Have you heard of “Good Morning Pops” (GMP), the English educational radio program? This program is one of the most popular podcast downloads for the iPod or iPhone. You can get three rabbits ; get up early, study English, and get more passionate about your life while listening to this program every morning at 6 am, (except Sunday). The host Lee Geun-cheol always impersonates famous people or does child voices to make listeners more interested in English. He has various experiences not only in entertainment, but also as a CEO, interpreter, and an instructor. Let’s listen to his stories that are always passionate!

When he was a little boy, he loved to tell stories to his friends and lead them in singing famous animation theme songs. These experiences helped him figure out what he liked to do and what he wanted to become. Also, as a child he accidentally listened to the songs of the Beach Boys on TV. He used to practice in front of the mirror to sing perfectly like them. Practicing Beach Boys’ songs helped him to naturally practice their accents and expressions. Through this he became interested in American culture and fell in love with English.

Find out what you really love to do and what you are passionate about if you do not have a dream yet. This is the truth. If you live as your parents want you to live, you might regret it later. Because that life would not include your opinion of the future job and so on, so it will be meaningless. Plenty of students do not even know what they like to do. In these cases, Lee Geun-cheol advises that you should go through many harsh experiences and never try to avoid making mistakes. You might think you have experienced many things because you have lived for so long. But, you might be the frog in the pond. Experience many mistakes through part-time jobs or travels. During these hard times, you can figure out what fields you are good or bad in.

There will be a lot of failure on the path to success. If you did not have any faults, your path to success might not have existed. Practically, failure can be seen as a positive outcome. The difference between successful people and failing ones is their definition of mistakes. It is up to you learn from your mistakes and change the result. So, for these reasons you will be able to search for your strengths and weaknesses. Thanks to these progressions, you can figure out where your passion lies.

In Korea, most students are stronger at reading and grammar than speaking. They definitely are strong at English. But, because of examinations concentrating more on technical rather than practical aspects, many students do not have the confidence to speak with foreigners. When are we going to stop blamming our educational system? People do self-realization well. If people find out excuses why we do not speak English well, they will finally gain grounds on what they want to get. Do not ascribe our English ability to the educational system any longer. Let’s change it ourselves! Well, it is time to learn how to study English in a fun way.

First off, stay confident and do not be afraid of making mistakes.
Imagine a situation when a foreigner asks you something in perfect Korean; perfect pronunciation, accent. You might be frightened because you think foreigners are probably poor at Korean. In the same context, Americans do not expect us to speak English fluently. They know it is hard to speak foreign languages. So, it is natural to make mistakes! Be confident and just enjoy talking to people from different culture. If you ask questions to foreigners pleasantly, they will enjoy helping you.

Secondly, feel free to learn other languages.
In your everyday life, you speak Korean very limitedly. Similarly, when you talk to foreigners, you will also usually confront very limited situations. For example, there is the expression” Do you~?” that is often used in real life. And, there are five verbs usually used behind “Do you~?” : like, want, know, have, and think. In American soap operas, we can hear these verbs more than half the time. So, expressions that you have to use in practical life are less than you think.

Many Koreans try to make perfect sentences in their head before speaking to foreigners. This will take a lot of time. However, the more you repeat and practice one expression, the better you will remember situation and sounds. So you can use that expression naturally. Stop worrying that you have to learn hundreds or thousands expressions. If you put on a spell that you already know seven of ten, you can throw away your obsession with perfect English.

Interviewing Lee Geun-cheol, we can learn about how to enjoy English and live with passion, which is a phrase he always uses on GMP. He always tells listeners to never quit and have confidence. Although everyone goes through slumps, you can overcome them as long as you keep a positive attitude.