Finding motivation for learning and speaking Dutch is not always easy. Quite often it seems that you don’t need it and that Dutch people speak English anyway. But… if you ask one simple question, then everything could change. You’ll not only learn faster, you’ll speak much more and… all of a sudden everything feels relevant and useful
As you may know, once in a while I organize my free workshop Finding Dutch Flow and before I start to give my presentation I often say the following words: this is a workshop for people that like to speak much better Dutch. Would this subject be interesting for you? And then of course, all the participants shout: yes!
Then what I like to do, just for the entertainment of it, is a light form of provocative coaching. So I will say: why bother? As long as you speak English, you’ll be fine, right? And then, of course people shout: no! So now it starts to become very fascinating…. Why is it then that people still feel nonetheless that speaking Dutch is important indeed?
So here are some things that the people I work with often say:
* My children speak Dutch and I want to be able to join the conversation
* My partner is Dutch and I want to know what he / she really means in all our conversations
* I love to participate more in social activities
* I like to know what is going on, around me
* I want to understand my clients better
* I just want to show respect to other people by speaking their language
Can you see that all these goals are very important? It is something that I love to call high goals, not because of the fact that they are ambitious or difficult to reach, but these goals are high, because somehow they reflect a high value in your life.
Working on a high goal simply means that you work on something that can have a great positive impact on your life, even if it is rather a small thing :)
If you like, you could compare it with changing a light bulb that somehow gives more light and clarity
Let’s face it. The quality of your life heavily depends on the relations with other people. If you have better relations with other people, then of course, probably you’ll enjoy life a lot more.
So here is the thing. If you think about it, then speaking Dutch has not so much to do with speaking Dutch. But.. speaking Dutch is something that will help you to improve certain aspects of your life.
Therefore, an essential question for you. What is something that you would like to improve in your life? Maybe you like to find a better job, have more fun during parties, go to the theater more often… And then all you need is to ask: would I need more Dutch for that?
Then if the answer is yes, then there is only one important thing that you need to do. Realize that as a matter of fact, what you like to do is to improve certain aspects of your life. Chances are high that somehow these are important things in your life. If so, then really go for it! Start learning and speaking Dutch for all those things that you really want!
What thing could make a great difference in your life?
Here is an important thing. Most people start learning Dutch without a real goal in mind, but… if you know exactly why speaking Dutch is relevant for you, then somehow you’ll learn it a lot faster. And here is some other great news, quite soon you can experience the first benefits. When you work on something that really matters to you, you’ll feel excited that everyday you can discover new things!
By the way, some here are some other reasons for learning Dutch that could also be relevant for you:
* You learn a new language
* You hate it when Dutch people suggest that you cannot speak Dutch and you want to show that they are wrong :)
* You want to stimulate your brain with new things
* You know that speaking a new language will have a positive impact on your communication skills in your own language.
* You like to understand more jokes! Certainly the filthy ones…
What is something that you like to improve?
What is something that you would like to change in your life? Could speaking Dutch help you? Please feel free to share!
