Why motivation fades (and how I deal with it)

动机如何消逝(以及我是如何应对的)

Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

2025-08-01

7 分钟
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单集简介 ...

In this video, I explain why our motivation to learn a language can fade—and how shifting your mindset can help you stay focused on long-term progress.
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单集文稿 ...

  • Today I want to do the first of three videos on how we deal with our motivation.

  • It's easy to say language learning is a matter of motivation,

  • time spent with the language, not reading grammar books, of course.

  • But how do we keep ourselves motivated?

  • Because inevitably there are times when we are less motivated.

  • So I'm going to talk to you about some of the things that I think about or some of the activities that I use to maintain my motivation or deal with my lagging motivation.

  • So the first thing is, Whenever we're sort of involved in a language learning activity,

  • whether it be reading or, you know, linking words on,

  • say in my case,

  • on my iPad or listening to something in a language where I don't really understand it as well

  • as I would like.

  • And it seems that, you know, there's just more and more words that I don't understand.

  • How do I deal with that from a motivational point of view?

  • Well, the first thing is, as I've said before, obviously you have to value what you're doing.

  • You have to value the moment.

  • You have to be in the moment.

  • But paradoxically, in order to value the moment,

  • to value what you're doing when you're listening or reading or writing or speaking in the language and not always convinced that you're getting anywhere,

  • you have to try to enjoy it, obviously.

  • But sometimes that's also difficult.