Duolingo and the State of Mind

My mom says I dont have a strong mind. shes says I don't know how to say no. But I think I have a better sense of right or wrong, of "to do or not to do," than her.

She says my procrastination means that I have a weak mental state, that I can't manage to do the hardest but most important things first.

She says I give up too easily. But for me, "giving up" means something else.

Let me give you an easy, common example.

Let's talk about Duolingo.

I started doing Duolingo many years ago, before the "leaderboard" feature was released. For fun, I dabbled in Spanish, Greek, Japanese, and, for some far-fetched reason, High Valyrian. After a few months, I stopped. Then, last year, I started using Duolingo again, this time for a different reason. I quite shamelessly admit, I'm a huge K-pop fan. So, as per all K-pop fans, I grew an interest in the Korean language itself. By this time, Duolingo leaderboards had come to play, and I was introduced to the competitive nature of the "leagues." For the first few weeks, I was completely obsessed with this new feature. I fought - yes, literally fought - with other Duolingoers for the first place spot on every league. My XP gains skyrocketed, reaching an all-time average of 1,500 per day. Only this way could I manage to top the league every week, winning extra currency and boosts. Soon, this language-learning app had become a game.