Updated on November 9, 2022
Life lessons are all around us; it is up to you to notice them and grow from them. When learning a foreign language, many phases of personal development take place. Not only are you engaging in a new way of speaking, but living, feeling too. On a roller coaster of emotions from highs to lows, you can learn much more about yourself than you might think.
As a Persian proverb states: “A new language is a new life.”
Ever got to the stage of learning a new language and you feel like giving up? All those hours feel like a waste of time when you go to take a sneak a peek on how to say that basic word you should’ve caught on to by now. The process of learning is overwhelming. You want to speak a language straight away, but you must give yourself time. Like everything in life, patience is a virtue. If you learn to trust the process and give yourself credit, then you will be able to see progress.
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Even when you don’t feel like you’re progressing; you are. The second real-life lesson about language learning is enjoying the journey. Set yourself goals, but be realistic. When achieving fluency, you must take time and notice that progression is happening instead of being hard on yourself. Read our tips on the expectations vs. reality in language learning – it may help you see your progress!
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When you are practising a new language, fear will enter; it’s only normal. As anything new, the only way to deal with fear is to keep going. Your confidence builds when you begin to believe in yourself, be patient, enjoy the process. When learning a language, you boost your confidence because you are actively working on achieving fluency, finding failures, growing from them. People around you will boost your confidence too.
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In language learning, we have a choice to learn alone or with others. Eventually, you’ll notice that socialising is a key aspect in achieving your goals. When learning with other people, you acknowledge human connection achieves well-being for all. The power in working together when language learning is a real-life lesson that we need each other to thrive.
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As noted earlier, fear can be crippling. It can cause you to not go further with learning a language or make you more determined than ever. The biggest real-life lesson about language learning is the way you speak to yourself defines you. If you evoke a good attitude, find motivation, set goals, you can use these lessons in life itself. Practicing mindfulness may help with this – check out our article on how language learning can be mindful.
In conclusion, our five real-life lessons about language learning are patience, progress, confidence, connections, and healthy self-talk. What is your real-life lesson about language learning?