Should You Quit Learning Swahili — Or Are You Just Missing the Right Support?

Imagine this.

You’ve been learning Swahili for about two years now. When you first started, everything felt exciting. New words. New sounds. A sense of possibility. You could picture yourself speaking, connecting, understanding. Learning felt light—even fun.

But lately, something has changed.

The idea of opening a book or starting a lesson feels heavy. What once felt interesting now feels like a chore. And life hasn’t exactly been cooperating. Work is demanding. Energy is lower. Other responsibilities keep stacking up. You find yourself thinking, Maybe this is a sign. Maybe it’s time to quit.

Before you make that decision, pause.

Because what you’re experiencing is far more common, and far more meaningful, than you think.

When Motivation and Discipline Fades, What Is It Really Telling You?

Most adults assume that when motivation drops, it means they lack discipline. That they’re not consistent enough. Not committed enough. Not cut out for language learning.

But difficulty is not a verdict.
It’s information.

Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” there’s a better question to ask:
What support might be missing right now?

One way to answer that is with a simple self-check. Rate yourself from 1–10 in each area below.*This isn’t a test. It’s a mirror.

1. Future Identity – Can you imagine yourself as someone who speaks Swahili?

2. Intrinsic Value – Do you enjoy Swahili or care about learning it?

3. Practical Usefulness – Does Swahili connect to your real life today?

4. External Rewards – Are there outcomes that matter to you (travel, work, connection)?

5. Personal Control – Does this feel like your choice, not an obligation?

6. Mental Bandwidth – Do you realistically have the time and focus right now?

7. Social Support – Do you feel encouraged or supported by others?

8. Available Resources – Do you have clear structure and guidance?

9. Physical / Spiritual Energy – Do you have the energy to show up consistently?

10. Belief in Growth – Do you believe your effort will lead to progress?

Low scores don’t mean failure. They simply show you where learning has started to feel heavy.

*Framework adapted from Brendon Burchard’s Monthly Training on Motivation and Discipline (August 2025) Growth Day App.

The One Question That Matters Most: I'm I lacking Swahili Motivation or Do I just do not want to do it anymore?

There is one area on this list that shouldn’t be forced: intrinsic value.

Do you like Swahili?
Do you care, at least a little, about becoming someone who can speak it?

If the honest answer is no, you have permission to stop. Letting go of something that no longer matters to you is wisdom, not weakness.

But if the answer is yes—even if that interest feels quieter than it once did—then low motivation does not mean you should quit. It means something in the system needs to change.

Caroline’s Swahili learning Struggles

Last year, a learner I’ll call Caroline joined my app through the free Swahili course. She originally started learning because she wanted to communicate better with Swahili-speaking refugees in her church. That purpose mattered deeply to her and carried her through the early stages.

Over time, life changed. That situation became less central, and her motivation dropped. Not because she stopped liking Swahili—but because she hadn’t stopped to ask an important question again:
Why am I doing this now?

She sent me a message inside the app saying she wasn’t sure whether continuing still made sense.

When we talked, it became clear that discipline wasn’t the issue. Caroline still enjoyed the language. What was missing was relevance. Without a clear connection to her current life, learning felt heavier than it needed to.

As we talked, new reasons came into focus. She had an upcoming trip to East Africa. At work, an opportunity had opened where being bilingual meant more responsibility, and higher pay.

Once she connected her lessons to these real situations, something shifted. Nothing about the content changed. What changed was meaning. Learning felt lighter because her effort finally had somewhere to go.

What This Means for You and how to maintain consistency.

If learning Swahili has started to feel heavy, it doesn’t automatically mean you should stop. Often, it means your reason needs updating.

Adult learners don’t stay consistent by pushing harder. They stay consistent when learning connects clearly to the life they’re living now, not the life they had when they first started.

Before you quit, ask better questions:

• Do I still like Swahili?

• How does this connect to my life today?

• What support or structure am I missing?

A Calm Invitation

If you don’t like Swahili, you truly have permission to stop.

But if you do, and what’s been missing is clarity, relevance, or structure, you don’t need more willpower. You need a learning environment that helps your effort make sense.

That’s exactly what I’ve built inside LSN: Swahili Made Easy. Lessons are connected, practical, and designed to turn effort into steady progress, without pressure or guessing.

I am rooting for you.
Mwalimu Karen