New Years Resolutions: Los Propósitos de Año Nuevo
January is a time of fresh starts when many set ambitious goals to improve our lives.
But let’s be honest: how often do those resolutions stick? If you’re like most people, the excitement fades by February, and your goals become a distant memory.
I have a love-hate relationship with Los propósitos de año nuevo. They bring out my inner perfectionist and I almost never keep them. Still, every January, I’m tempted to jot down ways to improve, try something new, or quit a bad habit.
This year, my goal is to expand my Spanish teaching business online. Talk about ambitious! I’ve been mulling this over for quite some time. But I’ve been hesitant to dive in.
Despite 30 years of teaching experience and co-authoring four Spanish textbooks, moving online feels daunting. The tech, the marketing, the challenge of building a warm community that doesn’t meet in person — it’s all new and outside my comfort zone.
And yet, I’m done considering it. I am ready to make it happen!
Over the past year, I’ve been taking online business classes and I joined some online entrepreneur groups. But now it’s time to get busy putting all I’ve learned into practice. This is the “hard” part.
I always tell my students to embrace discomfort when trying something new –like speaking another language– and see mistakes as necessary learning opportunities. F.A.I.L.: First Attempt In Learning.
Now it’s time to take my own advice and put all I’ve learned online into practice.
So I’m going to focus on progress over perfection, habits over goals. I know I may not get it all right initially, but I’m scrappy and I’m looking forward to the journey.
If one of your 2025 goals is to move beyond apps and really learn to speak Spanish, I invite you to do the same. Shift your focus to small daily or weekly habits that involve authentic communication. Focus on becoming imperfectly conversant rather than fluent. This leads to lots of messy, imperfect and FUN conversation that can start on Day 1!
In my next post, I’ll share tips to help you achieve this!
¡Manos a la obra! Let’s get to work!
Cynthia
