By Akanksha Jain:
Google ‘learning quotes’ and a plethora of results glorifying the noble act of learning will pop up. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a single negative quote. In fact, if Google is to be believed, not learning is an act of fools and vagabonds.
Yet, when it comes to learning English, many of us are afraid or embarrassed to even admit it. Curiously, this is unique to English. People have no problems admitting to learning German, French or even exotic languages like Japanese or Korean. In fact, they’ll proudly boast of it. But English? English is hidden away; learnt in secret. Why this discrimination? Perhaps it’s because much of our urban population already speaks English. Let’s be honest, it can be a little embarrassing to admit that you’re just learning something that most other people already have a good grasp of. What if someone makes fun of you?
Or it can be because it’s hard to get used to being completely new at something, when you’re extremely proficient at so many other things. Or because, in the beginning at least, learning something means making mistakes which can be exceedingly frustrating. Especially if you’re at a stage in life where you feel you’ve mastered quite a few things. But the truth is, there is no need to be embarrassed. Learning English is more than just a career enhancing move. It is an attempt to make yourself more than what you are now. It is a step in self-improvement. And improving yourself is something to be admired and respected. If the people around you can’t see that, then that is their problem, not yours.
As for the common complaint of not having time to make a move then there are answers in the market equipped with latest technology that help you learn English conveniently at your own pace, example of such products is ‘English on mobile’ an innovative product which lets you learn using your mobile phone. Imagine getting on a bus to office or school and learning while travelling; such convenience and that also at affordable rate.
As for the frustration, well, there’s really no avoiding that. Learning something new is almost always difficult, unless you happen to be one of those gifted few who seem to have a talent for everything. But you shouldn’t let frustration stop you. If anything, let it serve as motivation for overcoming whatever the difficulty is and becoming a master. After all, as Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”