Find Your Lesson Style

I sincerely hope that you have an awesome experience for your first few lessons.

Hopefully, it won't take very long to find a teacher that you enjoy meeting with and a lesson format that works for you personally.

There is a very real chance, however, that this will not be the case. You may have to take a lot of lessons until you figure out your likes and dislikes, along with a teacher that is ideal for you.

That is OK.

If your first few lessons aren't the most positive experiences, I don't think that's a reason to feel discouraged. Figuring out your ideal lesson style is part of learning Japanese. So having negative experiences is a crucial part of advancing your level.

I mention all of this because I can't help but worry that some people out there will quit taking lessons if things don't go perfectly the first few tries, and that would really be such a shame.

If you stop taking lessons for [insert excuse of your choice], you'll probably end up feeling like I have time and time again — wishing that I had just stuck with my lessons. I can't help but think to myself, "If I had just kept taking lessons when I started X months/years ago, I would be so much more comfortable speaking [language] now."

It's a bitter feeling, so let's avoid it! ^_^

Keep swimming, yo.

You got this.