One afternoon in 1996, I was seated upstairs in what is now known as the old public library in Port-of-Spain studying for my upcoming CXC examination when a group of boys wearing QRC school uniforms walked in.
The group of about five sat at a table opposite to me and, I noticed one of them grab the day’s newspaper and start to do the crossword puzzle.
After a while, the boy completed the puzzle, closed the newspaper and carried on doing something else.
That blew my mind.
I had never seen someone actually do, far less complete a crossword in person before.
And what made it even more spectacular to me was his nonchalance to the extraordinary feat.
Some 25 years after that incident and I honestly still cannot say that I have ever completed a crossword puzzle.
However I do know that the New York Times is renowned for its iconic crossword which was launched 80 years ago.
Earlier this week, Times added a word game to their lineup that I do play.
Popular word puzzle game Wordle was bought by the New York Times for a low seven figures, the company said on Monday.
The premise for Wordle is simple enough.
Every 24 hours there is a new pre-determined five-letter word of the day, and you have six chances to figure out what it is.
To guess what the word is you have to submit a five-letter English word.
When this is done the tiles of each letter changes to let you know if they are in the correct answer.
A correct letter turns green, while a correct letter in the wrong place turns yellow. An incorrect letter turns gray.
Wordle was created by software engineer Josh Wardle as a gift to entertain his partner Palak Shah.
In October the game was released to the world.
By November only 90 people had played the game.
It has gone viral since then.
Wardle said the game, which has millions of players now, has gotten bigger than he ever imagined.
In a Tweet Wardle said: “It has been incredible to watch the game bring so much joy to so many and I feel so grateful for the personal stories some of you have shared with me–from Wordle uniting distant family members, to provoking friendly rivalries, to supporting medical recoveries.”
“On the flip side, I’d be lying if I said this hasn’t been overwhelming. After all, I am just one person, and it is important to me that, as Wordle grows, it continues to provide a great experience to everyone,” Wardle said.
“What’s nice about Wordle is how simple, pleasant and attractive the computer interface is,” Will Shortz the editor of New York Times Crossword said.
“It’s a great puzzle, and it doesn’t take long to play, which makes it perfect for our age when people have short attention spans,” he said.
I started playing Wordle a few weeks ago and here are some takeaways I’ve gotten from it.
Wordle is a good example that every failure we have can be a step forward in the right direction.
English polymath William Whewell once stated that “every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting form of error.”
Wordle proves that.
Society teaches that success defines us as people and organisations. Wordle helps us realise that once we are willing to learn from our mistakes that they can help us achieve the success we desire.
Wordle has also taught me to focus on today and don’t overthink and worry about tomorrow.
Matthew 6:34 says: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Wordle has given me a different perspective about this scripture.
Every day Wordle gives you a brand new challenge.
And the best advice is that we tackle those challenges as they come.
Working in the newsroom we are faced with the challenge of creating a new product every day.
Every day’s paper is different from the day before.
Wordle, as my brother Jason says, also shows us that we can take different paths to reach the same goal.
While I have used the word “AUDIO” as my starting word for the majority of games I’ve played, others have other techniques and somehow we all tend to reach where we want to reach.
We are all individuals, with different personalities and different work habits.
Lead Editor Business Curtis Williams can attest to that in his team.
When dealing with this, business strategist Tony Robbins has advised focusing on the goal at hand.
“When you’re working on how to deal with different personalities in the workplace, your team’s shared goals are the ultimate unifier. You’re all on the same team–this is what’s behind the concept of ‘team players.’
“Working as a team doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your opinion to avoid rocking the boat or back down from co-workers who are more dominant or assertive than you. Working with different personalities just means prioritising your ultimate purpose,” Robbins said.
Wordle has also taught me not to be afraid to celebrate your small victories.
One of the things that Wordle allows you to do is share your achievement without spoiling the fun for others.
Celebrating small wins is an important way to track incremental achievements and work toward much larger goals.
A study by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer titled ‘The Power of Small Wins “ showed that everyday life inside organisations can influence a person’s performance.
Researchers analysed nearly 12,000 diary entries from 238 employees across seven companies. They found that capturing small wins every day enhances a worker’s motivation.
And that simply recording progress in some way helps to boost self-confidence and can be put to use toward future successes.
Wordle has allowed us to connect in a world now focused on distancing.
“With only one Wordle released per day, everyone is solving the same puzzle. The online game’s sharing options also allow us to share our results with others without giving the answer away,” University of Calgary psychologist Penny Pexman has stated.
“That means Wordle is also creating an opportunity for shared experience at a time when many people are feeling disconnected from others,” she stated.
Pexman said Wordle isn’t just an opportunity to occupy your idle brain, but also a way to connect with others at a time when many of us feel distanced and lonely because of the pandemic then.
My family’s group chat has been inundated with updates on our Wordle progress.
A colleague and I are currently engaged in a direct competition to see who can guess the day’s word more quickly.
Finally the most important lesson I have learned from Wordle was on Monday when I did not get guess the word of the day.
This ended my 100 per cent winning streak, of which I was extremely proud.
The word of the day that day was “light”.
This loss taught me to dust off the disappointment and tackle the next day with vigour and a renewed spirit.
