A motivated learner will surpass a non motivated learner in acquiring any kind of knowledge or skill. Picture the motivation of a seventeen year old who wants to get his driver’s license. There is almost nothing that will stand in the way of his quest for the freedom his driver’s license will give him. Motivation is also the key to acquiring a language, and even though motivation does not guarantee success, an unmotivated student is almost guaranteed failure.  Students can be motivated internally or externally.  Let’s talk first about internal motivation

Attitude is everything.  Having a positive attitude towards learning your new language is an internal motivator that will fuel your desire to learn a language well.   Learning a language takes review and repetition, which can be boring unless you have an enthusiastic attitude about these tasks.  How do you build the right kind of attitude that will motivate your studies?  
o    Visualization.  Picture yourself at a café in Paris ordering a coffee, at a beach in Mexico striking up a conversation with a pretty girl, buying groceries in the little Tuscan town where you have rented a house.
o    Immersion. Determine that you enjoy this language and culture to such an extent that you want to be exposed to all facets of it. Besides studying, read, attend events, find as many ways as possible to become a part of the language and culture. This will have a snowball effect, since the more you expose yourself to the language, the more opportunities will arise to learn it.
o    Teamplay. Buddy up with someone in your class to practice talking, reading, or going over new phrases. Just as partnering helps in dieting or breaking a bad habit, it can help in your language studies. A number of factors are at play here. Healthy competition will stimulate you to do well; you don’t want to let your partner down, so you will meet for practice whereas you might have skipped it on your own; and, it’s fun to share an adventure such as this with someone.

External motivation is the more concrete, practical aspect of motivation.  If you need to learn this language for a job that you are being transferred to, the lure of the new job, or the disappointment of being passed over if you don’t have the skill will be a strong motivator.  Outside forces can often be strong motivators for mastering a new language.
o    Challenge or Desire. As in the example above, if you are faced with the choice between a promotion and a lost opportunity in your career, meeting this challenge will be a prime motivator.
o    Opportunity. If the chance to learn a language you have long been interested presents itself, you will seize the opportunity and work with it. If the class is at a distance, difficult or expensive to enroll in or has inconvenient hours, your motivation will be blunted.
o    Quality of instruction.  A really powerful speaker or dynamic teacher can motivate even the most blasé audiences or bored students.  
o    Positive feedback. It is part of the human ego protect and enhance our self esteem. If we continually are praised for our successes and progress in a language, we will be motivated to seek more success and progress.
We have some control over our attitude and therefore our internal motivators, but external motivators have to present themselves to us. You can, however, put yourself in the path of external motivators so that you improve your chances of receiving them.  Look for career opportunities, ferret out classes, or start a language group of your own, research who are the best instructors and look for opportunities to try your language on people who will appreciate and praise your efforts.  Combining these different motivators enhance your chances of language mastery.