15. Jump before you overthink

When it comes to learning a new language, it’s probably a good idea not to overthink things.

You’ve been speaking your native language long enough, and you might not remember how you got to where you are today in terms of your language development.

People learn from mistakes whether they like it or not. As a child, maybe you made mistakes saying something the wrong way or using some words and phrases inappropriately.

That might have been when you actually learned more about your language.

A language is a tool. You’ll learn more about it as you use it.

Say, for example, as you learn how to use a hammer, you might have to hit your finger and get hurt. You might be hurt or embarrassed by it, but that’s your learning.

Mistakes are in a way the quickest way to learn something.

Let’s put it in the context of learning Japanese. You probably want to avoid making mistakes because you don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of someone else.

But we all know that you’re learning Japanese, so there’s no need for you to be embarrassed about not being perfect.

And also, those mistakes can be a great ice breaker to get closer to the person you’re talking to. You never know until it happens.

The idea is sometimes, it’s a lot less stressful if you just do it and get used to it than if you keep thinking about it and getting stressed over it.

It might easier said than done but at the same time, remember why you want to learn Japanese.

You want to learn Japanese to be able to use it right?

Then let’s use it and embrace everything that comes with it in the process.