Happy New Year. A common new year tradition is to make a resolution. It’s a promise to yourself to do something that will be better for your overall well-being. However, according to author John Gordon, 9/10 people fail their new year’s resolutions. About 50 % of those people fail before the month of January is up.
Gordon created a new approach called the one word challenge. The concept of this challenge is to stick to one word that you will follow throughout the year. Gordon was told about this idea by his friend which he then turned into a challenge to spread awareness. This trend started 14 years ago when Gordon wrote a book called “One Word That Will Change Your Life.”
Coach and Spanish Teacher Daniel Vargason of Atlantic has adopted this tradition and brought it to his basketball team as a way of including “self-reflection and self-improvement” among the players as well as staff. Vargason said, “Instead of a specific goal, you choose one word that is more broad and can be applied to many areas.”
Sticking to a one-word resolution has allowed people to stay inspired throughout the year. Sophomore Peyton McLaren said, “You can’t necessarily fail your resolution word from one day, because whether you notice it or not, you most likely did something in the category of your word.” This challenge allows for mess-ups and improvements because rather than a clean-cut goal you are able to try again. “The word is a reminder that you get a choice in how you handle things,” said McLaren.
Junior Addie Freund is participating in this challenge and selected the word ambitious. Freund said, “I chose ambitious because there are a lot of times when I catch myself going through the motions with a lot of things or cutting corners and I want to push myself to be a better person instead.” Finding motivation has been a key point in the purpose of this challenge and why this has become a trend within the Atlantic basketball team. Mclaren also chose a word and participated in this trend. “I chose the word intentional because sometimes I go through the motions of things or forget why I do what I’m doing. Being intentional will keep the purpose for what I do in my mind and help me do it with purpose,” said McLaren.
The point of the One Word Challenge is not supposed to be focused on one area of your life, but you as a whole, which is why this has become a trend. This is why it has been a great addition for the basketball team. Freshman Journey Seffron is trying this resolution for the first time. Saffron said, “I can use this word in and outside of basketball which is why I thought I should find a word.”
“The years I have done the One Word Challenge, I have followed through on it throughout the year pretty well, ” said Vargason. Finding ways to stay motivated and keep your goal in mind is also an important factor to meeting goals. Vargason said, “I try to write it in places throughout my house like on mirrors, on the fridge, and make bookmarks, etc. to have as reminders all over the place. I also try to pick words that I actually need to improve on so it stays at the forefront of my mind.”
The One Word Challenge is meant to do the same as resolutions and help change your mindset for the better. Vargason said, I think it has made a big impact. For example, one year I was having issues with patience and my temper so I chose the word patience. I made it a focus to work on being patient and actually bought some books on how to be better at dealing with tough people and situations.”
Sharing a resolution or in this case one word with people is another way of holding yourself accountable. Vargason said, “By choosing the word, sharing it with the team, and making it my focus, it forced me to improve. If I had moments where I was not being patient, I had people around me remind me of my words or I thought about what example I was setting by not living up to my word.” Players have also felt this same result by sharing with their teammates. Junior Katrina Williams said, “ It was nice knowing that I was sharing it with people who can keep me accountable.”
The reason that the basketball team has opted for this resolution rather than a typical one varies but can be summed up to the fact that it is easier to apply and keep track of. “ I shared this with our team because I feel it’s a good habit to get into and I think it’s a really easy way to improve. I think everyone should constantly try to improve and picking a word that is meaningful individually allows you to choose where you can improve throughout the year and sharing it with the teams allows you to have a group of people who can remind you and help you with your goal. Sports are a great place to learn and grow so using your sport and your team is one of the best ways to implement this concept,” said Vargason.
Players also used this as a bonding strategy. Finding strength in confiding with each other is another benefit to this challenge. Freund said, “I felt like it was a good way to show the underclassmen that it is okay to recognize your downfalls and address them and I hope they use the one-word strategy throughout the year instead of forgetting about it because it does have a very good effect.” In short, the basketball team has enjoyed this challenge that they have added to their yearly routine. Growth, bonding, improvement, and motivation are all benefits of doing this. Freund said, “So far this year my word is affecting me in a good way, my attitude is better and I’m pushing myself harder in basketball and school.” Seeing results like this should encourage everyone to try the One Word resolution challenge.
