S3E12: This is not a punishment

Full transcript:

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and welcome to the Language Confidence Project, your daily dose of language courage, whether you love learning languages, or you really don’t, but have to learn one anyway. I’m your host, Emily Richardson, and I am here every weekday to remind you that you do have what it takes to learn your language, and you don’t have to do this alone. And today’s message is a quick reminder that all this work and all this effort you’re putting into your language learning is not a punishment.

It’s not a punishment for not being bilingual already

It is not a punishment for starting too late/ starting wrong, or progressing too slowly.

It is not a punishment for not being good enough.

You are not working this hard because you’re broken, unwanted, or not good enough as you are.

You are working this hard because you’ve found something that you know will being so much richness to your life, whether directly or indirectly, and it’s going to be a really powerful tool in designing the life you want and then making that a reality.

So when you’re struggling, give yourself a break. Don’t berate yourself for feeling tired or stuck by telling yourself how behind ou are. Don’t make threats about having to work doubly hard tomorrow to catch up, or rehash all the possible moments where yoi could have started earlier but didn’t. And don’t try to negotiate by taking away all your privileges until you are productive again.

Remind yourself of all the reasons why this is going to be worth it. Remind yourself of all the opportunities it could bring you, all the doors it could open yes, in the future, but also right now with the level you’ve already got. Let your language do little things to please you, whether it’s through videos or media content, making friends, making stuff, fun idioms, or just weird little grammar quirks.

If your language learning feels punishing, if it’s taking its toll on your health and wellbeing, if you are dreading it every single day, then something isn’t right. It’s not suffering you deserve, you will not be a better language learner just because you suffered more through the process. 

So be kind to yourselves, language learners. It’s the single best way to stay on this path. Remember, every tiny thing you achieve today counts, and every word matters. Have a wonderful day, and I will see you tomorrow.