Self-reflection: Why is it so difficult?

There are languages that I really like and want to learn. One of the languages that spiked my interest is Japanese. I have bought a Berlitz Japanese book but for one kind of reason it just doesn't stick in my mind. And now I know why.

Japanese has katakana, hirigana and kanji in their writing. I understand the meaning of the kanji because I know how to write Mandarin. The problem lies within the katakan and hirigana, thats what I thought when I first started. I learned the tables by heart and wrote it down several pages full. And that's what I did wrong. 

While learning them separately is handy for the Japanese, it isn't for a foreigner like me. The Berlitz uses romanji so I know how to speak by just reading. The thing is, that just doesn't work for me. In Mandarin there is also pinyin that helps me to speak correctly but as it is a help it's more a hassle. For I have always learned characters by heart. 

I learned by writing it down in context, a story, over and over. I am a book smart. Like I am still able to recite a chapter learned 10 years ago cause I have written and rehearsed it time after time. So it's time to do this differently. 

Every dialog has to be in Japanese, combined with hirigana, katakana and kanji. This way I learn things by heart and it sticks in my mind. Placing all that in context makes it easy for me to remember and to use. 

It's difficult to make a self-reflection like this. I had to try again and again before I understood why it just didn't stick in my mind. My way of learning things is by placing it in context and using it immediately. Every person is different and my brain has been nurtured that way to learn things.