“Think you can, think you can’t; either way, you’ll be right.” —Henry Ford
There is a children’s book called The Little Engine That Could. The story goes as follows:
A long train gets stuck trying to go over a big mountain. The stalled train asks passing trains for help to get over the mountaintop, but no trains want to help. A small train comes by and it is much too small to help this long train over the mountain, but the small train is the only one willing to try. The small train says to the big train, “I think I can.” As the little train nears the top of the mountain, it starts to lose speed. That’s when it starts saying over and over: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...” The brave little train succeeds and ends the story by saying, “I thought I could.”
Henry Ford did not write this children’s book, but he did know the power of believing in yourself. Confidence is important in many areas of life, and it’s certainly important when doing something as brave as learning a new language.
Language Point:
Did you notice that the story above was told in the present tense? English speakers often tell informal stories and jokes in the present tense because it makes the story more exciting, like the story is happening right now. It’s a great way to grab the listener’s attention!
Here's a joke told in the present tense:
The man goes to his psychiatrist and says, "Nobody listens to me!"
The doctor says, "Next!"
Extra practice: Watch this TEDtalk on how to improve your positive thinking skills.