One limiting belief that I hear a lot from clients and friends is that their language skills aren’t good enough. For example: not good enough to apply to a certain job, or not good enough to create meaningful relationships with native speakers.
All too often, we tend to focus only on what we don’t know in the language. This is called a scarcity mindset, which is a popular term in the field of psychology. When we operate according to a scarcity mindset, we see the lack in things and are convinced that we are always lacking something (lack in our ability to learn, not enough natural talent, etc.). Our identity as a language learner is then defined by this scarcity.
The opposite of scarcity is abundance. Those who adopt an abundance mindset are aware of the areas they need to improve upon, but are not defined by them; rather, they choose to focus on the many things that they do have, and they believe that there is always more to come (growth, progress, opportunities).
When it comes to language learning, sometimes we create fantasies about what it would mean to be fluent. Or, we compare ourselves to people we know and end up focusing exclusively on our lack.
Therefore, the first step is to define exactly what you want to accomplish.
For example: in what kind of contexts do you wish to speak this language? What will you need to learn, and by when? Why is this important to you? Who will support you in this process?
Having a plan is key. But in order to shift towards an abundance mindset, we also need to track our progress and celebrate milestones. Ask yourself: what can I do now in X language that I couldn’t have done 6 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, or even one hour ago?
When we are unaware of our progress, or even dismiss it, we stay stuck in the loop of never feeling good enough. This is because as we learn more and don’t acknowledge it, we unknowingly have higher and higher expectations of ourselves, and our idea of “good enough” becomes farther away. As a result, we never reach a point of satisfaction because we’re always constantly upping the vague threshold of what’s good enough.
Equally important to noticing our progress is celebrating these wins. When we actually do something to celebrate any wins on our road to fluency, we become more anchored in our experiences of success, and we are then, over time, more likely to focus on all we can do in the language, and not only on what we can’t yet do.
By practicing these steps, we build trust in ourselves and become more resilient in our second language identities. The end result is that we apply to our dream jobs, and we put ourselves out there to build incredible relationships, all in another language.
Interested in finding out more? Book a free consultation with me to see how I can help you speak French with confidence: