Teach Yourself Spanish: Mental Preparations

Learning a language is a great adventure.  Since I have taught myself 7 languages – including English as a teenager,  I have a decent idea of how to get organized to learn a new language. 

Some of it involves mental preparation  some of it involves establishing effective routines and some of it involves knowing what you are doing.  None of it requires a degree in nuclear physics.  This first blog post covers mental preparations.

First of all, realize that because you are a human being, and unless you have severe neurological damage, you can learn any language of your choice on the planet.  If I offered you a ten million dollar prize to become fluent in Spanish in 6 months, do you think it might affect your motivation, determination and follow-through?  The only difference with a normal situation would be your perception of the task at hand, not the task itself.  My point is that I know that we as human beings all have the neurological hard-wiring to learn.  I hope you remember this as you begin to learn.  Regardless of what your thoughts and past experiences and friends tell you.

Number two = love
There is no substitute for love and passion in a relationship, and learning a language is definitely a long term relationship.  Yes, you can get decent fluency very fast, but to master a language will require time.  So fall in love with the language, the people who speak it, their culture, their view of the world and life.  This will make the task effortless, the way people who love to exercise can barely wait for their next session.  If you must learn but have no deep attraction, at least become curious and interested in the Spanish language and the latin culture.  Become an anthropologist and surprise yourself. 

Number three = exploration
As you begin your study of Spanish, have a little fun.  Explore the local bookstores, check out internet resources, talk to people who have learned and find out how they did it.  Get a sense of what it will involve – realistically to become fluent.  Find out what good language learners do: ask them.

Number four = imagination
Imagine what it will be like to be fluent in Spanish enjoying traveling in Spain, Mexico or Costa Rica.  Get excited about how enjoyable it will be.

The four mental preparation steps we covered will definitely help.  To summarize: 1. Realize it is normal and feasible for you to learn a new language enjoyably.
2. Fall in love with the project.
3. Explore the field, experts in it and the resources available to you. 
4. Imagine what it be like to be fluent.

The next blog posts will cover practical study techniques.  My best wishes to you on your journey into Spanish.

If you want to visit my language school site: Focuslanguage.com.

Also visit  Intensive French and Spanish Page

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