“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso

Goal setting can be overwhelming. What do you want to achieve? How can you define realistic goals? Whatever combination of goals we have, they help us see how we can personally and professionally grow in the right direction.

Discover Your Goals

To ensure you are on the right path, you need to realize which goals help get you where you want to go.  Asking yourself questions will support you in this process. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and use your intuition:

  • What have you wanted to do but were afraid to try?
  • What are your most important values right now?
  • What do you most enjoy doing?
  • Where would you like to be in five or ten years?
  • What are some short-term goals that can help you get to your long-term goals?

Make sure to cover all important areas in your life such as education, relationships, personal growth, career and fitness. Spend some time brainstorming and then select one or more goals in each category that best reflect what you want to do. As soon as you have a small number of significant goals that you can focus on, you are ready for the next step.

Set S.M.A.R.T. goals

There are many reasons why goals are not met. A lot of it has to do with how you set your goals. A useful way of making goals more powerful is to make them SMART. SMART is an acronym and means: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. For example, instead of having “speak French” as a goal, it is more powerful to use the SMART goal “To have completed level B2 in French by 31 December 2021.” Setting precise goals and putting in dates, times, and amounts, allows you to know exactly when you have achieved the goal and thus take complete satisfaction from having achieved it. Do not forget to state each goal as a positive statement!

Visualize your Goals

Now is the time to write your goals down to make them feel tangible. When you physically print or write down your goals, you are more likely to commit them to memory.  Think about small things you can do that will help you reach your goals. Here are some ways to visualize your goals:

  • Keep a journal.
  • Write down one sentence that describes the outcome you want. Post this statement somewhere easily visible. This keeps the positive outcome right in front of you.
  • Create a vision board: put together a collection of photographs and images that remind you of your goals and what they mean to you.

Through visualization, you will be able to boost your motivation and decrease the stress you feel as you face new challenges.

Good luck at setting your goals for the new year and remember to have fun with them as well!

…

Do you need help creating your personal learning path? inlingua has 50+ years’ experience in teaching languages in over 200 regions around the world. Get in touch here!

Sources

https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

Do you want to achieve your language goals? Consistency and structure can be extremely beneficial when it comes to learning a foreign language. But what is efficient structure and how can you implement it in your weekly calendar?

Develop a Consistent Routine

Envision yourself in a few months’ time.

What is your language learning goal and how quickly would you like to achieve a new level? How much time per week can you devote to this goal?

Think about how you can develop a consistent routine, allocating specific time periods for learning. Committing yourself to a weekly schedule has a positive influence on achieving your long-term goal. Ideally, you set aside 2-3 hours at a time and take short breaks every 45 minutes or hour. It can also be helpful to review your notes at the end of each week. Schedule your learning sessions in your calendar.

Identify the Key Areas to Cover

What is the reason behind your language goal? And what skills would you like to focus on?
Whether you need to practice your speaking skills for your job or attain a certain level to be accepted at a University, depending on the goal you have set, you will have different priorities.

At inlingua, we believe that you learn a new language by speaking it. That is why we focus on the oral skills first, followed by improving your reading, listening, and writing skills.

Once you have set your learning objective, your path to reach your goal will be more clearly visible.

Find a Learning Partner or Start an Online Study Group

For most of us, being accountable to ourselves simply is not enough to be committed to learning. If you struggle with procrastination, it can be beneficial to start a new habit with a close friend, colleague, or family member. You will not only have someone with a similar goal to share your next milestones with but also to help you overcome obstacles. That way, you surely will not give up so quickly.

You do not have the option to meet in person? Then you might also want to check if there is an online study group available.

Finally, having a learning partner or belonging to a study group can be a real boost and make learning more enjoyable.

…

Would you like to join a group with the same language goal? inlingua has 50+ years’ experience in teaching languages in over 250 regions around the world. Get in touch here!

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso

Goal setting can be overwhelming. What do you want to achieve? How can you define realistic goals? Whatever combination of goals we have, they help us see how we can personally and professionally grow in the right direction.

Discover Your Goals

To ensure you are on the right path, you need to realize which goals help get you where you want to go.  Asking yourself questions will support you in this process. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and use your intuition:

  • What have you wanted to do but were afraid to try?
  • What are your most important values right now?
  • What do you most enjoy doing?
  • Where would you like to be in five or ten years?
  • What are some short-term goals that can help you get to your long-term goals?

Make sure to cover all important areas in your life such as education, relationships, personal growth, career and fitness. Spend some time brainstorming and then select one or more goals in each category that best reflect what you want to do. As soon as you have a small number of significant goals that you can focus on, you are ready for the next step.

Set S.M.A.R.T. goals

There are many reasons why goals are not met. A lot of it has to do with how you set your goals. A useful way of making goals more powerful is to make them SMART. SMART is an acronym and means: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. For example, instead of having “speak French” as a goal, it is more powerful to use the SMART goal “To have completed level B2 in French by 31 December 2021.” Setting precise goals and putting in dates, times, and amounts, allows you to know exactly when you have achieved the goal and thus take complete satisfaction from having achieved it. Do not forget to state each goal as a positive statement!

Visualize your Goals

Now is the time to write your goals down to make them feel tangible. When you physically print or write down your goals, you are more likely to commit them to memory.  Think about small things you can do that will help you reach your goals. Here are some ways to visualize your goals:

  • Keep a journal.
  • Write down one sentence that describes the outcome you want. Post this statement somewhere easily visible. This keeps the positive outcome right in front of you.
  • Create a vision board: put together a collection of photographs and images that remind you of your goals and what they mean to you.

Through visualization, you will be able to boost your motivation and decrease the stress you feel as you face new challenges.

Good luck at setting your goals for the new year and remember to have fun with them as well!

…

Do you need help creating your personal learning path? inlingua has 50+ years’ experience in teaching languages in over 250 regions around the world. Get in touch here!

Sources

https://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

”If I really want something, I do my very best to achieve it”

Bandja Sy is a Malian-French professional basketball player for Andorra of the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. He is learning Spanish since October 2020. We wanted to know more about his motivation to learn a foreign language and the biggest challenges he faced.

1. When did you start learning Spanish?

“On October 19th, 2020“

2. What was your biggest motivation to learn a foreign language?

“My biggest motivation was the fact that I lived in Spain in 2017 and back then  I was able to somewhat speak the language and understand pretty much everything. Unfortunately, I had to move to the States and somehow forgot how to speak. I still can understand, but my goal now is to re-learn the basics and be able to fluently speak Spanish”

3. What have been the biggest challenges so far? And how do you overcome obstacles?

“The biggest challenge has been to express myself. I can pretty much understand everything (sometimes I have trouble understanding people when they speak quickly), but other than this I have not tried to speak, mostly since I have not felt comfortable speaking in a foreign language. So, these are the biggest challenges for me right now”

4. How do you stay motivated to learn Spanish? 

“I really want to learn this language so this is my biggest motivation! That is the motivation right there, if I really want something, I do my very best to achieve it”

…

Would you like to find out more about inlingua Andorra ? Click here! Are you living somewhere else? Find your local center here.

Next blog: Make sure to read our next blog entry about Tsironi Sofia, Athens, who started learning English during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The biggest motivating factor to learning a foreign language is similar to acquiring any other skill in life, the satisfaction of being able to see real progress from your endeavours.”

Michael Robertson started learning Mandarin in March 2019. He is enrolled in a full-time course and studies 20-40 hours a week. We wanted to know more about his motivation to learn Mandarin as well as the biggest challenges he faced.

1. When did you start learning Mandarin?

”I started learning Mandarin from scratch at inlingua in March 2019 and I have completed the entirety of the 12-month full-time Mandarin course since.”

2. What was your biggest motivation to learn a foreign language?

”The biggest motivating factor to learning a foreign language is similar to acquiring any other skill in life, the satisfaction of being able to see real progress from your endeavours. This does not necessarily have to be fulfilling a pre-established goal in its entirety but just any progress made towards the goal, regardless of how little.

When learning foreign language, progress could be recognising key words or phrases, understanding why grammar is structured in a certain why or simply just being able to response to a local’s questions. One should always think back to before they started learning a new language and on how much progress they have made since. A little persistence has gone a long way to when you look at your progress incrementally.”

3. What have been the biggest challenges so far? And how do you overcome obstacles?

”The biggest challenge for me, and I believe many other foreign language learners, is confidence. The biggest improvements are made when you challenge yourself outside of your comfort zone. It is essential that you do not be afraid to make a fool of yourself occasionally through saying the wrong word or even the completely wrong thing. From my experience, nothing beats learning things kinaesthetically (taking a hands-on approach), this could be through making a foreign friend or even attempting to talk to strangers in a foreign language. This may be a daunting task at first but with a small initial push, you can overcome this hurdle and once you have confidence on your side, its much easier to learn. I would thoroughly encourage learners to be proactive when the opportunity arises.”

4. How do you stay motivated to learn Mandarin?

”I think it is undeniable that all learners reach a wall at one point or another when learning a foreign language. This wall is usually due to the lack of motivation in beginners or complacency in long time learners.

When one starts learning a new language, they are full of enthusiasm but sometimes levels drops over time, so its important to keep your motivation up. Good ways to do this would be to find new materials, such as listening to music, watching tv shows, reading the news or books. The internet has a plethora of resources for all levels of learning. Other ways would be travelling, learning about their history or culture, or perhaps making a new friend or pen pal. Sometimes the key to learning a language is learning about the people who speak the language.

After learning for a long time, despite how seriously one has been learning, learners often encounter some complacency. It is important to keep learning regardless of how confident you are in your skills. Keep reading, writing, and speaking whenever you have the opportunity. Regardless of what level you have studied till there are always even higher-level resources available.

Nonetheless, the most important factor is your mindset, learning a foreign language should not be a chore which you have to force yourself to do. If it is, you should search for a different approach to learning. There is always a way on there which suits you personally.”

…

Would you like to find out more about inlingua Singapore? Click here! Are you living somewhere else? Find your local center if you click here.

Next blog: Make sure to read our next blog entry about Bandja Sy, Spanish learner and Malian-French professional basketball player for Andorra of the Liga ACB and the EuroCup.

“You can either experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours.” – Unknown

Even the most committed language learners find it difficult to concentrate on revising new vocabulary or grammar rules at some point. There are a few things you can do to keep you motivated, however.

Be Aware of Your Goals

Ask yourself why you started learning another language. Did you have any particular goals? Were there personal reasons for learning a language? In all cases, it is important to recall your interest and define your ‘ultimate goal’.

SMART goals set you up for success by making goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. The SMART method gives you a sense of direction and helps you reach your goals. The ‘ultimate goal’ can be broken down into milestones to make it more achievable and realistic. Remind yourself regularly of your goals and why you chose to learn another language. This will help to motivate you to study.

Create a Study Schedule

Putting time aside for studying can help maintain a positive language learning routine. You will thus feel more committed to reaching your goals and have a positive outcome. Learning languages is different to your daily work tasks. It can be a timeslot to enjoy yourself. Join a language course at a set time every week. Try to slot study blocks into your calendar and try to schedule your study blocks for the same day and time every week so it becomes a habit.

Stay positive

A positive attitude helps you to stay motivated even when challenges occur. Remind yourself regularly why you are learning another language. Acknowledge your milestones and reward yourself.  This helps to focus your mind on your achievements and increases your chances of feeling a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. That again eases your mind so that you can better remember new vocabulary and grammar rules. Staying positive isn’t only beneficial for learning other languages but increases your well-being in general.

…

Do you need help creating your personal learning path? inlingua has 50+ years’ experience in teaching languages in over 200 regions around the world. Get in touch here!