Happy New Year! Or should we say ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

It’s that magical time when we collectively decide to hit the reset button and declare,  «This is going to be my year!» Whether you’re committing to finally mastering Spanish, taking that dream trip or deciding on what career path to follow, New Year’s resolutions have been a time-honored tradition for many generations.

Our blog today dives into the fun history behind New Year´s resolutions and how they were actually created. We’ll also share some actually doable tips to make 2025 your best year yet!

The origins of New Year´s resolutions

It all started with the Babylonians around 2000 B.C. Unlike modern day traditions, they didn’t welcome the new year with fireworks or champagne. Instead, their big celebration, called Akitu, happened in mid-March, coinciding with the spring harvest. Their “resolutions” were promises to their gods, often related to repaying debts or returning borrowed items. Basically, ancient Babylon was full of people resolving to be better borrowers and farmers.

Fast forward to ancient Rome, where Julius Caesar, in 46 B.C., declared January 1st the start of the year. This was done in honor of Janus, the god of beginnings and endings. Janus had two faces – one looking back at the past and the other forward to the future. The Romans celebrated this transition by making promises to improve themselves, and offerings to Janus, hoping for a good start to the year.

By the 20th century, the tradition of New Year’s resolutions had evolved into a largely secular practice, focusing on self-improvement rather than divine promises. Today, we no longer look to gods for guidance but instead turn to motivational tools and apps to help us stick to our goals for a better year.

How to make achievable New Year´s resolutions

Make It Specific (and Rewarding!)

Vague goals are hard to follow. Instead of saying to yourself » I will finally learn Spanish this year»  try something like » I commit to learning 10 new Spanish words every week.» And don’t forget to reward yourself for sticking to your plan! Maybe that means a nice weekend away with friends or family after sticking to your language lessons for two months.

Buddy Up!

Everything is more fun with a friend! Find a resolution buddy to keep each other motivated. Whether it’s hitting the gym together or joining forces on learning a new language, sharing the journey (and the laughs) makes it more enjoyable and way less likely that you’ll quit.

Use It in Real Life

The best way to stay motivated in language learning is to put it into practice. Whether it’s chatting with native speakers, traveling, or joining a language exchange, using your skills in real-life situations makes the process more rewarding (and less of a chore). This is one of the reasons our school always offer cultural activities for our students, we love to give them the opportunity to continue practising the language even outside of the classroom.

Set a Cultural Goal

One of the most exciting parts of learning a language is discovering the culture that comes with it. Along with your language goals, why not aim to explore the music, films, food, or literature of your target language? For example, try to watch one Spanish film a month or cook a traditional Spanish dish as part of your language immersion! You will learn new phrases, important vocabularly and be able to incorporate all of this into your lessons and conversations with native speakers.

This year, instead of the usual New Year’s resolutions, why not focus on something that will enrich your life and open doors to new cultures and experiences? Language learning is an incredibly fulfilling goal that not only exercises your brain but also connects you to people and places all over the world.

As well as learning a new language, you could also participate in an internship or a language immersion program with our school. We have all of the resources and experience to help you engage and indulge in Spanish culture as well as gaining both personal and professional experience. To take a look at our big variety of programs, please click this link.