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By Matt Boyle (@langcardgames on Twitter)
In the fantasy genre, languages often function as a power source for those who know how to wield them. And I don’t think real life is much different from that. Obviously, we don’t go around generating fireballs in our hands, turning invisible, or levitating, but our fluency and precision with different languages is its own kind of superpower, isn’t it? As you can guess by now, I love to look at language learning through the lens of fantasy. It always keeps me creatively inspired and motivated. So without further ado, here’s three pieces of fantasy-themed advice for you.
1. Slay The Dragon
The language learning task which requires the most cognitive effort of you each day is the one you should tackle first. You can slay the various goblins here and there along the way with quick swipes if you must, but ultimately, you must keep your eye on the biggest thing. Along the same lines, it helps to know what exactly is that biggest thing for you, because it is different for everyone. So know what your biggest, most valuable target is. Know exactly what type of skill or practice is most important for you. And then stick to it every day as the very first thing that you do. And if that feels at all uncomfortable, if you like to warm up with other, less meaningful or more trivial things first, that’s only because you haven’t developed slaying the dragon as your new and better habit.
2. Practice Invisibility
It is all too easy these days to surrender our most precious assets of focus, time, energy, and serenity to the weapons of mass distraction. Every few seconds, notifications, text messages, emails, phone calls, and bangs on the door -all thinly disguised as urgent and important- besiege us. That is no environment for a legendary language learner to thrive in, so don’t dally there. Perform invisibility by regularly disappearing to that place where no one can find you. Give yourself some time each day when you are not of the world. Floating in an aura of complete solitude, reclaim your peace of mind. Then, allow your faculties to replenish totally, or just savor submersion in the rigorous study of your target language. And fear not. This spinning, cacophonous version of reality will still be here when you reappear… it might even look more manageable.
3. Create An Alter Ego
Kobe Bryant had the mamba. Beyonce had Sasha Fierce. Think of some of your favorite superheroes or fantasy beings. They all had powerful avatars, alter-egos, higher stages of evolution, etc. The reason is because in their “normal” form, they are too confined and constricted by their usual ways of thinking and being. Those usual ways of thinking and being are so subtle, yet so damaging, and they were driven into most of our minds from a young age. They are an accumulation of society’s norms and standards, which keep us average and fitting into the herd. Thus, it stands to reason that we must design a fresh version of ourselves that we can aspire to if we want to excel. What would your ideal self as a language learner look like? Act like? What would they be capable of? What would they know? What would be their goals, daily habits, and manifested results? It can truly be helpful to let your imagination run wild here. Write down or futurescript exactly what you want to be like and how you’re going to accomplish it. And then, pretend to be like that until you are that. You can even decide to switch into your alter ego’s mental/physical state when you desire to, if you can’t be like that all the time. It can be useful to have a small, physical, trigger or cue that reminds you that you are in your alter ego state. That could be a shirt worn, a hat donned, or an item on the desk revealed or placed in a special way. Or, it could also be a place where you go. Instead of a telephone booth where Clark Kent changes into Superman, you could have a special booth at a café or a room at a library.
Find motivation in your imagination
I believe the fantasy genre has a limitless supply of ideas and practices we can draw upon and test to transform our own lives. I bet you can think of some of your own by now! If you do have some, feel free to leave a tweet and tag @langcardgames and @lang_caf, we'd love to hear what you think of! Happy language learning!
About Matthew Boyle
Matthew Boyle is the founder of Language Card Games, a company dedicated to making the language learning process truly unforgettable through fantasy-themed stories, games, and coaching. You can find out more on Twitter @langcardgames.