Member-only story
The Secret to Motivation Isn’t What You Think It Is
Rather than look within yourself for motivation, look outward instead
What if I told you that I spent the past 333 days on Duolingo, never missing a day? Would you believe me?
Now, what if I told you that the reason I started using Duolingo in the first place was because my daughter and son, ages 11 and 8 respectively, started using Duolingo 441 days ago? That my spouse follows closely behind them with 368 days? Would you believe me?
This is the first time in my life that I’ve learned a new language (French) for this long without missing a beat. I’d taken German during my senior year of college, and while I loved learning German, I’ve always wanted to learn French. Ever since my high school days, in fact.
That’s because French is the language of my country’s colonizer. French cuisine has inspired many Vietnamese dishes, including croissants, baguettes and pates. My father knew a little French, and he encouraged me to learn the language if given the opportunity.
And yet, I never did. Until last year, when I discovered that every member of my household was using Duolingo; even more shocking was the fact that they’d been doing it for months!
