One Word Resolutions and Your New Year Resolutions Essay

Do you ever see those “one word for the year” captions and posts on social media besides the usual New Year resolutions and goals?

Do you ever wonder: Hey, what’s that all about?

Well, let’s find out together. We’ll start with a short introduction to this 25-year practice – its founders, history, vision, and mission.

Next, let’s uncover the benefits of One Word New Year Resolutions, and why One Word is valuable throughout the year.

Then, let’s dive into how to discover your One Word New Year’s Resolution.

Lastly, let’s take the important action to commemorate your newfound One Word by writing your New Year Resolutions essay.

Along the way, we’ll share our own firsthand observations, recommendations, and experiences with the One Word practice over many years.

Ready? Let’s go!

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One Word Resolutions: A Quick Introduction

History of One Word

In 1999, Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page worked together at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), an international non-profit organization.

The three FCA colleagues created and designed the One Word concept as a fresh alternative to short-lived New Year’s resolutions and oft-abandoned goals.

At first, they established the One Word practice privately at home with their families.

Then, the One Word practice proved to have more lasting power than traditional New Year resolutions or goals.

So, the founders began to spread the good news publicly about the One Word program.

Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page later wrote the best-selling book, One Word That Will Change Your Life.

Expanded and illustrated, One Word That Will Change Your Life remains a best-seller today.

Following that success, Gordon, Britton, and Page have since written more books. Launched the annual One Word Challenge, a popular free challenge. And also added One Word journals.

Today, 25 years later, the One Word approach is now a foundational practice for simplicity, clarity, and change.

At home with family and friends. At school with students and teachers. And at work with colleagues and clients. In the community. In the world. And in your life.

Purpose of One Word

One Word applies to all dimensions of life – mental, physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual.

One Word means to evoke clarity, power, passion, and change.

Not only at the heady and happy start of the New Year in January. When everyone and everything bubbles with optimism and opportunity.

But also through all 12 months and four seasons ahead. During all the ups and downs that arise, the setbacks and successes that occur.

One Word vs Typical New Year Resolutions

Consider the flurry of New Year resolutions, goal setting, and self-improvement to-do lists – the enthusiasm of a new year, new you.

It’s exciting, isn’t it, to imagine the difference these good intentions – losing weight, eating better, exercising daily are three perennial favorites – would make when they could be sustained for the whole year.

Alas, too often these good intentions turn out to be unsustainable in the long run. Unfortunately, too often those self-improvement goals fall by the wayside.

Maybe you’ve experienced that lack of sustainability with New Year resolutions, goals, and to-do lists. We certainly have.

Main Benefits of One Word Resolutions

Here are the four main benefits of choosing One Word over the initial enthusiasm and inevitable drop-off of typical New Year resolutions, goals, and to-do’s:

• Simplicity
• Purpose
• Focus
• Effectiveness

In short, One Word distills endless list-making to a simple and clear essence. It builds a foundation for the entire year.

Quite simply, Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page believe One Word changes your life.

How? Because its simplicity, clarity, focus, and effectiveness can certainly crystallize and catalyze such change.

In truth, we’ve experienced that crystallization and catalyst for real change in our own lives.

One Word Ideas for Your Inspiration

Here are some One Word ideas to spark your creative thought process:

Act: Your One Word inspiration can be an imperative or an action such as:

• LISTEN
• LEAD
• SERVE
• BREATHE
• RELAX
• MOVE
• LEARN
• CREATE
• TRAVEL

Trait: Your One Word could be a quality you’d like to develop or improve; for instance:

• RESILIENCE
• EASE
• BALANCE
• PATIENCE
• ACCEPTANCE
• COMPASSION
• FOCUS
• SUCCESS
• STRENGTH

Emotion: Your One Word may also be a feeling or expression you’d like to deepen; for example:

• JOY
• FAITH
• HOPE
• LOVE
• PEACE
• CALM
• HAPPINESS
• CONTENTMENT
• GRATITUDE

These One Word ideas are just the start, of course, to spark your reflection and inspiration.

With a thoughtful mind and an open heart, you’ll surely discover your One Word.

Your One Word Discovery

Four Steps to Find Your One Word

Here are four steps in order to discover and choose the One Word for your one-and-only New Year’s Resolution.

Firstly, set aside the typical New Year resolutions. Put away the familiar traditional goals that are based on results and oriented to outcomes.

Instead, ask yourself perceptive questions such as:

• What inspires me and lights me up?
• When do I hear a whisper in my hopes and dreams?
• How do I want to make a difference?
• Where do I want to make a difference?
• And most importantly, WHY?

Your WHY is crucial. Because the WHY underscores everything.

Secondly, write down and reflect thoughtfully on your questions, answers, and priorities.

Thirdly, sift through the options and select the One Word that overall captures your most important answer and top priority.

Congratulations! You’ve discovered your One Word Resolution to commit and focus on for the year ahead.

Fourthly, write down your One Word, its meaning to you, and your WHY.

Let’s dive deeper into this fourth and final step. And WHY it’s so important to write it down.

Your One-Word New Year Resolutions Essay

The best practice is to write down your initial perceptive questions, answers, priorities, and One Word ideas.

Then, write down the final decision of your One Word, the meaning to you, and your WHY.

Capturing your thought process from beginning to end chiefly helps to consider, clarify, and commemorate the care and consideration you’ve invested in your One Word inspiration and activation.

Your essay about New Year Resolutions and your One Word serves as a valuable motivational reference during the current year. Furthermore, it’s an inspirational resource guide for next year and future years.

But let’s be clear: “Write it down” doesn’t mean that you have to write a long essay about your New Year Resolution. After all, this isn’t a middle-school assignment. No grades will be assigned.

The best length when “writing it down” is however short or long you wish:

Jot down a few bullet points, for instance. Maybe a paragraph. Or, yes, an in-depth essay.

The best way to “write it down” is whatever way you want:

Scrawl on scratch paper. Caption a post for your social media. Keep a notebook or a beautiful journal.

The choice is yours. Because the content and context matter much more than the length and the format.

At least make sure to write down your specific One Word, along with its meaning to you, and your WHY.

Creating this helpful and useful resource is a good idea, a guide for your current and future reference.

Our One-Word New Year Resolutions Essay

Every year, we choose One Word for both our business and our private lives. Because for us, the professional is personal, and the personal is professional.

Once it’s chosen, we commit in writing to the One Word Resolution, the meaning to us, and our WHY.

In other words, we write our New Year Resolutions Essay. Which, in fact, you’re reading right now.

As the months unfold, this essay about New Year Resolutions serves to reiterate and remind us of our One Word focus.

Then in December, we review our essay together before starting the One Word discovery for the coming year.

Our One Word in Prior Years

Following this practice for several years, our One Word Resolutions have previously included:

• NOW
• FOCUS
• INSPIRE
• OPPORTUNITY
• FORWARD
• COMEBACK
• LEAP
• SERVICE
• HEALTH

Our One Word for This Year

For New Year 2025, our One Word Resolution is SUPERPOWER. And here’s our WHY:

“Not all heroes wear capes,” the saying goes. Still, everyone has a unique strength, a special skill, that is their superpower.

But not everyone is always aware of their strength. Not everyone puts their skill into action. Not everyone wears the cape, whether visibly or invisibly. Including us.

This is the year to wear the cape. To put our strengths and skills, our SUPERPOWER, to good use. In other words,

“Lean into your superpower, and give power to your truth.” (Paul Kostadimas)

Our One Word Inspiration

If One Word succinctly states our intentional New Year Resolutions, then one poem especially expresses our purposeful leitmotif:

In 1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland, wrote the epic poem Ulysses. 

Two centuries later, Tennyson’s magnificent poem rings louder and resonates deeper at the present time than before.

Because it speaks to the triumphant spirit and ageless qualities, which are, not surprisingly, wonderful One Word ideas:

• Resilience
• Patience
• Determination
• Unity
• Faith
• Hope
• Love
• Gratitude

The closing stanza particularly conveys profound resolve:

“Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved heaven and earth, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

One Word Resolutions: In Conclusion

When you choose intentionally and commit purposefully to your One Word New Year’s Resolution, then its simplicity and clarity can crystallize and catalyze change throughout the year.

Your One Word Resolution focuses on and applies to all of your life’s dimensions – mental, physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual.

Your One Word New Year’s Resolution essay further helps propel you with purpose and power during the year.

May you explore and discover your One Word, define its meaning to you, and determine your WHY.

Experience its simplicity, purpose, focus, and effectiveness.

Be inspired by optimism, opportunity, and above all, hope not only on January 1st but also throughout the whole year.

So you may move forward with clarity, power, passion, and change despite life’s unexpected challenges and surprises.

May your One Word help you to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

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Sources and Recommendations

Gordon, John, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page, One Word That Will Change Your Life. Expanded edition, Wiley, 2013.

Gordon, John, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page. The One Word Journal: Your Weekly Journey for Life-Change. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2022.

Journal: Azure Dreams Journal. Peter Pauper Press, 2016.

Journal: Diamond Jubilee Sangorski and Sutcliffe Journal. Paperblanks, 2023.

Journal: Gilded Floral Journal. Peter Pauper Press, 2021.

Journal: Lunar Wilderness Journal. Peter Pauper Press, 2024.

Notebook: Paperage Faux Leather Notebook. Paperage.

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