Why are you learning ?

One of the most important factors in determining the success of any learning process is the fundamental reason why you are doing it.

Some people tell me that they learn English because they love it. They simply love everything about the language – the places, the people, the music, the history. They have a personal and sometimes intimate relationship with the language. For these people learning is easy – they study, they do exercises, they watch movies; and often without the help of a teacher. They are never put off and they really learn.

However, for the most of us, and I put myself in this group, learning a language is a long and tough uphill climb. I remember trying to learn Portuguese when I lived in England – well, I managed a few expressions but no more. I really lacked the incentive to spend more time doing it. And the time I did spend really wasn’t enough to make a big impact.

Then when I came to Brazil, my incentive was turbo charged. I wanted, no, needed, to speak the language. I studied 3 x a week and followed up every day with reading and listening. It wasn’t easy, but I managed it. Of course living here helped a great deal with the sheer amount of exposure, but I really worked on it. I was motivated, impelled, driven.

Now how can you create the same reasons for studying while not living in an English speaking country? Well I would say if you’re not a huge fan of the language in the beginning, don’t use the reason "well it could be useful one day" – it probably won’t be enough to give you the necessary willpower to do what’s needed.

So create a strong, mentally driven motivated reason. Here is a good one:

"I’m going to do it for my carreer. English means better a position and more cash. It means financial independence earlier and puts me ahead of the others. Then I can travel to anywhere in the world and fulfil my dreams!"

So remember whatever reason you do it for, the stronger that reason, the better the result. And the better the result, the more satisfied you’ll be.

And if for any reason you lose motivation or get frustrated, go back for a moment, and "rememeber why you started".