late for adults to fully embrace learning completely new things, that it’s just a waste of time. For me, picking up the instrument wasn’t a waste of time, even though I do not want to, you know, change my profession because I, because I love what I do. I love teaching people I like. I love talking to you here on this podcast. But learning how to play the instrument gave me a lot, not only those experiences I have already told you about, but listening to music, music sparks fireworks in our brain. Our entire brain is activated, like, left and right hemisphere of our brain is activated whenever we listen to music. And if you are a musician and you actually create music, you play all those instruments, your brain is activated even more. Because when you learn how to play new pieces of music, you take the notes, like, the sheet of music, you have to analyse the piece that you’re about to learn. You need to know how to think logically, and also your emotional part of the brain needs to be activated, because you also need to pour your emotions into, into the piece you’re about to play. When you learn how to play musical instruments, you need to activate your logical thinking and your emotional thinking. Learning how to play the piano helped me with my creativity, it improved my English lessons that I give to other people, it helps me on many levels in my life. And what is more, my piano teacher also has become my friend. Paulina, if you’re listening to this, I hope you know how amazing you are, and I’m truly grateful for the passion ignited me, in my heart. Thank you so much.
Whether it’s picking up an instrument, learning a language, or pursuing a long lost dream, remember this: it’s never too late to start something new. You can be 10 years old. You can be 20, 30, 40, 60, 80. I started learning how to play the piano when I was 29, but I also have students whom I teach English, who started learning the language when they were 50, 60, 40. They didn’t even think that it was too late for them to pick up a language. Let me repeat that one. So whether it’s picking up an instrument, learning a language or pursue your long-lost dream. Remember this: it’s never too late to start something new, because the journey itself can be as rewarding as the destination. It can bring you joy, growth and unexpected opportunities along the way. It has also brought a lot of opportunities to me, playing for a lot of people, finding new friendships, and improving my work skills. Life isn’t about achieving perfection, but about embracing the process, finding fulfillment in the small victories, discovering the simple pleasures that make us feel alive. So go ahead, take that first step, and who knows what passions and possibilities await you.
I hope that I have inspired you to something, to start something new, and that I have inspired you to change your mind, if you thought that it’s already that, if you thought that it was already too late for you to start from scratch. Thank you so much for listening. Take care and remember, practice is more important than perfection. Cheers!
Umiem po angielsku 