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Hi students! It’s Shayna from EspressoEnglish.net and I’m excited to share with you my second tip for how to stay motivated to learn English.
Tip #1, which we learned last time, is to be encouraged because your English is probably better than you imagine.
Now let’s consider tip #2, which is:
Never Compare Your English Skills To Others’
One reason that many English learners have a low opinion of their skills is that they’re comparing themselves to native English speakers or other learners who have reached fluency. If you observe that your English is not as good as other peoples’, you start to bad about yourself – imperfect, inferior, etc.
Don’t compare – it’s not fair!
Native English-speaking adults have had 20+ years of being immersed in English practically 24 hours a day. We’ve watched thousands of hours of TV in English, we’ve had years and years of instruction in school, read tons of books in English, and participated in millions of conversations in English.
That’s a huge advantage. If you had all that experience, you’d be a native speaker, too. So comparing yourself, as an English learner, to a native English speaker doesn’t make sense. Learning a language later in life is a different experience and can’t be compared to being raised as a native speaker since birth.
You should also avoid comparing yourself to other English learners. The fact is that everyone is different – some people naturally learn faster, some people naturally learn more slowly. Some people have invested more time in studying, other people have studied “on and off.” Some learners have had excellent teachers, other learners have had trouble finding a good teacher or method.
Don’t compare your English skills to anyone else’s. Just focus on your individual progress.
If you’re looking for some great self-study material to help you continue making progress in your English, I have lots of courses and e-books for you. Click here to find out which Espresso English course is right for you.
I’ll publish tip #3 in the next couple days, so stay tuned!
