Most people start learning French with one clear goal in mind: a Canadian PR, a better job, higher pay, or career growth abroad. And while those are all real reasons not to be invalidated, here’s the reality: when your entire motivation is just the end result, the journey feels heavy. You start treating French like a hurdle, not a skill. And that’s where most learners get stuck.
The truth is simple: if you learn French only as a means to an end, you’ll always feel drained. If you learn it for the love of it, the results will come automatically.
My Own Journey Proves This
When I myself started learning French on 12th June 2015, I didn’t even know the word “Bonjour”. I had no clue what I was going to do with this language. Maybe I’ll teach, maybe I won’t, that was the thought at the back of my mind.
But what I did have was immense passion and interest. I just wanted to learn a language that wasn’t mine, to explore how it worked, to truly dive into something completely new. That passion carried me through all the ups and downs of the process.
Fast forward to today, I’m proud to say that I can truly communicate like a native, whether I’m in France or not. I don’t need to be in a francophone country to be able to remain in touch with the language. French is my way of life, my second nature. More than that, French has become not just a skill but a career for me. I earn well with it, I teach thousands of students, and I get to share this journey every day. None of this would have happened if I had started French just with the thought of “immigration” or “money.” It happened because I respected the language and culture for what it is.
Stop Complaining, Start Learning
One of the biggest mistakes learners make is complaining non-stop:
- “French pronunciation is too hard.”
- “Why are there so many exceptions?”
- “The grammar makes no sense!”
- The vocabulary, I cannot retain!
The longer you keep repeating these lines, the longer you’ll actually find yourself stuck. These complaints are fine for a quick laugh, a meme, or a light joke in class, but beyond that, they hold you back.
Joseph Murphy, in The Power of the Subconscious Mind, explains something very important but simple here: our subconscious mind doesn’t understand jokes. It takes everything we say literally and stores it as a belief. So the more you joke or complain about French being “impossible” or “undoable,” the more your subconscious starts believing it’s true, and making it seem more of a hurdle. And once your subconscious buys into that idea, your effort automatically weakens, your motivation drops, and French feels heavier than it actually is.
Because honestly? French is not as bad as you think it is. Every language has its quirks. English has silent letters, Hindi has gender rules, French has nasal sounds, big deal! The moment you stop complaining and start accepting it for what it is, you’ll realize how much simpler it gets.
Your Subconscious Always Knows
Not only does your subconscious take your words seriously, it also knows when you’ve been honest with your effort. If you’ve genuinely practiced, it rewards you with confidence. If you’ve faked your way through shortcuts, it punishes you with hesitation and fear.
This is why I always tell students: respect the process, avoid shortcuts, and don’t keep repeating negative beliefs about French. You might think you’re joking, but your subconscious is listening, and it will make those words your reality.
When You Learn with Love, Growth Feels Natural
Think about people who pick up a guitar or start painting. They don’t always start with “I want to make money out of this.” They start because they enjoy it. And the funny thing? Success often follows them anyway, because passion is what fuels consistency.
It’s the same with French:
- If you enjoy learning pronunciation, you’ll automatically sound more natural.
- If you’re curious about vocabulary, you’ll pick it up faster without forcing yourself.
- If you truly respect the grammar and structure, you’ll build sentences that flow effortlessly, without thinking of exceptions as challenges.
And the results you’re chasing, whether that’s TEF/TCF for Canada, a DELF/DALF diploma, or a career opportunity, will naturally come as a by-product of this effort.
Results Without Stress
Here’s the irony: the people who focus less on results often end up achieving better results. Why? Because they’re not learning with fear. They’re not constantly asking, “Will I pass? Will I score enough for CLB 7?” Instead, they’re building skills. And when your skills are strong, the score, the PR, the career, all of it falls into place.
On the other hand, if you keep asking yourself, “When will I be ready?” but you know deep down that you’ve skipped practice, ignored speaking drills, or half-memorized tenses, your subconscious will block you. You’ll feel nervous, you’ll underperform, and you’ll blame luck.
Fall in Love with the Process
So if you’re learning French today, take a pause. Ask yourself: Am I only chasing a result, or am I respecting the process too?
Watch a French movie without subtitles. Try singing along to a French song. Write a small diary entry in French every night. These small acts build genuine interest. And with interest comes effort, with effort comes fluency, and with fluency come the very results you’re running after.
Take it from someone who’s been there, language learning really isn’t as TECHNICAL as most learners make it. It’s more of an INNER FEELING, a feeling of love, and THAT OF acceptance.
French is not just an exam to clear or a point to add to your CRS score. It’s a beautiful language with culture, rhythm, and depth. If you treat it with respect and learn it for its own sake, you’ll be surprised at how naturally the results follow.
When I started in 2015, I had no plan, no roadmap, only passion. Today, French gives me both freedom and stability. That’s proof enough: when you learn French for its own sake, the results will automatically follow.
And remember, the more you complain or joke about how “difficult” French is, the harder you make it for yourself. Your subconscious doesn’t know it’s a joke. It takes you seriously and turns it into your reality. So respect the language, love the process, and let French take you forward.
This is exactly the approach we follow at LingoRelic Language Academy. We don’t push students just to pass an exam, we build a love for French that makes exams, jobs, and PR a natural outcome. Whether you are aiming for TEF/TCF Canada, DELF/DALF, or simply want to finally speak fluently without fear, our goal is to help you fall in love with the process first.
Because once you do that, the results won’t just come, they’ll stay with you for life!
Recent Comments