How do you find motivation for learning?

[Qamra]

I've been here for couple of weeks and I'm impressed by your energy guys.

I like learning and reading your posts makes me a bit ashamed of how lazy I've become lately.  :speechless:

What motivates you to learn language more intensively?

[polaroidsredwine]

I'm also pretty lazy when it comes to staying motivated. One of the best motivators is being able to track my progress over time, because it gives a sense of accomplishment that keeps pushing me forward. It's a bit of a catch though since I need to keep studying without losing motivation for it to happen ...

I try to stay motivated by thinking about how much my learning will benefit me and open up the world for me. In my case, learning Chinese will allow me to really connect with a part of my heritage I never really got to be a part of.

[2012bulgara77]

One of the best think to do is to learn with love. How can it happen?  For examle if you have a favorite singer or artist or movie , if you love really something try to connect it with the linguage you study. For example for me Michael Jackson is the favorite singer, I adore him . When I studied english I was  infinitely happy to see all his interviews and to watch them again and again..... really fan. It was incredible to understand every text of his song , lisening again and again. 

[jcairns82]

I think it's important to recognize your own abilities.  Do you learn through immersing yourself or do you like to do it piece by piece.  Learning a language is like learning any other skill.  Think of skills that you easily picked up and what was connected to it.

For myself, I'm motivated by sharing with others what I've learned.  Sure my friends have no clue what I'm saying in the learned language, but I can still impress them with a few simple sentences.

[kitkat0124]

I know that it is really hard to keep motivated in doing something, not just in learning new language but as well as learning or doing other things. I guess, in learning new language. I always look for ways that I think effective for me. I want to have some fun while learning. For instance, I make my own mnemonics if I have to memorize or if I want remember new words.

[ValerieAnne]

It depends on how many other things I have happening on how motivated I am. I like Duolingo because I get e-mails about studying everyday if I haven't been on yet, which reminds me too go n the site. I normally only do 1 or 2 lessons a day.

[leahcim132]

My motivation is that I can travel to a lot more places if I know more languages. I can actually speak with the local people and not use hand signs.

[Trellum]

I find motivation in learning when I remember that I truly need to learn dutch in order to be able to be with my boyfriend in the future. We are moving to the Netherlands to be close to his family, and since I'm not a EU passport holder I'm required to learn Dutch.  Today I decided to start studying Dutch again, I just want to prove him I'm willing to do this and also how much I love him.  I'll not see him or talk to him for a few days... so hopely after that time I can come back knowing a couple new dutch phrases   People are motivated to learn a new language for different reasons... you must ask yourself why you want to learn one.

[thekernel]

Studying languages is a very practical use of one's time. If you are studying one as a hobby then it might be harder to find the willpower and discipline to continue, but the results for your time invested are very tangible and useful.

If you are studying one for school, the grades ought to be enough of an incentive.

[Denis Hard]

I started learning Spanish because in the near-future I'll be leaving amongst Spanish-speaking people. Fact therefore is, if I am to have any communication with anyone then I have to learn and master the language. What keeps me motivated to keep going is the thought that if I don't then I'll have to be very lonely.

[JessiFox]

I'm afraid I can get pretty shamefully lazy as well. I just try to remember my ultimate goals with language learning and how it means a good bit to me personally & professionally to know a variety of languages. Keeping an eye on the big picture tends to help my motivation, and for focus specifically I'll make mini-goals...degrees of fluency by a certain time, reading/writing a set amount, etc. to stay into it.

[pandandesign]

It think your motivation will depend on how much do you like to learn, for instance, a new language. It really depends on your own interest level, as well as are you willing to spend extra time to learn new things such as a new language or a new skill. One thing to keep in mind is that don't force yourself to learn certain things in which you don't like, it will become problematic because sooner or later you will lose interest and will find yourself to avoid it as far as possible. If you really want to learn a new language, ask yourself the reason you're going to learn it. Then set a goal by learning a little at the time, and make sure that you set a daily schedule for that.

[lovemwaf]

I try to find a motivating factor before i get into something. Say if i wanted to lose weight, a motivating factor would be that girl from college. So i will then begin to lose the weight and be really diligent about it.

[JetLiposting]

Actually, I don't . I usually learn things that I'm really interested in, this way, learning is easy and comes naturally. One of the things I really hated about school was the fact that you get bombarded with tons of useless information, so yes, I cheated a lot during school tests .

[sulayman]

I think that you just got to want something really badly. If you dont want it enough then you have no business being there or involved in it and you will most likely fail at it.

[Firelily99]

I try and make learning something I want to do rather than something that I have to do.  I hated school when I was a kid so consequently I got poor grades.  As I've gotten older I really want to learn as much as I can before I kick the bucket.  So many opportunities exist to learn new things and gain exposure to a world that is a fascinating place to live in.  Its a crazy quilt of cultures, dialects, and lifestyles that I want to know about, authors I want to read, and places I want to visit.

[SpringBreeze]

Movies, TV shows, and music -- that's my motivation. When I'm studying a language, I like to immerse myself in good entertainment using that language. That's how I familiarized myself with Spanish. I got hooked on several telenovelas that would play 5 nights a week. I'd listen to Latin music that I loved. And then I'd hang out with Latin people on the weekend. A year of this and you will have automatically and unconsciously learned some of that language, maybe even become fluent in it.

[marmunmrhundun]

I find motivation for learning by trying to remember why I was trying to learn what ever it is in the first place. If you remember exactly why you are doing something, or pushing yourself so hard to do something you will almost always succeed.

[darknessassassin]

No one's really pushing me into doing something I don't want. I make my own decisions and if I feel like I want to learn new a language/or I'm in the progress just my will and reasons why I wanted to start in the first place will keep me motivated.