Get Your Mojo (Motivation + Joy) and Learn!

When learning a new language, motivation is the key that will make such learning possible. Ask yourself why are you trying to learn Spanish, of French or Italian. Does it bring personal satisfaction; will it give you a competitive edge at work; are you earmarking international companies to which apply later on; have you fallen head-over heals with a special person or place? Once you find your motivation, visualize. Really. Contrary to what some make think, visualization is not mumble-jumble; it's a powerful tool that helps you reach your goals. Ask the hundreds of professional athletes and Olympians that see in their mind their success before moving one muscle. In some accelerated learning language programmes visualization is the first activity of the session.

Can you imagine yourself communicating in your second language? See yourself in a Honduran market haggling like a native; in a meeting in Buenos Aires handling a multi-million pound deal with the cattle rancher association; discussing environmental issues with a Costa Rican official; signing an oil deal in Mexico City; ordering "ropa vieja" in Cuba; discussing the origins of the chivalry literature in Salamanca; having a shopping-spree in Caracas. Go ahead, try. And have fun while you do it!

Studies show that we learn better when we do not feel pressure or threatened. When we light-up a bit -or a lot. Lozanov, a leader in the field of brain-friendly learning and second-language acquisition, recommended the use of role-play. Create yourself a persona, a character native to the language your using. What would your Spanish name be? Where will you be from (hey, we are talking about the Spanish language here -you have 22 countries to choose from!)? What would you do, how would you communicate, what personality trait would you like to free through this character? In the privacy of your bedroom or bathroom,talk to yourself in the mirror.Imitate the locals (you don't have to be politically correct here); repeat a sentence as if you were terrible sad, or angry or happy or in looooveee. Exaggerate. And have fun!

Remember, this is a journey. Let's make it a colourful and joyful one.

Hasta luego!