Have you ever decided on a whim to learn a new language? Maybe you heard a guy in a movie speaking Arabic and thought it sounded cool, so you figured you’d give learning it a shot. If you’ve ever tried this, you probably noticed how quickly the idea fizzled out as you began to study. Maybe you lasted a week with flashcards, maybe you lasted two, but the end result is, you probably gave up. What you needed was some language learning motivation.
.Sure, learning a new language would be cool – But that’s a BIG time investment, and you need to make sure your reasoning for spending so much time studying is justified, or you’ll find yourself questioning why you ever began in the first place when things start getting tough (grammar).
Lets fix that!
Whenever someone tells me they want to start learning a new language, there’s a simple activity I recommend for them to really pin down their reasoning for doing so. Because if you don’t know WHY you’re learning a language, you certainly won’t continue to invest an hour or two every day doing so.
So, if you’re a beginner or someone interested in the idea of learning a new language, here’s what I recommend:
Get out a sheet of paper, and a pen or pencil. Make a bullet point list and begin writing down every reason you can think of for learning your new language.
When you’ve got a good list of at least five reasons for learning your new language, turn it into a numbered list with the most personally important reasons at the top. Do your best to condense this down into your top three most important reasons.
Example:
When you’ve got a good list of at least five reasons for learning your new language, turn it into a numbered list with the most personally important reasons at the top. Do your best to condense this down into your top three most important reasons.
Example:
Now that you’ve got your top three reasons for learning your new language, you’ll probably know whether or not your motivation is strong enough to keep you going through the hundreds of hours of study. If it was really difficult to come up with these reasons, you’ll probably struggle to stay focused and motivated when you start learning.
Condense these three reasons one more time into a single complete sentence that best describes why you want to learn your new language.
Example:
Alright, almost done. Now, add in another single sentence describing why you first became interested in learning a language – And be honest! The only person who’s going to see this sentence will be you, most likely.
Example:
Perfect! Now, write this down at the top of your notebook (or wherever you study), and look back on it every time you feel too lazy to get to work on your language acquisition. This single paragraph should sum up exactly what motivates you to learn your new language along with what first interested you about it, and using it as a reminder, should you ever become dissatisfied, will keep you on track.
If you know exactly what motivates you to do something, whether it be going to the gym or learning a new language, and you understand what the end results are, you’ll find it far easier to stay focused and determined to succeed.
I hope this helps!
