Around new year’s, many people set resolutions for things they’d like to accomplish for the upcoming year.
If learning Spanish is one of your goals, I want to share with you the only Spanish goal-setting hack you’ll ever need.
It’s the only thing that really matters if you want to become fluent in Spanish.
Something that will guide how you spend your study time and must be present if you are going to achieve your goal.
Why do people fail to learn another language?
Many people think it would be nice to speak Spanish, but they don’t actually do what it takes to become a Spanish speaker.
They give it a shot, and download Duolingo or go out and buy Rosetta stone.
For the first few days, there is high motivation. Spanish is new and novel, and that makes it interesting. That motivates you for the first few weeks.
But then, life gets in the way.
Suddenly, you are too busy to take time to study Spanish because other obligations get in the way.
You blow off learning more Spanish to spend time on social media.
You start to ignore the notifications on your phone that remind you to open the Duolingo app.
Weeks go by.
Then, you hear something in Spanish on TV or the radio and you don’t understand it at all.
What a blow to your confidence and motivation.
You start to doubt that you can ever really learn Spanish, and you think you were foolish for even trying. You tell yourself it was a silly idea, and why bother. It’s too hard.
This is when the one Spanish learning hack that will actually help you achieve your goal comes into play.
The One Spanish Learning Hack that Will Propel You to Fluency
You must have a compelling reason as to why you want to learn Spanish.
A reason that you will make you gladly commit to taking 15-30 minutes out of your day to learn, even on days when you may not feel like it.
A reason that drives you to study must invoke passion or an emotional response from you, otherwise it will fall flat in the long run.
This is the question you need to answer…
Why do you really want to learn Spanish?
If you’re a little stuck, one way to get started is to think about what you would do if someone could download a computer program directly into your brain, and you were automagically a fluent Spanish speaker.
What would you do? Where would you go? Who would you talk to? How would your life be different?
Close your eyes and create an image of yourself and your life as a fluent Spanish speaker.
Once you have a reason that makes your face light up or makes you feel proud just thinking of it, write it down.
Don’t just keep it in your head. Write it down and it becomes just a little more real for you.
What’s Your Driving Motivation?
Your reason must be yours and yours alone. So it’s up to you to come up with something that is strong enough to fuel your desire to learn for the long haul.
While there are quick ways to get started on the path to learning Spanish, learning any language to fluency is a long-term goal. There will be ups and downs along the way, and you need something to refer back to that will keep you motivated in the long run.
Here are some examples of motivating reasons to master Spanish:
I want to expand my world view by having friends from Spain and Latin America that I can communicate with in their own language
I want to bridge communication gaps and serve others by helping monolingual Spanish and English speakers understand each other
It would feel amazing to be bilingual and it boosts my brain power
It would be awesome to retire in a Spanish speaking country or do volunteer work in Latin America
I want to communicate with my Spanish-speaking in-laws to deepen my connections with them and understand conversations at family functions where I feel left out because I don’t speak the language
Write whatever moves you to stay on target to become a confident Spanish speaker.
Put it in the front of your notebook, on your bathroom mirror, or next to your computer—somewhere where you will see it every day. This will keep it at the forefront of your mind.
Once you have committed to this compelling reason for learning Spanish, nothing will be able to stop you.
– Tamara Marie
