Have you ever stopped to think about the meaning of the word "motivation"? What does it represent in our lives? Why is it sometimes so hard to stay motivated?
What is Motivation?
For me, it is an inner drive that guides our desires, goals, and needs. While searching for definitions of motivation, I found one that I thought was very interesting, and I will share it here:
According to the Encyclopedia of Meanings, "Motivation is a drive that makes people act to achieve their goals. Motivation involves emotional, biological, and social phenomena and is a process responsible for initiating, directing, and maintaining behaviors related to goal fulfillment. Motivation is what makes individuals give their best, do everything they can to achieve their aims, and sometimes even 'step over' others. Motivation can come from an inner force, meaning each person has the capacity to motivate or demotivate themselves, also called self-motivation or intrinsic motivation. There is also extrinsic motivation, which is generated by the environment the person lives in, and what happens in their life influences their motivation.
Challenges in Staying Motivated
Of course, many times we find it difficult to stay focused and motivated when it comes to achieving our dreams and goals. There will be days when you wake up ready to conquer the world, motivated and inspired by your goals, whether they are related to work, studies, personal desires, and so on.
But there will also be days when you look at your entire journey and feel powerless, wanting to give up on everything and unable to find the focus to keep going.
How to Stay Motivated
I believe that, like everyone, you have wondered how to stay motivated.
It is not easy, I know, but I would like to highlight some attitudes and mindsets that are super important in this quest for motivation.
Recognize the Small Victories. This is a crucial point for staying motivated. Often, we don't value these small achievements. Always thinking about the final result and expecting to achieve it quickly isn’t always the best approach. If something goes off plan (which almost always happens), you will feel completely frustrated and incapable.
Maintain a Positive Mindset. Positivity makes all the difference in our motivation. Always think about good things, positive outcomes, and visualize achieving your dreams. It is very important to have this mindset. It helps a lot!
Have Determination Knowing where you want to go can (and does) make all the difference in keeping your focus and motivation. Having a clear purpose will make you wake up every day wanting to achieve it.
Motivation and Language Learning
How do you stay motivated when it comes to studying a language? What is most difficult for you?
I admit I find it easy to study English because I really like the language and have a desire for fluency. I wish I had the same motivation for studying other subjects.
But of course, it is not always a "Fairy Tale." I also have my bad days, when I don’t recognize the small steps, the small victories, and want to give up on everything.
The best approach is to reassess, think of new strategies to help you find your lost motivation. And, in my view, this is when having a clear purpose will help you reorganize.
Consistency is another essential point for not losing focus. Make your weekly schedule, highlighting the key points of your learning process. This process doesn’t need to be boring and tedious; you can split the four skills needed for language learning across different days of the week.
Practical Tips for Studying Languages
Monday: Practice your listening with a 5 to 10-minute podcast on a topic you like. Listen without the transcript, repeat a few times, then follow along with the transcript.
Tuesday: Practice your speaking on TALKNTALK, where you can practice every day.
Wednesday: Practice your reading with an interesting article. Look up unknown words to improve your vocabulary.
Thursday: Practice your writing by listening to a podcast and writing what you understood. Compare with the transcript.
Friday: Study with a movie or music, whatever is more enjoyable for you.
Saturday: Review what you learned during the week.
Sunday: Rest and relax (or join an immersion on TalknTalk).
These are some tips that can help you create a routine that fits you best. The most important thing is not to give up and to seek motivation to continue your journey.
Achieving Your Goals
Can we relate the success of an achievement to our motivation? Absolutely!
I am sure that when we are motivated and engaged with our dreams, goals, and desires, the journey becomes lighter.
Understanding the importance of motivation and applying practical strategies to maintain it can completely transform your learning journey and personal fulfillment. Don’t forget to celebrate your small victories and maintain a positive attitude. With determination and consistency, you will achieve your goals.
Practicing Motivation
Now that we understand a bit about the role of motivation in our lives, it is time to put theory into practice.
Whether it is a personal project, at work, or in studies, staying motivated is essential to achieving our plans.
Here at TALKNTALK, you have the great motivation of finding a platform where you can practice the necessary skills for your development. We have courses, placement tests, immersions in English, French, Spanish, and Italian, Happy Hours for networking and connecting with people from all over, an amazing team of Facilitators, and our favorite, the Planner, where you have access to all the immersion questions to prepare yourself in advance, further exercising your motivation and confidence.
Don’t waste time, schedule your immersion now at www.talkntalk.com/booking, and let’s continue our journey, keeping our Motivation!
Comments