Choosing a word for the coming year is a habit I picked up from another online community and in recent years have discussed with fellow yogalilans.
I'd been talking about it for a while with my friend Lianne , who first pointed me to this post by Christine Kane. Since 2003, I've found that that single word can help bring intentions into focus and become a guiding force, or principle, for actions and choices made in the emerging year. Last year was the first time my word of the year did not ring true - I chose "lighten", as a form of "enlighten", and perhaps I learned that a few letters can attenuate the power and intention of a word so as to reduce its meaning. Perhaps I was hoping for a little levity also, of which I did not get nearly as much as I would like.
This year, I'm keeping my upcoming goals and challenges in mind as I consider my next word of the year. I am in the second year of an M.Sc. program, in the thick of a research project I will be repeating in the spring. The project is a ten week activity intervention (including yoga) with measurements taken before and after, thus taking 12-13 weeks to actually execute, not including recruitment and screening or the time it takes to do assays or analyses. Thus, my timeline and potential outcomes are not at all clear to me, and much like Andrea, in her recent blog post about her broken crystal ball, I see stretching before me a long line of tasks, without an accompanying sense of clear timeline or direction, or even, in the bigger scheme of things, purpose.
So whether by way of command or entreaty, to myself or to others, here's the word that now comes to me: Reveal, though I'm continuing to think about it, and see if anything else is calling for attention.
What word, or words call now to you? I invite you, and my fellow yogalilans, to share what words are rising from the subconscious to consciousness, to act as a guide for the coming year.
