I'm committed because I'm part of a Chinese family and don't speak it myself. This sounds like a quite a lot of pressure, but that time invested will pay off i

I'm committed because I'm part of a Chinese family and don't speak it myself. This sounds like a quite a lot of pressure, but that time invested will pay off in the long run, you will quickly master the words and sentences. Learning is a decade long process for me. I've set specific goals for my learning. Initially, I want to tell what I(or we) did during the day, what I saw and if it was good or not. That's my 1 year plan. My 2-5 year plan is being able to have casual conversations and talk about fun/enjoyable things. Then after 5 years I'd like to be able to express what is important to me in raising a child and why certain actions/inaction is important is instilling certain values I hold dear. After 10 years, I'd like to find the art in the language and understand deeper meanings. I think my goals are achievable, and the timeframe is as well. Chinese is not something I will earn my living with so its fun. I do take classes but only once a week, for about 30 weeks a year. Thanks for your advise. I think practice is the most important part. I speak with my family once a week and my SO daily. I'm lucky to have conversational native speaking partner that also speaks English (both our second language).