My personality traits are like numbers on a number line. There are an infinite amount of traits stationed inside my body, each contributing to the development of my unique personality. Every trait I possess is essential to my overall character, including the ones that are overshadowed by more dominant or significant traits like my creativeness or compassion. These traits are like the whole numbers on a number line as they are prominent and are used very often. The smaller, less noticeable traits like my goofiness or shyness are like the numbers with decimals; they are overshadowed by my dominant traits, but they do hold significant value in certain situations.
So when a person asks me to name a trait that describes me, I look at this person dumbfounded wondering if there is any sort of way to describe myself in only one word. I can list multitudinous words, but I cannot mention only one. Although, when I do feel as though I should give the person one specific word or trait that describes myself regardless of how difficult it is, I typically tell them a hidden “decimal point number” trait: competitiveness.

Competitiveness is a trait of mine that I express on a relatively frequent basis. However half the time I do not even realize I am evincing it, it just happens. Competitiveness in my opinion is more than just having a game face throughout an entire tennis match. It’s more than just having the best grades in one’s friend group. It’s more than just being nominated for Homecoming King or Queen at Minnechaug’s annual Homecoming dance. It’s about determination and passion in accomplishing personally meaningful activities.

I tend to be competitive in the majority of the things I do. Whether it’s tennis or writing for my school's newspaper, or even keeping up with my social life in the halls of Minnechaug, competitiveness just comes naturally to me. Like I mentioned previously, sometimes I don’t know if I am actually being competitive because it in fact is a natural occurring trait.

I however am not competitive in the “I have to beat everyone at everything because I have to be perfect” kind of way, but rather in the “I want to accomplish many things in my life and succeed at the things I do” kind of way.
My competitiveness is most elevated when I am writing for the school newspaper, which I have been doing for all of high school, allows me to share my ideas with many other people. I learn so many techniques that I can apply to my life. I learn how to be precise. I learn how to be outgoing and talkative. And most importantly, I learn how to be competitive.  

Competitiveness and journalism are like pen and paper: neither will function in their intended fashion without the other. Journalism is a highly competitive field. There are multiple people who wish to contribute to the prosperity of newspapers, among other journalistic professions, who all strive to write the best articles. People want the best articles so that more people will read their writing. Not to mention the fact that there is also a much higher chance of the article appearing on the front page and who doesn’t want to see their name right on the front of the paper? I know I do. 

There have been some instances where I wished to write a particular article for the paper and somebody else had already gotten assigned to write it. I do get a little upset, especially when I see it land on the front page, but that’s journalism. It’s competitive. If I don’t speak up, then I won’t be assigned the article. That’s how it works. So if there is an article I particularly want to write, I need to speak up from the beginning.

Competitiveness is a big part of who I am. I want to be the best I can be. In order to do that, I must be competitive. Competitiveness is what gets me further in life, particularly in my aspiring journalism career. It has taught me how to be precise and how to speak up for what I want.

So even though it’s tough for me to answer the question, “What is one word to describe you,” because of the infinite amount of traits I possess, I can say however that one word can be competitiveness. Typically a “hidden decimal point” trait, competitiveness is just as important as my “whole number” traits like my compassion because it allows me to succeed so that I can get ahead in life. I need “hidden decimal point” traits. They may be small and foreshadowed by my “whole number” traits, but they hold a fire that burns brightly in my sole.