The advice would be to try to vary the languages. Learning Spanish and Italian at the same time is perhaps not a good idea because the languages are so close that there is a risk of mixing them. Learning English and Arabic, for example, seems to me to be a little more compatible.
And the other thing, in my opinion, to check before, is: do I really need this language? Am I really going to be able to practice it? Because I was talking about Italian earlier, what made me stop is that I didn't have too many opportunities anymore, not really opportunities to practice it, and I didn't have a real why. So, ask yourself why am I learning this language. Is it just a little challenge to have a new line on the CV or is it really something that I need?
So, after questions, you can know: "OK, I choose to learn two languages at the same time." You can also take into account the level you have in these languages. Starting two languages from scratch is perhaps more complicated, but maintaining French while learning a new language can also be done. But I think the real point to watch is: do I have time for two languages?
Gwendoline: Great. That's true, each situation is different and it's important to analyze your own situation to be able to make a decision. So, I'm going to bounce back to what you said earlier, you talked about practicing. Sometimes, it's not easy, because around us, we don't have anyone who speaks the same language as us. What would be your advice for someone who would like to practice but who has no one around them who speaks French?
Johan: Well, we're lucky, in 2024, to live in the age of the internet. And even if today it seems... it's such a part of our daily lives that we have the impression that it has always existed, 20 years ago, it was complicated. 20 years ago, practicing when you weren't in the country was complicated. Today, we can happily, via all the iraq whatsapp number data networks that exist, practice French without leaving our living room. I talked earlier about the Authentic French Academy. We give about ten lessons every day, there are lessons in all time zones, so, it's Zoom meetings with a tutor that allow us to speak. So, for me, there is no real limit, you just have to find the right platform, look for a place where you feel good, where you are inspired, and set aside a few hours a week for your practice. But you can perfectly practice speaking every day, if you wish, without leaving your apartment, without leaving your country in fact.
Gwendoline: It's true that with the internet, now, it's so much easier. But there's also another little problem, which is that there are so many resources now on the internet that sometimes you can feel a little lost or even waste a lot of time. And today, finding time is very important. Time is precious. So, what would be your advice for finding authentic content and not wasting time?
Johan: The first thing to do, and this is a subject that we talk about very often among ourselves, is to follow the pleasure, not to force yourself, not to consult content just because it is in French. So, already, there is this pleasure aspect which is a first filter in fact. If a content is boring, if the creator we listen to is boring, if his way of speaking bores us, well we simply have to change, because there is a lot of content, a lot of resources. So, I would tend to recommend focusing on the pleasure, on what we feel. Sometimes, we do not know how to explain it, but we say to ourselves: "I feel more comfortable with this person". So, simply follow your intuition and what interests us, what we like. For me, these are the best criteria.
Gwendoline: OK. Great. And we hope you like this video and that you're not getting bored and that you'll keep watching it.
Johan: Otherwise they would have left. You have to leave if you are bored. Never force yourself.
Gwendoline: So, for those who regularly follow your channel, we know that you really like personal development. When did this passion, if we can say that like that, for personal development begin?
Johan: Well, it's about... Actually, it all happened at about the same time. 2011 was a big turning point for me. It's about the time when I became interested in personal development, it's the year Emma was born, my first child, my daughter, and it's the creation of Français Authentique. So, it's about... it was maybe the end of 2010, beginning of 2011, it's at those times that I started reading personal development books.
And I did it mostly out of need actually. I'm quite anxious by nature, I've tended to have episodes of stress in my life, and personal development was like a lifeline, like something that made me understand that I wasn't alone, that it wasn't a problem that I had myself but that there are many of us who suffer from stress, have emotional problems, etc.
And so, the more I read, the more I progressed, the more I wanted to read. And this passion has never left me, and I continue to read every day and take great pleasure in it. And of course, with age, we also tend to use what we have learned in everyday life, apply what we have learned, and there you go, we see that it works. So, it's a kind of snowball effect where the more we read, the more we apply, the more we progress, the better we feel and the more we want to do it, in fact, quite simply.
Gwendoline: Great. You share these personal development tips with members every week in the episode Marchez Avec Johan, which comes out every Wednesday evening. How do you choose the topics you're going to cover?