Whenever we set out to achieve long-term goals, a great way to ensure our success is by defining smaller, achievable steps that lead us to our objectives . Most of the time, these steps are  quite clear-cut. If your goal is to run a marathon in six months, you start small and gradually increase the distance. If you’re aiming to get a specific job, you research what you need to do  and then take it step by step. But when it comes to learning a language, concrete achievable steps can be a little harder to define.

How do you move towards an honest but broad goal like ‘I want to understand my French co-workers’? And what are the stepping-stones that lead to ‘speaking more confidently in an English meeting’? Obviously, this is one reason language teachers are so helpful. They lay out a plan, guide you, correct you and help you stay  focused. And as you progress, they are the experts that let you know that you’re making headway. 

But even with a teacher, a linear curriculum, and structured evaluations, you don’t always feel like you’re improving. This is the very reason why defining achievable steps is so helpful. If you want to stay motivated for a long-term goal, you have recognize your  improvement  along the way.

So, in addition to your classes and studies, I suggest this simple practice. When you notice a habitual mistake or find a sentence you don’t know how to say correctly, that becomes your next step forward. Basically, when you recognize a place where you lack proficiency, correct it, practice it, and then move on to the next one. It will help you define real, achievable steps that are guaranteed to be exactly what you, as an individual, need.

I know, it sounds small. How much improvement can you really make fixing only one mistake at a time? But, I’ll tell you this—it guarantees constant improvement, it adds up, and it is perfectly personalized—your mistakes are exactly what you need to improve. Sure, it’s not the same confidence boost that you get going from beginner to intermediate, but if you can think of each mistake mastered as a concrete step towards fluency, it can help remind you that you are progressing even when it might not feel that way. Yes, it takes time and patience, but this is a no-nonsense path towards greater language proficiency.