Seeing as how it’s the end of the year, I thought it would be a good chance to look at how, exactly, we can commit ourselves to studying Japanese, even when times get hard.

Most things in life aren’t nearly as difficult as they seem. You take a few hesitant first steps, get the hang of it, and then laugh at your old self for being scared so easily when there was really nothing to worry about. Reading Japanese, though, is every bit as difficult as it seems—and then some.

Motivation is the secret to achieving anything in life.I have especially noticed this concept’s tendency to perpetually reinforce itself throughout my experience learning languages. Between possession and lack thereof, I have found a night and day difference in my ability to retain information...