Identity is a Double-edged Sword
Language Learning Tip of the Week:
Exercise both passive and active skills (not just active).
It's common for students to pat themselves on the back for knowing their vocabulary actively, meaning: when provided a word in their native language, they can actively produce the equivalent in the target language. Knowing a word passively means that you can recognize a word in the target language, and understand it's meaning in your native language.
There's just one problem…actively knowing vocabulary won't always guarantee you'll recognize it passively. Therefore, it's imperative to study your flashcards in BOTH directions (native language into target, and target into native).
Some foreign language professions rely more on passive skills. An example of this would be analyzing an article in Mandarin and talking about it in English to your fellow American colleagues.
Fundamentally, passive skills are reading and listening, and active would be writing and speaking. There's more to each of these modalities, but these are the main ones.
While improving one modality can often indirectly improve another (for instance, reading more makes you better at speaking…and everything else) each are independently perishable.
Identity is an interesting concept that appears to be a common thread amongst hyper successful groups and individuals. In a recent popular video by Ali Abdaal about accomplishing goals in the new year, he shares a study where people were asked, “will you vote during this election season?” while others received a slightly different question: “will you be a voter during this election season?” The latter group yielded a much higher turnout of voters as a result of the question being attached to an identity and not a singular action that could be brushed off.
I subscribe to the notion that if you want something, it helps to focus on becoming the person that attracts the thing (instead of focusing on attaining the thing). In similar fashion, a poor relationship with identity can cause issues.
I'll share a past problem of mine I realized years ago: I was once prone to behave as the person that I assumed those around me saw me as. For instance, if I thought someone saw me as shy, I would subconsciously act more shy around them. Confident, aggressive, intelligent, unintelligent…any attribute you can think of (it was often more nuanced than words can describe)—I would personify it if I believed that present company would describe me as such.
Maybe others do this, but I recognized this past tendency of mine was unhealthy. If you change based on who's nearby, it's likely problematic for four main reasons:
1) You can't know what others really think about you, or if they even think about you.
2) Even if you know what they think, you can't change it. And if it is possible for you to change their minds, acting with the main intention of altering their opinion of you is an inefficient and likely futile way of doing so.
3) When focused on others' opinions and not on doing what is (or should) be important to you, you'll be less productive due to the misguided focus.
4) You'll forever be unhappy living this way.
I share this realization to reiterate that, while identity is important, it needs to be YOUR chosen identity. Who do YOU wish to be? If misguided (even subconsciously), the whole conceptualization of identity can be detrimental. Your desired image in the mirror needs to serve and guide you in the right direction. I believe maintaining a sharp focus on your desired identity also helps to fight against complacency (for example, if someone thinks you've put in enough effort toward something, the opinions of others won't allow you to stop working hard if you're focused on what you think is enough hard work).
Make a great week, my friends—live it as the person you want to be.
Talk soon.
—Thomas