So i think i have done a fair bit of progress in Spanish, i can text a friend in spanish and read his spanish without any problems most the time, however im still a little shy about actually speaking it. I think it is time i mean the whole purpose of learning Spanish is to read, write and SPEAK it! how do i begin? how do you get over that mental block?
You and I are at the same point in Spanish in terms of known words. I do the same thing: lots of texting friends in Spanish! And I also have tremendous shyness in having real conversation. My goal is to start conversation March 1 or 7000 LingQ words, whichever comes first.
The first step is the hardest step. 
I will be having Skype conversations with friends. I will be drinking beer or bourbon during our conversation to make it more relaxed. I’m sure after my third drink, I’ll be AMAZING!!
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Im Glad we are on the same boat! lol i think that is a sound goal for me as well March 1st it is. Do you think like a language exchange partner that you don’t really know is better, I’m afraid my friend would probably hang on to every mistake i make and try to fix it on the fly vs just letting me talk
It really depends on you. I suggest that you are upfront about what you want from your conversation partners.
Even though linguistics research shows that constant correction doesn’t help much, many people insist on non-stop correction anyhow. I think that’s like asking to be tortured.
Personally, i want light correction-- if I’m really searching for a word or expression, i like to be helped out (just as if I was doing the same thing in English). Or if I say something that is totally indecipherable gibberish and nobody could possibly understand me.
But if it is something minor (for example, forgetting to pluralize an adjective), I’d prefer if my partner let it go.
If you use skype, you might just ask that corrections are only done via the text window, and not during the conversation because correction impedes the natural flow of conversation. This is what I do with the majority of my clients.
My other goal is to get paid to learn Spanish. I’m thinking about getting a part time job in a Mexican or Colombian restaurant, just so I can pick up more Spanish. I’ve been saying this for a year, maybe I’ll do it in March.
Already very good answers to your questions. I will add that time when working full time is valuable so I prefer to schedule paid lessons at my convenience. You should be doing 80% of the speaking. Don’t memorize anything just keep reading and do your best to express yourself during your speaking lessons. 1 hour per week was enough for me. You will improve overtime.