I Can't Learn Language

Originally, I titled this post, "Think Positive Thoughts" but I thought it was a little too generic because I post pretty frequently about the importance of positive thinking already.

My mom was telling me that when you're not good at something, you shouldn't confine yourself to a label, "Oh, I'm not good at X." Instead, you need to take something else that is compelling to you and associate them. For example, a boy says he's not good at math, but he loves basketball and has a mind for the statistics. Basketball stats are math! Or, to bring it a little closer to home, Cameron HATES math, but he loves Legos! And if you think about it, Legos are also math! By associating the difficult subject with something you enjoy you eliminate the obstacles that your mind creates when you say, "I'm not good at that."

Confession: I am not gifted in language.

I am an exemplary student in almost all other regards. I have straight A's in all my classes right now and I am about to graduate from college! Academically, I am pretty well-set. But I struggle with learning new languages. I think there are a few things factoring into this. I got a very late start. I was interested in language, but never had the consistency to stick with one. For my highschool requirements, I fudged my way through Latin. I didn't even learn a "real" language!! I "learned" a dead one! To make matters worse, I didn't even do the final exam in my second year.

But when I heard this new spin on the old "think positive," the wheels in my head started turning. I wonder if I could do the same thing with learning a language! I don't like learning language, but I love art and writing! Maybe I could try my hand at writing stories or poetry or journaling in a foreign language. Or maybe I could incorporate it into my art! A new world of possibilities has now entertained my imagination. Now by this time next year, I will be completely fluent in French! ;) Or maybe something else, who knows?