English is now essential for anyone. The world is increasingly dynamic and competitive, and having an excellent command of the English language offers you more perspectives.
When you remember the reason why you want to learn English, you'll feel motivated, you’ll stay motivated, and that will help you to challenge yourself to become fluent in English.
How do you motivate yourself to learn English?
You and I, like everyone else, have ambitions, good intentions, many plans, but, as you know, motivation is the most crucial aspect, especially if it concerns language skills. So how do you motivate yourself?
Here are 17 ways to motivate yourself to learn English to get impressive results quickly:
1. Be encouraged
Unfortunately, a lot of English learners have a very negative view of their English skills. Do you ever find yourself saying or thinking things like:
- My English is probably full of mistakes.
- I'm afraid to speak, because other people might not understand me.
- I've been studying for years, but my English is still bad.
Success from fulfillment will keep motivation at the right level. You can't even imagine how much you can do using this method! This also will make your brain work better.
2. Imagine yourself live in the United States
So to do this, imagine what is your day going to be like when you live in the US, where will you go, who will you meet, where will you shop, and so on. imagine your day in the United States.
3. Never compare your English skills to others
One reason that many English learners have a low opinion of their skills is that they’re comparing themselves to native English speakers or other learners who have reached fluency.
Compare yourself to yourself only. Do NOT compare yourself to other people and their results in any case. If someone has achieved more than you, this can kill your motivation.
If you observe that your English is not as good as other peoples, you start to bad about yourself – imperfect, inferior, etc.
4. Study other aspects of the culture
Which makes it more rewarding to study English. Ok, so this means, of course, studying English as a language but if there's a specific country that you'd like to visit or a specific part of that country's culture, try to learn about that too.
If you like music, if you like the food, if you like the history; try to find something about a specific country or a specific part of that country's culture that you enjoy in addition to studying the language.
5. Don't take mistakes so seriously/personally
they have the power to make you afraid to use your English, they can also make you feel humiliated when someone corrects you, they represent your failure to know the rules of English.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Reformulate the definition of fiasco in general; see it as a natural part of a successful life. Besides, try to find a valuable lesson in every failure and I learn from every situation.
6. Finding funny words in English
Ok, so finding a word that sounds funny or a word that you enjoy using, or a phrase that you enjoy using can really increase your motivation for using that word and for interacting with people.
So if you can find those phrases that you think are funny or are fun, they can be really really helpful for you as you learn your language.
Or You can discover something funny and captivating in every little thing you do. Try to enjoy doing it. Positive emotions are the best motivators.
7. Set your goals
Great goals are great motivators. Think globally – what are your ultimate intentions? Travel? Find a new good job? Make new friends?
Despite everything, learn to think positively. Try to let go of negative thoughts before they completely take your will.
Surround yourself with positive, energetic people and their bright mood will inspire you to achieve more. Print the English Harmony Motivational Poster and stick it to your wall!
Imagine the need to complete a task in the form of stairs to achieve the main destination.
8. Keep a record of your progress (success journal)
Speaking of progress, it's very motivating to keep a record of what you've accomplished.
Get a notebook, and after every study session write down the date and a summary of “what I learned today.”
Use your creativity: make intelligence cards, write lists, sketch your ideas on paper, and more often, brainstorm yourself. Visual planning helps to increase motivation.
9. When you feel lazy, just take a baby step
A “baby step” is a very small action. Learning English is a BIG project that can take many years, and sometimes you just feel discouraged and lazy – you simply don't want to study that day.
Instead of thinking, “oh man, I have to do an hour of English study, and I really don't feel like it / don't have time” – tell yourself you'll just do one TINY thing.
10. Don't rush yourself
Start doing the work slowly. In this case, your brain will not picture the mission as something that must be done immediately.
What happens when the human brain feels the need for a rush? More often than not, you feel stressed and your brain “persuades” it not to begin work at all. Therefore, the slower is the better. Take your time.
11. Plan for breaks, but also plan to come back
Some English learners are too hard on themselves – in other words, they have very high expectations for themselves and they never take a break.
They feel like they must study every day, and if they miss a day, then they feel like a failure.
Of course I recommend studying English as often as possible – it's especially good if you can make it part of your daily routine and habits. But we all need breaks!
12. Make learning different
You don't have to study the exact same way every time! Try to have some variation, to keep things interesting.
13. Find a partner or join a community
Scientists have discovered that one of the most effective motivators is “peer pressure” – that’s encouragement or expectation from people who are similar to you.
Join English-learning Facebook groups and interact with the people in there. You can also find an online speaking partner through conversation exchange websites.
Having a friend who is also learning a language makes it easy for you to help and encourage each other!
14. Write a success diary
Concentrate on your success, not your failure. Writing down what you did well will give you a sense of achievement.
When you feel stuck just have a look at how much have you done already.
Even if you have a lot to do, make a break for some time to do what you like. It will fill you with optimism and increase the quality of your everyday life. And this, of course, motivates you to achieve success.
15. Make friends with people who speak English
So of course, if you don't have any friends who are English speakers, especially native English speakers, it's a really good idea to make some friends.
This way you can practice with them, you can learn from them, and you can just see maybe what their life is like and how their life is different from yours.
So this is a great way to practice, a great way to learn, and a great way to think more internationally as well.
16. Challenge yourself, then reward yourself when you reach goals
Sometimes when you're studying English by yourself, it can be discouraging because there's nobody to say “Nice work!” or celebrate your successes.
But if you give yourself challenges and rewards, it can give you the motivation to keep going and not quit.
17. Watching YouTube videos of other people who have successfully learned English
So you can listen to people what worked for them, how did they study, where did they go, what materials did they use, what did they find not helpful.
So you can try to find a strategy that works well for you through using resources like YouTube, for example. It's a great way to find people that maybe match with what you need.