Learning anything is tough work. But trying to master a language might be one the most difficult things to learn. On average it takes 5,000 hours for Japanese speakers to learn English well. That's 10.5 years of a full-time job - with no vacation!

So how can you stay motivated to chip away at this lofty (= high) goal? My advice is to take your learning and your goals one (small) step at a time. 

Having too high expectations makes you feel like a loser, but it's hard not to feel bad if you want to sound fluent and you are trying your best. This is where a patient, but well trained teacher can help you. She can break the tasks down into reasonable sized pieces and make sure you have mastered those before you move on to the next step.

I've tried to learn Japanese, Thai, German, Swiss German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. Most of my studying was for a trip, so I didn't need to get very far, but I live in a country where German and Swiss German (a dialect so different to German that German speakers don't understand it) are needed every day. Unlike the Japanese who often told me my Japanese was good (上手), German speakers often tell you how bad your German is. This makes staying motivated really challenging.

So my suggestions on how to carry out your New Year's resolutions is to break your goal into smaller steps or pieces. And work with a supportive teacher to master each small step while moving towards your goal.

Let me be the teacher that helps you stay on track in 2024!