I tend to spend a lot of time setting small or medium sized goals, and enjoying the heck out of myself when I reach them. I've posted in the past about how setting these reachable goals helps me enjoy the journey so much more. I don't care if I ever reach my destination, as long as the journey is beautiful and memorable.

My recent small victory happened when I finally learned the kanji for "love". Now, I'm not a huge romantic, but I'm a HUGE Ai Otsuka fan, and finally being able to write her first name means more to me than I can possibly put into words. Pathetic, but true, haha. So, Now I can write Oo--- Ai. Tsuka doesn't show up until kanji #1039 and that's my next short term goal. Only 180 more kanji to go and I'll get there! I have a bottle of champaigne in my house.. I'm hoping to pop it open when the Celtics win the NBA Championship, but Being able to write "Ootsuka Ai" in kanji may be bubbly-worthy, haha.

Does anyone else enjoy setting small, silly goals, and enjoying it way too much when they achieve them? Post! Share! Inspire us!! ^^

Small goals are awesome.

I remember reading an article on this runner. Basically he runs a marathon everyday. He says he does it through small goals. Run to that bush. Ok now run to that lamp post. Ok now past that tree. Etc etc.

Right now my goal is to finish RTK and keep kanj in that fourth column! Everytime I remember a kanji it's a step towards that goal.

I've been doing Pimsleur alongside RTK. I always get a warm feeling when a kanji corresponds with a word I only know orally, from Pimsleur. Apparently, I recently learned the character for "moshi" in "moshi moshi". And ".Esq" apparently corresponds to "-sama".

I also take comfort in being able to comprehend Japanese titles of English-tranlated anime. I can now understand the basic meaning of the Japanese titile for "Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind", for instance.

More than anything, though, I think it's finally learning the primitives you've seen for months that strike you as victory. I've seen the primitive for "ax" for over a year now, but always viewed it as some advanced, future primitive. And now I know it--it reminds me that yes, it is very possible to learn them all.

I know the feeling. I remember some of my favorite "small victories":

1. Completing a simple phone call in Japanese (asking if a grocery had something)
2. Completing a more complicated phone call in Japanese (customer service)
3. Realizing I could translate various romaji I saw into kana
4. My first conversation completely in Japanese
5. NOT being told "日本語お上手ですね〜" or anything of the like (started off as their not saying it until much later in the conversation, or not until 2nd, 3rd etc meeting; the next step is to be able to replicate this on a regular basis)
6. The point where the people I spoke to stopped replying in or switching back to English
7. Any time I realized I had made a kanji "mine"

Learning Japanese is definitely a Sisyphean task, but you all are right, every small victory is a reminder that you're at least getting somewhere.

Shibo Wrote:I don't care if I ever reach my destination, as long as the journey is beautiful and memorable.

That coincides with the poem you gave me in the other thread.

I'm hoping to put these 'small goals' into practice soon. I got a warm feeling the other day when I attempted to post on 2ch, asking if anyone could recommend me some popular Japanese games. Ok, first of all I was kindly told to die but, after becoming somewhat discouraged, I realised that one guy posted that in every thread. I went on to get some recommendations which felt great - even though I knew my Japanese wasn't brilliant I was still able to communicate, got called "かわいい" twice (must've been talking like a baby or something) and was even mistaken for a Korean! And that's near to Japan. Near I say.

So yeah, that was celebrating a goal I didn't set. I should try making some and seeing if I can crack them. Today I completed JLPT4 so next stop is 3.

abdwef Wrote:Apparently, I recently learned the character for "moshi" in "moshi moshi".

Which character is that?

Appreciating the small victories is a great way to stay motivated. It's too easy to look at what you don't know, and forget how far you've come.

Here's some small victories, that maybe I could consider big victories, since I only started studying japanese in August.

- successfully completing a review of 50 or more kanji on RTK without even a single stroke out of place.
- successfully going into a Book-Off and ordering, and buying, a manga using Japanese.
- successfully asking for hot water instead of tea in a restaurant.
- successfully asking a girl out to a movie in Japanese.
- in my conversation class, successfully talking only in Japanese for one hour, without ever reverting to English, even for explanations.
- watching a Japanese drama, and for 10-15 seconds understanding every word that's being said (before sliding back into WTF?)
- figuring out how to register on a Japanese website
- navigating my iPod in Japanese (AJATT)

Each is a small victory, but when I catch myself taking a big step forward it feels great. With each small victory, the big victory of fluency gets that much closer. Stop and enjoy it.

wrightak Wrote:

abdwef Wrote:Apparently, I recently learned the character for "moshi" in "moshi moshi".

Which character is that?

#1117, speaketh, it looks like. I finally got to it today, and immediately remembered that I could answer this question, haha. ^^