Top 15 New Year’s Resolutions in Spanish
Today’s the day to choose your new year’s resolutions in Spanish. This has been a tough year! You’ve made it all the way here, and you’re ready to prepare for 2023 with a fresh set of New Year’s resolutions.
As a Spanish learner, you’re well on your way to a better understanding of the language so you can crush it this year!
Let’s take a look at the best New Year’s resolutions in Spanish for you to learn and get some ideas on what to plan for this year.
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Why Are New Year’s Resolutions Important?
New Year’s resolutions in Spanish will not only help you set self-improvement goals, but also improve your ability to express yourself in Spanish!
Having New Year’s resolutions in Spanish is important because, as people, we’re always trying to better ourselves. Whether it’s going to school, reading a book, or even the news, we’re always learning and improving.
Why Are Resolutions So Hard to Keep?
You’ve probably experienced this yourself, or you’ve most likely seen the New Year’s memes. Keeping a resolution all the way through the year is hard. Many people start strong with their goals only to drop them weeks after they begin, right?
According a study by NPR, 68% of people kept their New Year’s resolutions, or at least part of them. That’s way more than you might be led to believe. What is helping all these people follow through? One of the main factors, as we’ll discuss next, is motivation.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
In organizational psychology, two common terms describe worker motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.
Intrinsic motivation doesn’t have obvious external rewards. Intrinsic motivation comes from within and it moves you to do the things you want to do. This is the most powerful motivator of the two.
Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors—things that come from the outside to help you move along.
Here are some examples of each kind of motivation:
Intrinsic Motivators
- Writing in your diary because you want to express yourself
- Exercising because it makes you feel good
- Reading about biology because you’re curious
- Learning Spanish because you love languages
Extrinsic Motivators
- Writing an essay for extra credit in school
- Exercising because your best friend goes to the same gym
- Reading about biology to pass tomorrow’s final
- Learning Spanish because you need to speak it for work
Sometimes we see extrinsic motivation as something that “doesn’t work” or as a substitute for intrinsic motivation, but this simply isn’t true. Extrinsic motivation can be very powerful and useful, especially when you fail to find intrinsic motivation on your own.
That’s why New Year’s resolutions in Spanish are so important!
It’s an opportunity to get some extrinsic motivation going and hopefully set you on a path to becoming a better you.
Top 15 New Year’s Resolutions in Spanish
Now that we know a little bit about motivation and New Year’s resolutions in Spanish, Let’s take a look at some common and interesting resolutions so you can practice your Spanish and get some ideas in the process.
1. Hacer Más Ejercicio
Hacer más ejercicio is the most common resolution. Hitting the gym, jogging, or doing some martial arts are all different ways to help you with this resolution. Staying healthy is important, so it’s no wonder this one is the most popular goal every year!
2. Hablar Más Español
Todos nos beneficiamos si hablamos más español. (We all benefit if we speak more Spanish.) What’s a better New Year’s resolution in Spanish than learning Spanish? You can achieve this by reading our blog, learning with one of our certified teachers, or looking at some of the top 10 free Spanish courses online to get you started.
3. Perder Peso
Perder peso is also a common resolution, but if you’re too skinny like me, then your resolution can be ganar peso instead. You can achieve either through proper diet and exercise.
4. Comer Mejor
La comida es deliciosa. Existen maneras de comer mejor. Eating better doesn’t necessarily mean eating yucky food. These days, tons of healthy and delicious recipes are available online to try out for yourself.
5. Aprender a Cocinar
Speaking of eating better, another great New Year’s resolution in Spanish is aprender a cocinar. You can achieve this by getting a chef to teach you, looking at a recipe book, and going grocery shopping for the right ingredients.
6. Gastar Menos Dinero
Last year the bills were too high. That’s why this New Year’s resolution in Spanish is gastar menos dinero. Maybe then I’ll be able to afford that shiny new car I’ve always wanted.
7. Manejar un Presupuesto
Gastar menos dinero is not the only New Year’s resolution in Spanish that’s going to help me get that new car. I also need to manejar un presupuesto. This means I have to make a plan and map out my spending habits for the month so I can end up with a nice sum to save up each time a new paycheck comes. Preparation is everything!
8. Viajar
You can travel in your own country, or take a plane and go somewhere far away as well. Viajar is on the fun side of New Year’s resolutions in Spanish, so pack your bags, say hasta luego to your loved ones, and go see the world!
9. Leer Más
Just by reading this post, you’re already making progress for this New Year’s resolution in Spanish. But don’t stop here! Read more posts or grab a book in Spanish like El Principito or Don Quixote and get started on the path of knowledge!
10. Pasar Tiempo con la Familia
The holidays are the perfect time to pasar tiempo con la familia. But it doesn’t have to stop there. Call your mom or dad, get together with your cousins, and remember to send your grandparents lots of love. La familia es muy importante para los Latinos.
11. Ser Puntual
A lot of Latin Americans struggle with this one. In Guatemala, we have something called la hora Chapina, which is a silly way of saying it’s OK to be a half-hour late to something. But as time passes, more and more people value ser puntual, some even making that their resolution for the year.
12. Escalar Un Volcán
This is one of my favorite things to do outdoors. Escalar un volcán o una montaña requires good physical condition, but a good mindset is half the battle! Get your hiking boots ready, pack some snacks and a bottle of water, and get ready to be one with nature.
13. Ser Más Amable
If your New Year’s resolution in Spanish is to ser más amable, you might want to start by holding the door open for the person behind you at the café, giving nice compliments to people, and validating their emotions. We can always use more kindness in the world, so this is a great resolution!
14. Iniciar un Huerto
If you want to develop a green thumb and have a garden of your own, iniciar un huerto is one of the best New Year’s resolutions in Spanish for you! Grab some seeds and grow your garden. Tomato and black beans are easy crops to start with, but I also recommend growing your own herbs. There’s nothing like eating food fresh out of your garden.
15. Tocar un Instrumento Musical
As Shakespeare said, “If music be the food of love, play on!” If you want to play on yourself, you can aprender a tocar un instrumento musical. The most common ones are guitar, piano, and violin; but if you’re weird and quirky you might want to give the didgeridoo or the hurdy gurdy a shot, too.
Nuevo Año, Nuevo Yo
Every time the earth completes a cycle around the sun it’s a cause for celebration. Every hour of New Year’s day, there are people hugging each other, essentially making a worldwide hug wave that follows midnight through all time zones.
This year, things are going to be a bit different, but if you live in the same house as someone, make sure to remind them how much they matter to you.
What’s your New Year’s resolution in Spanish? Let me know in a comment! If that resolution is to learn Spanish, start now by taking a free class with a native Spanish speaker at Homeschool Spanish Academy!
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