Motivation is something everyone needs when learning a new language but exactly what this motivation looks like can be quite different for each person. Whatever motivates you to do a sport is not necessarily what motivates your neighbour to get active. The first step in understanding how motivation works is to understand yourself and how you move through your day. What motivates you? When do you notice that you just really feel like doing something, anything. Is it more connected to type of activity it is or is it that you are motivated when you get quick and easy results? Is it easier for you to be motivated in the morning or in the evening? Or is your motivation connected to the person whom you do the activity with? For example; are you more motivated to clean the kitchen in the morning with music on but alone or later in the day with your kids helping you?
Listen closely to yourself.
The answers that you get will help you create a ‚motivation-plan‘. There are no wrong answers. There are only answers that match you, your way of thinking and what gets you moving throughout your week.
Get started by doing this one simple exercise. (doing it a few times or regularly helps!)
When you wake up in the morning, instead of starting off running, ask yourself the question: ‚What do I want to drink for breakfast this morning‘ or perhaps a bigger question ‚What do I want to accomplish today?‘. Of course, knee-jerk answers like ‚of course coffee. I always drink coffee‘ or noch bigger ‚I want to go on vacation‘ or ‚ I want to crawl back into bed‘. However, when you let these typical answers move by, listen more closely to what the real, deeper answers are. Maybe, just maybe, different answers appear like ‚orange juice‘ or ‚I don’t want to be stressed out today‘ or even ‚I want to finish work on-time today‘. Write these down on a list. There is a good possibility that bit by bit, day by day, you will learn more and more about your own kind of motivation. Then you can apply this knowledge to your language learning.
Step 2: Ask yourself ‚why‘? Why do you want to finish work on-time today? Listen to the answer. ‚I want to meet up with my girlfriend‘. This ist he reason that increases your motivation. The ‚why‘ motivates. When you can pinpoint your motivating ‚why‘, it will be a lot easier for you to create a day that gets the result you want.
Learning a language is no different. Ask yourself what your goal ist---then find your ‚why‘. Listen closely. Why do you want that goal? Let the knee-jerk answers pass by and listen more closely. Write your list, maybe even over a period of time. Then by using this list, you can take motivated steps toward reaching your language goals.
