I recently saw a conversation thread online in which someone asked how they could get to the B2 level of Greek in 9 months. There were lots of responses. Some of these responses were people saying that they themselves had achieved the same progress and more.
My first thought on seeing the original question was, “Wow! B2 in 9 months – that’s impressive!” The next thought started like this, “Hmm, I’m not even close to that level and it’s taken….”
Wait a second… I’m learning Greek because it makes me happy! I have goals for my learning, but the timeline is not so important to me. While I’m super impressed that there are people who can learn so quickly, that’s their journey and not mine.
If you’ve had a similar experience, I highly recommend watching the video “A message for all language learners” by Γιούλη of the YouTube channel Linguatree.
She quite eloquently addresses the issue of comparing your own learning to that of someone else. It’s a message that’s worth listening to. In fact, even if you haven’t had a similar experience, I think it is worth the seven minute watch.
While you are on the Linguatree channel, take the time and watch her other videos – they are an amazing resource!