New Year’s resolutions are extremely hard to keep. Take a minute to think about how many New Year’s resolutions have persisted for you…if you say “not many” or “none,” you are not alone! In fact, a health survey conducted by Forbes found that the “average resolution lasts just 3.74 months” (Davis, 2023).

When reflecting on past New Year’s resolutions, I am no different from the average person. So I decided to shift perspectives!

In 2018 I decided to choose one word that would guide my thoughts and actions for the year. The idea behind the #oneword challenge is that when you take stock of your life (past 365 days), how would you summarize it in one word? 

After hearing about this idea, I introduced the #oneword challenge to my middle schoolers and had them write their word in their agenda book (1) to keep themselves accountable and (2) as a reminder of the word they wanted to use to describe their year. Periodically, I would have students return to the page where their #oneword was written to reflect on whether their actions, words, and thoughts aligned to the one word they chose for themselves. To make sure that my students knew that I had skin in the game, I also participated in the #oneword challenge and shared my one word with them.

I even brought in a few good friends (middle school colleagues) to join me in the #oneword challenge. The more, the merrier. 😁

Having one word that guided my course of action, words, and thoughts came in very handy during the pandemic when my #oneword challenge almost became a sort of lifesaver. Suddenly separated from daily in-person contact and fear of the unknown added another layer of stress. But the #oneword that my friends and I each chose not only bonded us but also gave us something positive to focus on. Throughout 2020 and 2021, we would regularly share whether (or not) we were aligned by our #oneword which kept us accountable and gave us the opportunity to provide encouragement and support to each other as needed. 

And it was sorely needed.

Now the #oneword challenge is a bit different than creating a New Year’s resolution. I’ve found that choosing one word (e.g., trust, simplicity) instead of a resolution (e.g., regularly exercise, eat better) is more compassionate. It’s a mindset that guides one’s thoughts and actions. There is room for failure, opportunities for grace and empathy, and a chance for do-overs. After all, those who take on the #oneword challenge have 365 chances (or in the case of 2024, 366 chances – #leapyear) to live out their one word. But it’s not just enough to choose one word to describe your year; it’s important to think about why you’ve chosen that one word and how you plan to follow-through with it. By consciously thinking about your why and how, you are setting yourself up for success as you now have a game-plan. And, if you share your one word with friends, you now have an accountability system. 

Full disclosure, there are some days where the #oneword is front and center in my life, and there are other days (or consecutive days) where the #oneword is notably absent. Last year, my #oneword was present, as in I wanted to be present in the moment and not think about the past or future. But last year was a crazy year with family and personal obligations pulling me in a multitude of different directions. I found myself going down quite a few dark and long rabbit holes, but when I remembered my #oneword, it brought me back to my goal of being present, being in the moment. It reminded me to take a breath and just be. 

Aside from using #oneword to guide my thoughts, words, and actions, an indelible benefit of sharing my #oneword with friends is that when we get together at the end of the year, we share our ups and downs, our challenges and triumphs, the good, bad, and the ugly of our year. While we spend time in introspection, we also have a chance to build each other up, to remind each other that the #oneword is a guiding light and not an all or nothing deal. While we may not have lived by our #oneword for all 365 days, if we can define the pivotal moments of our year by our #oneword or even lessons on how we can do better with our #oneword going forward, then that’s what matters most in my book.

This year, I shared my #oneword challenge with a wider group of friends and family. It brought a smile to my heart to know their #oneword and the reason for choosing it for 2024. To what extent they will have achieved their #oneword challenge remains unknown, but you can bet that I’ll be reaching out to them come December 2024 to reflect on our respective #oneword journeys.

In case you’re wondering, my #oneword for 2024 is JOY. It was inspired by the Bible verse James 1:2 which begins with the phrase “Count it all joy.” I chose this #oneword because no matter what life throws my way this year, I want to find joy in all of the things. I won’t pretend that it will always be easy to find joy, but I am putting it out there to the universe that I will make a concerted effort to find joy no matter the circumstances. I will reframe my thoughts and find the silver-lining, if need be. To help with this, each day I plan to write down one thing that brought joy–with the idea that by December 31, I will have 366 reasons for being joyful with the life I have.

For today, my JOY is sharing the #oneword challenge with you. ❤️

References

Davis, S. (2023, December 18). New year’s resolutions statistics 2024. Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-years-resolutions-statistics