I think this message needs to be put out there more as I have seen a lot of people, both in other communities centered around learning Japanese, and even in here to an extent, exhibit this sort of behaviour. I personally think that something that slows down a lot of people to a massive extent is the inability to progress forward due to doubts and fears, namely things like "I'm not ready to do this yet" or "I can't do this." I feel like this is something that needs to be addressed.
First, you can and you will eventually learn the language. Do you want to watch anime in Japanese? Go ahead and try. Forget the people who say "you shouldn't do this; you aren't ready yet." (No, watching Anime with English subs isn't learning Japanese. Use Japanese subs or go raw). And granted, you may not be, but should that stop you if you enjoy it? Even if you don't understand much, you can take what you do understand and refine it by doing watching more. Don't understand something? That's fine. You need to expose yourself to the thing in different, comprehensible contexts over time to understand it. Now, if something is too hard or incomprehensible, you can still try it and still gain something from the comprehensible bits that you do understand. Those are stepping stones. You should turn every little step of progress into a win. You're allowed to celebrate the little wins. You think that you're taking too long to learn the language when everybody else around you is progressing super fast? Don't compare yourself for others. As people say. "Comparison is the thief of joy." You're progressing every step of the way so why give up? There will always be highs and lows as success isn't a narrow street.
Second, don't hesitate to experiment. Everybody has their own styles and methods of learning. For me, I got told not to play visual novels when I was still starting out because they would be "too difficult". I still played them and those became my main source for learning Japanese. Now, if something is too hard or incomprehensible, you can still try it and still gain something from the comprehensible bits that you do understand. As long as you're having fun with the process, that's what matters most. Language learning is a personal journey so customize it however you like. If you wanna spice it up by watching your favourite TV show, go ahead. Anything to make the journey fun and spice it up.
Third, trust the process. You're not dumb. You can learn the language. Language learning isn't difficult either. Rather, it's pretty straightforward. What does make it difficult is that it's a lengthy and time-consuming process. You will end up at your destination eventually, but you have to not only trust the process but you have to place trust in yourself that you will see it through. You can do this.
by Blinded_Banker