I recently stumbled across this quote: “If you are interested, you will do what is convenient. If you are committed, you will do whatever it takes.” As an everyday language learner, this may seem to strikes a blow in the heart of our desire to learn another language. We are interested, but not committed. Life has enough commitments already to capture our attention and keep us from doing whatever it takes to learn another language. But I think there is more to this quote. Thankfully something was left unsaid.
You see, before anyone was ever committed to anything, they were interested -and here in lies our hope. Learning a language is indeed a life long endeavor that requires commitment and a “do whatever it takes” attitude. But right now, for most of us, we are stuck at interested. The great news is that the line between interested and committed is pretty slim.
As an everyday language learner the thought of being committed may seem a bit overwhelming, even discouraging. But we don’t need to be 100% committed right now. What we need to do is take small steps toward being more committed. There is no magic amount of commitment that will allow you to be successful. We just know that the more committed we are to something, the better that thing generally goes. It’s a sort of principle I suppose. And so I want to encourage you to take small steps, small actions that will increase your commitment to language learning.
But how do we do that? Honestly, I am not completely sure. But if we examine our lives, we will probably find hobbies, causes and people to which we are now committed. And some of these are relatively new commitments. Some come naturally – I am committed to my wife above all other people – but I wasn’t 15 years ago. I started just being interested. I am committed to my kids now – they rock! Those are examples of commitments that just come naturally for the most part. For most of us though, learning another language isn’t a commitment that comes naturally. So if it’s not naturally going to happen, how can we make it happen? The answer may lie in other areas of our lives. I have a lot of friends who are committed to Fantasy Football. Others are committed to Apple computers. Some friends are committed to knitting, The Lord of the Rings series, Starbucks Coffee, The International Justice Mission, the Democratic party, good food, simple living, saving the whales or photography. If you look at similar hobbies or causes in your life, how did you move from being interested to being committed? This could be a good time to brew a cup of coffee, get out a notebook and engage in a little reflective thinking.
Well, what did you find out? What were some of the prime ingredients that moved you from an interested person to being a committed person? Could these same ideas, steps, actions be important parts of helping you increase your personal commitment to language learning? I bet most were little things you began to do.
I am going to refrain from sharing my own findings right now. What I would like to do though is invite you to share your findings in the comments below. Hearing what I think isn’t nearly as instructive as hearing what all of you think.
Again, the question is: What were some of the prime ingredients that moved you from an interested person to being a committed person? Could these same ideas, steps, actions be important parts of helping you increase your personal commitment to language learning? What were the little things you began to do differently or add to your life?
So please, share your thoughts below and invite others to participate as well.
image: PD4Free
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Well for myself, I’ll repeat here what I said on my own blog last week. I don’t necessarily know the answer, but I’m convinced it comes from our identity — as whom do we perceive ourselves, and as whom do we want to be perceived by others.
For example, wanting to be good at something “to get the girls” is a common motivational trick. So is hoping to learn something because it will make your resume better. But these things often fall apart when the rubber meets the road.
When you introduce yourself, you don’t say “Hi, my name is ___ and I like to get the girls.” Or, “hi, I have a great resume.” Those things aren’t part of your identity. But they could be… if you wanted them to be.
For spouses and parents, this comes naturally: “Hi, I’m ___, this is my wife ____, these are my kids ___ and ___.” The more times you say that, the stronger that commitment becomes.
When I introduce myself, I really do tell people that I am “the yearlyglot.” Naturally they ask what that is, and I tell them about my web site and explain that I learn a new language every year. Learning a language is, in fact, a part of my identity. It is a vital part of how I see myself and how I want others to know me. And that creates a commitment.
Well, that’s my thinking anyway. Maybe this deserves a blog post…
I can’t wait for that blog post. I think it is worth a lot more thought and discussion because I sometimes think people believe that some people are just born committed – and indeed, some have more drive. But I also think we can all create more commitment by doing certain actions. I think you are a good example of this and I hope people will go over and observe your journey in Turkish. What do you think of the new look by the way?
I think it’s nice. Very classy. The “what’s tweeting” widget is a little cluttered, though.
I know. Trying to get another version to work but with little success.
I’m waiting forward to your thoughts, and here’s mine 5 cents:
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The drive is born from necessity. This may sound a bit cruel – but once you’re married and have children you don’t always find pleasure in the commitment, but you feel the need to be there for the people you became responsible for. Same is with the language – when you need it and use it, you soon find yourself connected to it, like a part of yourself you use for expressing your feelings and thoughts.
Just this week I’ve started a series of blog entries (unfortunately, in Polish- on http://zajezykuj.pl/ ) about creating the urge, the necessity in the process of learning L2+. So I can get back to that topic in some discussion later. As I said, I’m waiting for your post
Yes I agree. Commitment is necessary because motivation often fades. And I don’t think it is unfortionate at all that your posts will be in Polish. It is a much needed service and inspiration you are providing to to Polish speakers who have yet to learn English. Keep up the good work!
Aaron