There's a common sentiment that learning a new language is difficult. I disagree. Learning a language takes consistency, but doesn't have to be difficult. You don't need any special aptitude in language learning; just time, attention, and curiosity.
Learning a language perfectly is hard. Learning a language from a book is hard. Trying to remember all the rules without actually saying words is hard. Starting with a few words and fumbling around, making mistakes and making it fun? Binge watching foreign TV shows? Anyone can do that.
"Your memory works just fine, it's not a broken hard drive. If you're not remembering stuff, it's because you don't care about it. Like, you have not figured out how to up the stakes ... or frame the knowledge in a fun way, you haven't made it a story."
— Ken Jennings, famous rememberer, in this interview
If you want to make it stick, learn how to talk about something you're interested in. Games, photography, movies... whatever it is, it will stick a lot faster than learning how to say "Have you notified the post office of your change of address form yet?" ...which, sure, that's useful, but you can probably hold off until you're helping a friend in a foreign country move to a new apartment.
Learning a language that is very different from your native language will take longer and more dedication. If you speak Spanish, I'm willing to bet you'll pick up Italian a lot faster than Urdu. I've also heard that some languages are objectively harder than others for English speakers to learn, for example Icelandic, Hungarian, or Navajo. Whether because of difficult and subtle pronunciation or complex grammar rules, some languages have a reputation.
But there's a difference between speaking a language and speaking a language perfectly. There's even a wide gulf between speaking fluently and perfectly; you can fail a grammar test and still communicate effectively and eloquently.
Language isn't like math, where it's wrong until it's exactly right. It's more like painting, you can start by getting your point across with finger paints and then work on improving. If you can get basic communication down you can build towards fluency, creating a realistic, vibrant picture in your listener's mind. It just takes time and actually doing it.
In my experience, the biggest factor to sticking with it is having a solid "why." Why are you learning this language? To connect with your heritage? Do you want to understand the culture more deeply? Just as an intellectual exercise? There are plenty of reasons to learn a language. Find a good one for yourself and work at it a little bit every day. You might not find it until after you start, so don't wait! Do whatever you can: listen, read, talk, but just keep putting the words and patterns into your brain, and before you know it they'll start sticking.
You don't need anything special to learn another language, just consistency, a desire to communicate, and a willingness to make few mistakes along the way. Just like with your first language.
