As teachers we take delight and pride in seeing our learners succeed, not just in our classes but also in their personal lives and into the future. Much of this depends on their ability to ‘see the bigger picture’. Learning is hard and to stick with it, even when there is no teacher around, requires finding reasons to put in the effort. Learners are not often asked to do this and so don’t develop the skill to question why they are doing what they are doing. It is therefore important to consider ways to give learners greater control over their learning, and to do so in such a way that prepares, supports and ultimately empowers them to become more autonomous (Reinders, 2020). In this article we will look at practical ways to help learners become aware of their own and teachers’ reasons for learning and see how this focus on personal learning aims forms an ongoing, iterative (recurring) part of the autonomous learning process.