One Step Forward...

The day I took my last German final, Mr. Hammond met me in the hallway outside the classroom.  He asked me what my plans were after graduations and if I would continue learning German.  I answered him as honestly as I could.  I had no idea what I would do after graduation.  I had no clue what kind of job I wanted and no job prospects.  But I told him I intended to continue learning German.  I wanted to find a teacher in my city and continue to learn.  I would become a better speaker, and maybe even reach the elusive goal of fluency. Mr Hammond seemed a little skeptical, but wished me luck.  (He had every right to be skeptical, I got a C on that final.)

I was serious, though, and I had good intentions.  After graduation, looking for a job consumed my time, and when jobs didn't present themselves, I should have thrown myself into language study.  I should have, but I didn't.

"I'll do it tomorrow," I'd say.

Tomorrow turned into next week, into next month, into a few months, and, before I knew what had happened, I had lost most of my determination to learn the language.  Several times I picked up my old textbook and flipped through the pages, but it was often like I was seeing the material for the first time.  it was frustrating and, on top of my lack of interest, it was enough to make me give up.

There is no question about it, learning a language is hard work.  There is no easy or passive way to do it.  You must possess the interest, passion, and determination for it, but if you aren't willing to make the time to study, practice, and use the language, you'll never succeed.  Your friends and family may think you're crazy for spending countless hours learning, but you have to do it!

In the year I've been studying Russian, I've learned this lesson well.  And looking back at my other attempts to learn languages, i can see exactly where and when I went wrong.  Procrastination and laziness are learning killers, and I came close to falling victim to them early into my Russian language quest, but the thought of failure (again) was enough to push me past it.

Some days it is difficult to find the time.  Some days you really don't feel like opening your textbook, studying grammar, or making your brain think in another language, but it is important to do it- even if it is for a short period of time.

Some days it will feel like you're taking one step forward only to take two steps backwards the next day.  You'll overcome this feeling, but it will return.  Use your interest, passion, and determination to push through it.

Interest, passion, and determination are so important to learning, but without the discipline to do the work, you'll never make any progress.  It takes time to develop this.