| Are you struggling to reach your language learning goals? Or losing motivation for learning? |
| In this video, we're going to talk about how to reach your goals, how to enjoy the process, and the importance of rewarding yourself. |
| Part 1: How to reach your language goals |
| It's pretty exciting when you reach your goal. You know your hard work has paid off, and you can see your results. But how do you set goals to ensure you can reach them and get that feeling of satisfaction? |
| The best way to see real results and achieve your language learning goals is to set small, measurable goals. |
| Many people make the mistake of setting big, vague goals, like “I want to be fluent,” or “I want to speak a new language.” Then they download an app or get a textbook, and they try to reach their goal. But they quickly give up because the goal they've set for themselves is too overwhelming. This is why it's important to set small, measurable, monthly (or weekly) goals from the beginning of your studies. |
| Reaching your goals helps you develop confidence in yourself and your ability to get things done. For example, you might make it a goal to be able to have a 1-minute conversation by the end of your first month of studies, and have a 2-minute conversation by the end of month two. Maybe, after 6 months, you aim to have a 10-minute conversation with someone. Specific, measurable goals like these help you track your progress and prevent you from getting overwhelmed. |
| By creating small goals like these, you set yourself up for success. When you reach one of your goals (even if it's a small one), you feel a sense of accomplishment. This helps you enjoy the learning process, which is the next topic we're going to focus on! |
| Part 2: How to enjoy the language learning process |
| If you're always focused on goals and results, though, how do you enjoy the process of learning a language? |
| OK, so let's say that in addition to larger goals, you've made small, realistic goals, like learning 100 words in a month. That's three to four words per day. Goals like these are very easy to accomplish, and when you complete them, it feels good. This is one of the enjoyable parts of learning a language. |
| So, imagine accomplishing small goals all throughout your week! It's a great way to keep your motivation up and enjoy the process of learning. Smaller goals can help you stay on track and keep your confidence up. |
| When we feel like we're not making progress, we can get frustrated and lose motivation. Think about days when you're super busy at work or at school. Some days, you might be so busy you don't complete any tasks. When nothing seems to move forward, we can lose confidence in ourselves and feel like quitting. This is why giving yourself some small, easy-to-accomplish goals can be extremely helpful. You can approach your studies with confidence because you know that you're working toward your next goal (and that you can actually achieve it). |
| Here's something you can try if you feel like your progress has slowed down. Go back and review something you studied a few weeks or a few months earlier. Try to remember how difficult it was at first! Looking over past materials can help us understand how much we've grown. |
| The same thing is true for conversations. When you start learning a language, you'll learn things like how to introduce yourself, ask basic questions, and talk about the weather. After a few months of study, though, you'll learn how to talk about your hobbies, your neighborhood, or your personality. It's sometimes hard to remember just how much progress we've made, but look back on your work from time to time; all those hours you put in are reflected in your current abilities! It's exciting when you realize how far you've come! |
| Of course, some people might also reflect on mistakes they made, especially if these mistakes led to miscommunications with native speakers. While these memories can be embarrassing, they can still be useful for your studies. |
| Try to shift your mindset towards mistakes. Making an embarrassing mistake can be helpful in the long run because we remember the experience vividly (and we want to avoid repeating it). If the mistake wasn't so embarrassing, maybe you can laugh about it and use that memory to ensure you make the right decision in the future. |
| Lastly, we want to remind everyone of the most enjoyable part of the language learning process: the new friends, connections, and experiences you gain through the language. You can use the language you're studying as a tool to create friendships, to meet new people, and to travel. |
| If you ever get to a point where learning isn't fun or interesting anymore, take a moment and consider why. Are you getting overwhelmed? Falling behind on your goals? |
| If your schedule has changed or your goals have changed, that's fine! Adjust your study plan and your study goals to make the learning process work for you. Revise your approach and make sure you're enjoying learning. |
| Part 3: The Importance of Rewards |
| If you haven’t gotten into the practice of rewarding yourself for reaching a goal, now is a great time to start. |
| A reward can be a powerful way to motivate yourself to complete a goal. If your reward is travel or event-related, it can also act as a finite deadline; this can push you to focus even more. You can decide to reward yourself with something you buy, with an experience, or maybe just with some time to relax. Choose a reward that will work best for you. |
| Positive reinforcement can be very helpful in the learning process. It’s one thing to hit a goal and feel good about it. But, if you have a reward too, it seals the deal. It helps you keep the cycle going (and will help keep you learning)! |
| So, today we covered goal setting, how to enjoy the process of learning, and the importance of rewards. Make sure you set small, measurable goals in addition to your larger goals. Find ways to enjoy the process of studying, and make sure to reward yourself for your achievements. |
| Learning a language should be fun and satisfying! |
| For some more resources to help you reach your goals, check out our complete language learning program. Sign up for your free lifetime account by clicking on the link in the description. Get tons of resources to have you speaking in your target language. And if you enjoyed these tips, hit the "like" button, share the video with anyone who's trying to learn a new language, and subscribe to our channel. We release new videos every week! I'll see you next time. Bye! |
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