Your Language, Your Value

Think of a language you speak — your mother tongue, a second language, or one you're learning — and work through what it's really worth to you.

Name Your Language

Write the language you are diagnosing. Then write one honest sentence: what is your relationship with it right now?

What Is At Stake

If you stopped using this language completely, what would you lose? Name two things — one personal, one professional.

Personal

Professional

Forces For and Against

Sort the forces in your life into two zones: things that push you to use this language more, and things that pull you away from it.

Pushes me toward it

Pulls me away

How Urgent Is This?

Mark where you honestly are on this spectrum. Is this a quiet background concern, or something you feel every day?

I rarely think about it

It weighs on me constantly

The Obvious Answer

What would most people tell you to do about this language — the simple, sensible advice everyone gives? Write it in one sentence.

Attack the Obvious

Now look back at step 3. What does that obvious advice cost you, or what does it ignore about the forces you named there?

The Hidden Trade-Off

In one word, name the thing you have been avoiding deciding about this language. Then write one sentence explaining why that word is the real issue.

Why that word?

Discuss Tell your partner your one word from step 7 — do they think it is the right word, or do they see a different one?

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