How To Have The Right Mindset To Learn A Language

Having the right might is a huge part of learning a language. If you can get this right you will be unstoppable and will be able to achieve a lot.

I would say that one of the main reasons people fail to learn a language is due to having the wrong mindset. Once you allow the negative thoughts in, you are in trouble.

I will go through some of the things you can think about and be aware of, that will hopefully make sure your mindset is the most optimum for language learning.

What Types Of Mindsets Are There In Language Learning?

There are two main types of mindset you can find among language learners; there is the Fixed mindset and the Growth mindset.

A fixed mindset is where you believe nothing can change no matter what you do. it is very much  “you are as you are” and you will see this as the classic “Oh, I couldn’t learn a language, I’m not capable of that”  type of attitude.

When people are like this, they believe they know their own potential, they know what they can achieve and what is beyond them. Sometimes in life, this is fine, but for language learning is very limiting and should be avoided at all costs. If you have a fixed mindset you will fail.

At the opposite end of the scale is the growth mindset. This is where you understand that you can change and you can grow.

You understand that it may be a struggle, but anything is possible if you focus on it. This is exactly what we need for language learning. If you implement what I discuss below, you will be on the right track to have a very strong growth mindset and you will see your language skills grow as a result.   

Have Self Belief When Learning A Language

It can be extremely overwhelming when you start a new language. You will quickly understand how big a task it is. You need to have the self belief that you can do it. You need to know you can commit to the task and put the effort it in over time.

A lot of people will fill your head with doubts and try and say it is too difficult. You will also see a lot of people try and fail. However, you need to have the self belief that they are wrong. You are different and you can actually achieve what you have set out to do. 

Believe That Immersion Will Work

If you are doing a lot of immersion you can really struggle with believing it will work, especially after you have been watching videos for hours and nothing is making sense.

When you first heard someone say “Just keep watching TV shows in your language, you will learn it that way” you might have through it was too good to be true.

You need to remember that acquiring a language this way will take months and months of listening, but if you believe it will work eventually,  this will really help you put the time in and actually get the results.

Basically you need to trust the process. If you can just do that, your mindset will be fine, you can ignore the doubts.

(You can read more about – What Is Learning A Language By Immersion?)

Doubting Is Normal

I do think it is important to note that you will have doubts, probably a lot of them at many points along the way. This is totally normal. It’s annoying, but it’s normal.

This is just your brain doing its thing, it’s always going to question you and you just have to believe that you have made the right choices and can ignore the doubts.

Knowing this will happen can make it very easy to deal with when it does arise. A lot of people are not expecting it and it overwhelms them to the point they quit …which you can now make sure does not happen to you.  

Accept Language Learning Is Long and Slow

Knowing that you have started a huge task is a large part of having the right mindset.

Learning a language can take a long time and progress can be really slow at times and being able to accept that this is the reality is vital.

You need to be aware of the time it will take and just be comfortable with this idea. It is kind of like getting ready for a marathon. You need to prepare yourself in a totally different way compared to doing a quick 100m sprint.

In fact the best thing you can do is totally ignore time. Just tell yourself you will get good at the language when you get good. Removing that time limitation will really reduce your stress.

It’s not a race, you have to see learning as just what you do now, it’s like a lifestyle choice rather than a thing you are doing for set period of time.    

Accept Mistakes Will Happen When You Learn A Language

You need to know and accept that mistakes are going to happen when you learn a language. You are learning, you have not mastered it yet. 

A lot of people get really caught up with this and they almost don’t want to learn. They have this weird logic of avoiding things, so that they can then avoid having to mistakes.

This sounds very silly, but it does happen. As soon as you can realise that mistakes will happen and that they are not a big deal, then you can get on with making them and learning from them.  

Enjoy Leaving Your Comfort Zone

You need to have no fear when learning a language and be happy to leave your comfort zone.

We can all sit here and think about how there is nothing really that scary about language learning …However, the second we start trying to talk to a native speaker, just watch how quickly we all start to feel uncomfortable or even too scared to talk.

You need to move right past this fear and be happy to get out of your comfort zone. You need to know that you will learn the most when you are feeling this way.

Yes, it feels awful at the time, but afterwards the reward and benefits are more than worth the slight discomfort you feel at the time.  

Have Fun When You Are Learning A Language

Your mind needs to be in a fun place when you learn. You need to be enjoying what you are doing or you are just going to find the whole process awful.

It will really help if you find what you are doing interesting and fun. Trying to study when you have no interest in the material or no interest in why you are doing will get you nowhere. Everything will just become 10 times more difficult.

I know that not every second of language learning can be fun. There are some bits that will be boring no matter what, but that’s okay.

As long as you are enjoying the majority of what you are doing then you will find yourself having a lot more success than if you where hating the whole process.

An easy to make sure you are having fun us to immerse in material that you enjoy. Watch the TV shows and movies that interest you. You can almost forget you are learning and just focus on enjoying the shows while allowing your subconscious to decode what is going on.

You Need Flexibility When Learning A Language

Learning a language is quite the journey and no two people’s path will be the same.

This means your path to success with not be smooth. There may be a lot of ups and downs along the way. This means you need to be flexible.

Of course it’s a good idea to make a plan, but you need to understand that this shouldn’t be too rigid.

You might have to go back and learn the same thing a number of times or you may speed ahead with some lessons. You may also find that there will be other times when you feel like you are not making much progress at all.

This is totally normal, but you need to be flexible and understand that your study plan may have to slightly change to reflect your progress.

You also need to be willing to be flexible with the methods that you use to learn. If you feel what you are doing is not working or not effective enough, do not be scared to change what you are doing and try a new approach. It can take a bit of tweaking in the beginning to find what the best way for you to actually study is, so some flexibility is needed.

(You can read more about – How To Make Your Own Study Plan For Learning A Language)

Prioritise Your Language Learning

Learning a language is hard because it requires a lot of time, and well, life can get in the way.

It is very easy to get distracted by life and everything else around us, so we really need to make the effort to prioritise our learning. .

If you can stay focused on your goals and make them a priority in your life, then you should be able to actually make progress in your lanaguge.

(You can read more about What Is The Best Way To Learn A Language By Yourself?)

Stop Comparing Yourself To Other Language Learners

Comparing yourself to others is a very easy thing to do, but it’s an extremely bad mindset to have.

It’s very easy to see other people’s skill level and think you will never achieve the same. It’s easy to ask someone how long they have been studying and realise they are more advanced than you in a shorter time.

The reality is, it doesn’t matter.

No two people are the same and no two language learning journeys are the same. We all want to get to roughly the same place with our language, but how we get there will be totally different.

It really doesn’t matter how, why or how long someone else has been learning a language. It doesn’t affect us in the slightest. The only thing we need to worry about is what we are doing.

The sooner you stop comparing yourself to others, the sooner you will have a lot of stress lifted from you and you can start to feel good about the progress you are making.

Conclusion

Having the right mindset is essential when learning a language. You cannot take on a huge task like this if you are not mentally ready to handle all the ups and down that can occur along the way.

Most people give up learning a language as they are not prepared for what it involves. If you can follow the simple tips I have given above you stand a far better chance of seeing the progress you want.

Get you mindset right and you will be able to achieve anything you want. 

(You can read more about – Why Learn A Foreign Language?)