¡Hola y bienvenidos, dulcitos!
You’re likely here because you’ve recently begun learning Spanish or are thinking of starting. Well, welcome to what I believe is the most important step of your Spanish-learning journey: your why. Simon Sinek coined this term, and said that your why is, “The compelling higher purpose that inspires us and acts as the source of all we do.” So please ask yourself: Why are you here? What sparked your desire to learn Spanish? For me, I began learning so I could better communicate and connect with my partner’s Colombian family. If we have kids one day, we want them to grow up in a bilingual household. Plus, it’d be nice to understand what my partner is saying to our kids! But, enough about me, let’s get back to YOU!
So, why is your why so important?
Learning a new language is arduous
It is no easy feat to learn Spanish on your own (or any other language for that matter). Further, the road is a long one. Some may even say “endless”, depending on your objective (more on that in Part Two). Don’t let that discourage you. It is also a beautiful, eye-opening, world-expanding road that teaches you a lot about yourself. But, there are days, sometimes weeks, where your brain hurts, you feel overwhelmed, you’re just not getting it, the challenge seems too great to achieve, and frankly you’re just over it. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there. I know I have. So, when you’re feeling all of these feels, you can remember your why and recenter so that you can keep on keepin’ on.
Your why gives you purpose
Nothing fuels us more than purpose. If I just wanted to learn Spanish and didn’t have a firm purpose, then at the first sign of discomfort (which was immediately), I may have said, “eh, whatever. It’s not like I needed to learn anyway” and give up forever. Now, for some of you, this may be a necessity for work, school, family, etc. And, therein lies your purpose! For others, you may have the desire to live in a Spanish-speaking country, you may want to challenge yourself to see how far you can push your learning abilities, or you may be in the same boat I’m in. Regardless of what your purpose may be, you will need one so that your compass will always point norte.
All that being said, please take a moment to sit with yourself to find what drives you on this journey. This is an exciting adventure that teaches you about different cultures, etymology, how we communicate/connect with others, and it will very likely teach you that you are capable of a lot more than you may think! I know I have overcome a great deal of insecurity and shyness in this process, and I’ve only just begun. So, let’s get to it!
¡Feliz aprendizaje!
Em
