So, I learned for an hour every day and sometimes more. The result? Not what I expected. Bad habits happened because it was done incorrectly. I was trying so hard for no reason. I wanted to finish the grammar (at least the basics) before the deadline. Why on earth did I even set such a thing? 

¡No tenía ni pxxx idea! It was like my heart said a hobby but my mind rejected it😫

The second time was when I decided to start practicing speaking. I initiated intending to want to improve that skill and went on for a year. It was an everyday struggle. A perfect word to describe it? Taxing. 

When I feel like I’m not making any progress, I pressure myself to learn more. When I encounter words or grammar that are considered basic and I don’t know them, I doubt myself if I’m learning everything correctly. I know it’s impossible to learn all at once just as it’s insane to know all the vocabulary out there. 

There will always be something that’s missing yet it bothers me.

I kept adding this unnecessary stress. I just want to do it when I feel like it but somehow my brain wouldn’t let me because deep down it knows the ‘when you feel like it’ moment won’t come as often. It was a hobby for God’s sake, brain!

I asked the exact question in a group and someone mentioned that it was fun at first but later became a painful hobby. I can totally relate and probably so do you. Learning something new is always exciting in the beginning until the difficult phase comes. You either quit, take a break, or push through resulting in the ‘painful’ part.

Even though it causes headaches the enjoyment is still there. If it’s just a mere hobby I would have abandoned it a long time ago but I kept coming back. Why? Passion. Is it possible for language learning to be both a hobby and a passion? Yes.

The first thing I do every day before something else is language learning. It has become a habit and a constant daily routine. This is one of the instances where I truly feel it’s both. For some people, it stops being a hobby when;

• They start teaching the language they are learning
• They want to find a job that involves the language they are learning
• They start getting paid to review language courses
• They start incorporating it into their everyday life
• etc

When I told my exchange partners I learned a language(s) as a hobby, they said they couldn’t do the same. Most have a very specific reason for learning. When I told my parents I was learning Spanish they were like ‘Why?’ My dad suggested I should learn Mandarin instead because there are quite a few Chinese here.

To them, it’s like if a language serves no purpose in your life why bother learning? To me, language learning is valuable knowledge. They are useless only if you don’t use them.

With language learning, I realized I’ve done things I normally wouldn’t have done. I don’t typically listen to radio and podcasts but that changed when I started learning Spanish. I found them enjoyable, especially the latter.

Have you heard of the site called Open Subtitles? It’s a gem! Every time I come across a series I want to watch that doesn’t have English subtitles I check there and voila! It doesn’t happen all the time though because it either depends on the popularity or a subber(s) willing to do the work. Back then I used to wait until they got subbed which took forever.

So, if you ask what’s the difference between before and now after all these? I’d say before it was forced and rushed. I paid no attention to reviewing/repeating what I’ve learned because I thought it would slow things down.

Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re productive. If you don’t focus on what you can use, you’ll waste 80% of your time to learn about 20% of what you can use. - optilingo.com

Who learns grammar for an hour and gets stressed by all those rules when it’s just a hobby? Me. I studied unnecessary grammar topics I rarely use. This was the result of doing things with no plans.

Now, I do it leisurely. My progress is evidently slow. I’m being low-key about it most of the time and keep reminding myself not to overdo things. As I’m currently learning Thai, I’m applying the Pareto Principle which I’ve never used with Spanish to begin with.

It literally just dawned on me that I’ve been doing it all along with English and the result is visible. I don’t use lots of complex or advanced English words to deliver my thoughts when writing blog posts.

If I can summarize all, it would be I’m interested in it, started learning as a hobby, got confused in the process because of trying so hard, and then it became a passion. To answer the question, yes, it is. It’s half a hobby and half a passion. Settled! 

What about you? Share with us below.