There’s definitely a big thrill when it comes to starting something new, no matter what it might be, but at some point you might start to get a bit of a sinking feeling when your progress starts to slow (as it usually will) and your motivation starts to waver (again, it’s very common). The fact is that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re learning new things, but the key is to find ways to stay motivated (or find your motivation again if you’ve lost it) so you can get back on track. That can be easier said than done, but there are ways to do it, and here are some to start thinking about – read on to find out more.
What Is Success?
When we think about learning, we often think about the big overall goals we want to achieve, like being able to play a complicated piano piece perfectly or creating art that wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery somewhere, but this isn’t usually the best way to think about things, and rather than helping to spur you on, this kind of ‘all-or-nothing’ thinking can be exactly the thing that means you lose motivation because you might not see the progress you expect or want, so you get disheartened.
That’s why you should take another look at what your definition of success is because it doesn’t have to be reaching that massive goal – it could be reaching a smaller milestone and then another, and then another. That’s why it’s wise to break big goals into smaller ones and then you’ll feel a lot more successful and stay a lot more motivated because progress will be a lot easier to spot.
Put Your Personality Into Things
Learning is always going to be a lot more exciting when it’s all about you and feels like your own doing rather than what someone else wants or is telling you to do. For example, if you want to take up photography, taking photos of things you’re interested in makes a lot more sense than trying to capture a good photo of something you don’t really care about. And if you want to learn how to cook, what’s the point of cooking dishes you’re never going to eat?
In other words, try to link your passion to your goal and it will all become not just more enjoyable, but easier too (we’re not saying it will be easy, of course, but easier is better than nothing!).
Surround Yourself With The Right People
Who you learn with can make or break your motivation, and although it can be good to do things on your own, finding a group or community to learn with can really push you forward. You can choose to have specialist mentors like online Spanish tutors to help you reach your goals, or you might decide to join forums where other people can help you – and you can help them. Or maybe you just want to run things by friends and family while you’re learning them and get their opinions. Whatever you do, it can be a huge benefit.
You can learn a lot from other people, plus you’ll know you’re learning the right thing (learning by yourself can mean you end up going down an incorrect path and then you have to re-do your learning), but it also means you have to stay accountable, and that’s great for motivation.
