My "ONE WORD"

          A friend of mine shared an email with me recently. The email was from her principal and contained a short YOUTUBE video about a motivational project known as ONE WORD. In addition to a ‘project’, “One Word” is also a book written by Mike Ashcraft, senior pastor at Port City Community Church in Wilmington, NC.  

          The concept of Ashcraft’s “One Word” campaign is for individuals to pick one word that will inspire them all year. As Ashcraft points out on his website and in his book, one word is more, simple and feasible to stay focused on than a list of goals, objectives or resolutions. He believes that picking just one word can bring your life, career, family and the way you live into perspective and keep you focused on what matters most.

          This concept got my attention immediately and I knew the exact ‘one word’ I needed to choose for my own one word journey…my one word is “TODAY”.

          You see, I have spent most of my adult life thinking about ‘tomorrow’, ‘next week’, ‘next month’, ‘next year’. I focus on so many future events and I analyze so many ‘what if questions’ that I rob myself of the daily blessings I should be enjoying.

I focused for months on whether I would ever get my degree and then once I did, I began to focus on whether I would ever find a job. Now I have a job and I am focusing on ‘how will I teach all these standards’ and ‘how will my students perform on these new tests’.

          It’s overwhelming to live in the future. When I investigated this ‘One Word’ campaign on my own, I evaluated all my goals, hopes, worries and plans in search of my ‘one word’. I realized that I could not mentally process and ponder all the issues and goals I have at one time. I chose the word, ‘TODAY’ to remind me to focus only on what is happening each day. To make my plans, face my fears and address what is occurring in my life on a daily basis.

          ‘TODAY’ is liberating. ‘TODAY’, I can handle. ‘TODAY’ I can make a difference. Growing up in church, I have heard the Bible verse from Matthew 6:34 quoted a thousand times, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” But trying to actually ‘not think about tomorrow’ is difficult for me. I am a planner, I like to know what’s going on and I want to do things right and reach my goals.

          I am ecstatic to finally have a job teaching third graders, but I am also nervous. I really care. I want to do a great job. I want to be a positive influence. I want to see them succeed. I know that obsessing and worrying will do nothing to accomplish any of my goals. It will only make me anxious and fearful, two emotions with which, unfortunately I have great experience.

          I am choosing to hang on to ‘TODAY’ when I feel overwhelmed. ‘TODAY’ will be my mantra, my one word. I will teach ‘TODAY’. I will do my best ‘TODAY’. I will enjoy and embrace ‘TODAY’. There will be times when I might cry ‘TODAY’ or feel frustrated ‘TODAY’, but I know I can be victorious ‘TODAY’. Tomorrow, next week, next month…well I really can’t focus on the future if I am giving all my efforts to the present-- and the present will need all my efforts.

          This is going to be a tough challenge for me because I am by nature impatient and I’ve always wanted a crystal ball (although I would be too scared to look into it). So if you see me fretting or notice me getting off track, take a second to simply say, “Shelly TODAY” and you will help me greatly. I know I can handle ‘TODAY’ and if I can stay there I can be exactly what God wants me to be each and every TODAY.