Motivation is possibly the most influential factor learning Gaeilge.
While motivation alone will not guarantee success, an unmotivated student is almost guaranteed failure.
Having a positive attitude towards learning the language is an internal motivator that will fuel your desire to learn it well. Attitude is everything. Learning Gaeilge takes review and repetition, which can be boring unless you have an enthusiastic attitude about these tasks.
Students who are most successful at learning Gaeilge are those who have a positive attitude to using the language, and who have a desire to become familiar with and integrate into the society in which the language is used.
The desire to learn the language for its own sake – is substantially more effective in long-term language learning than external rewards such as high grades or praise.
Motivation and proficiency improvement are strongly related – successful learners are motivated and success improves motivation. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.