【英語日記】 Reasons Why you Should not Compare Yourself with Others When it Comes to Language Learning

While some may argue that it is good to compare yourself with others when you learn a language, I assert otherwise. It does not work either practically or psychologically, and I will elaborate on the respective reasons below.

First, practically, making comparison with others does not help, because even if you find someone superior (or inferior) to you when it comes to languages, it does not mean that such a fact can facilitate your language learning. It is just that you have your own background and goals and they have theirs. If you want to improve your own language skills, you have to concentrate on what you are doing, because it is only you who can make efforts in learning a given language.

Second, psychologically, making comparison with others can affect you in your learning. If you feel down seeing someone better than you, you might be demotivated. On the other hand, if you are happy about being more skilled than others, you may just be content about that and at worse, stop making efforts. People often say, “If you would ever want to compare yourself with others, do that with your past self,” which stands to reason, because your own growth can be the best motivation to you.

Accordingly, I would like to emphasize that comparing yourself with others in language learning is not effective. Remember that your own achievement is the best rewards and then you will find yourself somewhere far advanced from your starting point.