Set concrete goals high

1. Establish short term and long term goals why you are learning English.

Ask yourself:

• What are the reasons I want to learn English?
• What will I do with the language?
• Do you need to travel abroad or to the United States?
• Do you plan to attend graduate school?
• Do you want to speak with your friends who are English-speakers?
• Do you want to use English in running a business?

Self-Reflection:

• Whatever your reasons, consider why learning English is most important to you.
• Write down your goals.
• Make a chart that you can refer to daily to inspire you to move forward.
• Consider how long you will need to study.
• What exact skills do you need to improve in the language?
• How will you get from point A (where you are now) to point B (your destination i.e. your short term or long term goal)?
• How will you know when you are able to meet your goal?
• What is going to happen when you reach your objective(s)?

2. Try a new strategy

How long have you been studying test-taking in English? 1-2 years? If you feel your language level has not continued to improve week by week, try a new technique. For instance, if you are studying from a book, try something different. At times, if you feel stagnant, making a change in the manner in which you learn will help to improve your language skills. Doubtless, change will help you grow.

• Listen to English podcasts
• Listen only to English music on your phone when you are relaxing
• Get a native English coach
• Enroll in an English course online
• Watch English TV
• Watch (international) news only in English
• Meet a native speaker online to do a language exchange by the web
• Meet an English-speaking colleague/friend
• Join an English study group
• Join a college course online that is in English

3. Never give up. Learning a language requires practice. Take runners, for example, who do not run a marathon without training; they put in months or more of training. If you keep trying, and if you continue to practice English, you can master academic skills in reading, listening, speaking, writing, and vocabulary. To be inspired, think of yourself in a marathon. What you can do each day to get you to reach your goal .Keep telling yourself you will get there to a major accomplishment with these minor achievements. The days or moments you feel frustrated while you are learning, remember not to give up hope. Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you keep putting in extra effort into language learning, the next study day you will feel more comfortable, confident, and fluent. When you feel down, think about the last thing you learned, and pat yourself on the back for having learned that. Encourage yourself to keep going forward.

4. Be positive about the learning process. Mastering English does not happen overnight, so be patient with yourself. Avoid putting yourself down with negative thoughts. If you hear yourself in your head saying, “I’ll never be fluent in English,” immediately switch those negative words to positive encouragement. Tell yourself, instead, “Even though it’s a new language, if I keep studying, I’ll learn more each day” or “Though a lot of new vocabulary is challenging, I can accomplish learning more if I keep studying day by day.” Stay positive in your mind, because in this way you will learn English more quickly.

5. Harbor no fear about making minor errors in English. In fact, being fearful of making mistakes can stop you from learning quickly. If you sometimes avoid speaking with native speakers because you lack confidence, you can change your attitude to be more confident. Stop being fearful of producing mistakes since it is natural to make errors when using another language. When people speak other languages, mistakes arise. You will only get better in another language the more you practice it and the more confidence you feel about your abilities.

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