S4E18: “If the map doesn’t agree with the ground, then the map is wrong.”

Full transcript:

Good morning, happy Wednesday, and welcome to the LCP, the daily dose of language courage for people who love languages, and those who really don’t, but have to learn one anyway! 

And today I want to share with you a story that I heard in the book, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart. When he was a young lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, the author, Gordon Livingston, was trying to orient himself on a field problem. And as he stood studying his map, his platoon sergeant approached and asked him “did you figure out where we are yet?”

“Well, the map says there should be a hill over there, but I don’t see it.”

“Sir,” the sergeant replied. “If the map doesn’t agree with the ground, then the map is wrong.”

How many of us are trying to force ourselves to follow a map that is just not applicable to our own landscape?

How many of us are following the route that other people swore worked for them, except, their entire life is completely different to ours?

Are we beating ourselves up trying to study three hours a day when we don’t have three hours a day to spare? Are we forcing ourselves to sit at a desk while all our limbs scream that they don’t want to? Are we studying last thing at night when we know we’re morning people?

How many people are doing what they think they should do, because they’ve borrowed a map from school, or uni, or a friend, when they aren’t even heading to the same destination? How many people are following a route to exam success, because someone told them they should, when they aren’t even trying to take a language exam at the end of it? How many people are following a well-trodden path to successs in reading and writing, when actually, what they want more than anything in the world is to be able to speak?

So today, I want to ask you... Whose map are you following? Who was it meant for? And what promises is it making about what you’ll find when you get there?

It’s not a question of just trying harder, or trying to change yourself or your perspective enough that maybe the map might just fit eventually. The hill isn’t there. So don’t make yourself miserable. Carve a path that fits.

And if you like what I do, please support me! The Language Confidence project is growing and all sorts of exciting things are happening in the next few months, and I need your help to make all of this happen. There are so many ways that you could lend a hand right now. If you know someone who would benefit from listening to this podcast, send them a quick message with the episode attached. If you work in or know someone in a language school or a university language department, please suggest this podcast for both them and their students. If you can and you want to, support me on Patreon, because I have a Patreon now, and the link is in my bio! And finally, if you’re new around here or I haven’t met you yet, or come and talk to me! Leave a comment on today’s episode on a positit on Instagram, send me a DM, or even better, book a call as part of the 100 Conversations Project with me! The link to that is also in my Instagram bio at @teawithemily. I would love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful day, and I will see you tomorrow.