My word for 2014 is choose.
And it came out of a reading assignment that was part of an amazing 6 week yoga series hosted/taught by my friend Alex. (Ok, so I haven’t finished reading all of the Upanishads, but I did read a few of them. I’m a terrible student.) And this passage, from the Katha Upanishad, has just stuck.
Everything we do requires us to make a choice.
Do I get up and work out or do I hit snooze?
Do I skip the salad in favor of the fries?
Do I play with my child and hear his laugh or do I check my phone for the 100th time that morning?
Do I make the choices that grant me joy? Or am I choosing something that gives me brief pleasure?
In my bigger decisions, I strive to choose the harder right over the easier wrong. That is something that has stuck with me since the first time I heard the Cadet Prayer in 1995. However, in the smaller areas of life, its the little, daily decisions that I want to focus on in 2014.
I’m planning to participate in a year long, guided reflection surrounding my word – choose – in the hope that I live with this word. That I live this word. That I can be open to observing and participating in how life can unfold for me with this year-long centering thought.
So here’s to 2014, and to choosing joy.
Love it. I’ve been choosing a word for a few years now and enjoy it much better than any resolution. My word for 2014 is gracious. I want to be more gracious at work. I want to be more gracious to myself. I want to cultivate a gracious home. I want to find a ‘generosity of spirit’ and extend that to myself and others. Can’t wait to hear how your word shapes your year! Be well, my friend.