Just 21 days can make or break a habit, according to Dartmouth on Purpose, a student organization that promotes student well-being and self-improvement. About halfway through the group’s 21-Day Challenge, almost 400 students, faculty and staff are participating, striving to live more mindfully.
Participants set personal self-improvement goals at the start of the program and follow through by attending several motivational milestone events, including a free Mighty Yoga session last Saturday and a meditation workshop on Feb. 5.
Some students pledged to quit drinking, eat with strangers and live more sustainably, Maria Sperduto ’14, a founder of Dartmouth on Purpose, said.
Health professions program pre-health advisor Sarah Berger will lead a workshop on mindful eating on Wednesday, as many students set goals related to nutrition.
Dartmouth on Purpose offers participants a support network and sends daily motivational blitzes, said Maria Sperduto ’14, one of the group’s founders.
“In our hectic lives, we sometimes forget to take the time to appreciate the fact that we are actually bodies, and eating is good for our minds,” she said.
Jonathan Brown ’15, a coordinator of the 21-Day Challenge, said the group was pleased that student goals have been characterized by awareness and vows for self-improvement.
The degree of difficulty of the challenge is less important than the experience of mindfulness, he said.
Brown said that the group did not anticipate the program’s popularity and originally expected student participation to be one of their greatest challenges.
The group kicked off the 21-Day Challenge with an event in Collis Common Ground on Jan. 18 that featured a performance by the Sheba dance troupe and complimentary burritos.
Maddy Thornton ’17, a member of Dartmouth on Purpose, said she believes that purposeful living and a balanced lifestyle are particularly important for Dartmouth students due to the fast-paced nature of the quarter system.
Participants have responded positively so far, though sometimes they find it difficult to maintain their motivation, Thornton said.
After a conference on motivation and self-awareness last spring organized by Emma Smith ’13, Sperduto, Sam Bauer ’14 and Noah Smith ’15 launched Dartmouth on Purpose in the fallto continue promoting mindfulness practices.
Sperduto said she felt that Dartmouth’s hectic academic life often prevents students from being able to focus on themselves and their priorities.
“Regardless of your definition of success, by living in line with your goals, you’ll be more proud of yourself, and you’ll just be happier,” she said. “The more you respect and care for yourself, the more you can do the same for other people too.”
Christiana Johnson ’17, a member of Dartmouth on Purpose, said partaking in the 21-Day Challenge has helped her focus on her goals amidst the fast pace of campus life.
Sperduto said that mindful and purposeful living could have far-reaching effects in the Dartmouth community.
“It could reduce a lot of negative things that occur in our community, as a lot of our greatest problems here start due to a lack of mutual respect,” she said.
The article has been revised to reflect the following corrections:
Correction appended: February 4, 2014
Because of an editing error, the article initially said that Emma Smith ’13 created the student group. In fact, Smith's conference inspired the group's launch. The story hasbeen revised to correct the error.
