Find Motivation to Learn a Foreign Language: Write to Your Future Fluent/Bilingual Self!

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Most of us need this precious resource that we call "motivation" on a daily basis. I'm sure you sometimes feel like you will never be able to learn another language. That's not true! You can do anything you put your mind to, especially learning a foreign language. But maybe you don't believe in yourself (yet). That's fine. Get a piece of paper and write a letter to your future bilingual self. Write all the things you want to be able to say in the foreign language. Write the number of foreign friends you will have when you're fluent in Chinese/Japanese/Spanish/French. Write how good it feels to finally be able to communicate using another writing system/other sounds/other words. Congratulate yourself on your progress. I know this might sound silly but your brain will slowly get used to the idea of becoming fluent in another language if you give it positive thoughts to feed on. Being positive + studying a foreign language everyday= Guaranteed fluency!
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Thoughts About Learning Another Language

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I've just deleted two posts that I intended to publish today. I really wanted to give my opinion on languages and schooling but many people have done this before me.
I need to cater to my main audience (the English-speaking world) and I figured that going off on a tangent about the French schooling system was a bad idea. However, I will happily give general tips to learn foreign languages, and I might publish mini French courses in the future.
Blogging is a learning experience, and one that is similar to learning foreign languages in many ways. Learn from my mistakes. When you're speaking a foreign language, keep it short and relevant. (KISS!)

When I started studying English, I was very talkative. I thought that speaking a lot (and speaking loudly!) was the key to becoming fluent in a foreign language.
I passed up many opportunities to have intelligent conversations with native speakers because of my behavior. I had many English-speaking friends who were amused by my bubbly "persona"... but who didn't take me seriously.
Oh well, at least I practiced a lot.

In hindsight, I'm pretty sure I spoke loudly because I was afraid of being misunderstood. It's funny how humans start panicking when they're faced with the prospect of being ridiculed. :)

That's all for today. I will post a complete review of Rosetta Stone Level 1 as soon as I'm done with American English L1.

Can I Really Learn a Foreign Language? And Can I Become Fluent in It?

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Yes, you can learn a foreign language. If you're reading this post, it means you're at least somewhat motivated to start studying another language. A little motivation is all you need to start! Give yourself a week to see if you truly like the foreign language that you chose. If you're too busy to invest a whole week into this project, study the foreign language you've chosen for 30 minutes a day (every day) for a month. Day 1 Look for language-learning resources for beginners. For now, use the internet or the library. Trust me, buying a lot of language-learning material on Day 1 is a big mistake! While purchasing books can be a good way to motivate yourself, you should wait till the end of your seven-day language-learning experiment to go on a shopping spree. Pick one book that is particularly short or start reading an online course that is really easy to understand. Most people think that reading a complicated course means that they will learn the foreign language faster. They couldn't be more wrong. You need to ease yourself into it. Diving headfirst into ice cold water can be dangerous. So is reading a complicated grammar book right away! :) I will post more tips for beginners soon! Try to study your new foreign language for two hours per day this week. Use the "dead" time you have at your disposal (Read tips on time management here: http://fluent-language.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-have-more-time-to-learn-foreign.html