Become inspired by some of the deeper meanings and customs that the Jewish New Year highlights

When you think of beginning a new year, you might immediately think of the parties, fireworks and other celebrations held on the last day of December. However, people who practice the Jewish religion celebrate the new year during a different month and in a different way.

The Jewish new year is called Rosh Hashanah and during this holiday, Jewish people all over the world gather in synagogues and participate in special rituals and prayers. Rosh Hashanah is also a time to reflect on the year gone by and to think about how the upcoming year can be better.

10 Powerful Ideas for Rosh Hashanah

Today in the spirit of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, here are 10 powerful ideas we can take away from this widely celebrated holiday.

1. Make time for new beginnings.

I highly recommend scheduling time in your calendar to reflect on what’s happened in your life since the beginning of the year.

• What lessons have you learned?
• In which area have you grown?
• Where can you start over?

Starting over can be an incredible opportunity to claim the present moment – the chance to be very aware of how all anyone has is right now. When something ends, whether you want it to or not, you’re the only one who can decide when that ending transitions into a beginning.

When you’ve first allowed yourself to acknowledge that seasons (therefore endings!) do exist, you’ll have an easier time stepping into what comes after. And maybe even believing that there are greater things that lie ahead for you.

2. Say ‘YES’ to new things.

Welcoming new things into your life also means saying ‘NO’ to old things that no longer serve you.

What kind of contracts, real or imagined, have you made and/or signed? What promises have you made to people? What have you agreed to do that gives you life and what have you agreed to because you felt like you had to?

Right now is a great time to rearrange and re-evaluate your contracts and agreements. Say ‘yes’ to the things that bring you life and ‘no’ to the things that don’t.

3. Change can be sweet.

When you think of change, what kind of feelings come up for you? Many people unconsciously fear and/or resist change. There can be a kind of comfort in the status quo, however, there’s often no real growth that happens when life looks the same year after year.

Every time something changes, there’s an opportunity to discover new insights about different aspects of your life. You learn lessons even from changes that don’t lead you to where you originally intended to be.

Being open to and even embracing change is a mindset.

You can begin to cultivate that mindset by reminding yourself that there’s more good to be experienced, more growth to be had and more life to be known beyond what you’ve already seen.

4. Changes that may seem sudden are part of an energetic process.

Your life can change drastically from one year to the next. Certain events can cause significant changes in a matter of weeks or even just a few minutes. Even the best-laid plans can be derailed.

Births, new friends or relationships, and new possessions are welcome changes. Others involve losses. Death, divorce or illness can be devastating.

What’s important to know is that, ultimately, there’s a much larger pattern at work.

Maybe, with time, you’ll recognize your boundaries more clearly. Maybe you’ll know how to better safeguard in certain business situations. Maybe now you’ll be aware of deeper needs that you were previously blind to. Whatever the change, there is most certainly a lesson to learn, and learning is never bad.

So do your best to go with the flow, accept what is and look for the lesson. When you do, dealing with unexpected change will be much easier.

5. You can start anew, even if you failed before.

Failure is a part of life. Everyone who learns how to walk has failed, but that doesn’t mean that babies give up when they fall down.

As adults, it’s common to fail in love, money, business or some other endeavor. While it might sound impossible or foolish to keep persisting, you just never know how close to success you actually are. What if you’re just a week away, or one solid effort behind?

It never hurts to dust yourself off and give it another go, but there’s nothing to be gained from giving up, other than a giant question mark with the dreaded “what if” attached to it.

Instead of throwing in the towel, take stock of what you did and what went wrong, and make some changes before starting over.

6. Find wonder in simple things.

Ralph Waldo Emerson took a walk every single day at 4:00. His goal was to find wonder in nature because he knew that nature was his teacher. What he found on those walks taught him all about life.

Children and pets are fascinated with the simple things that most people don’t even take the time to notice – a worm crawling across a sidewalk, a flower just starting to bloom or simply the clouds in the sky.

You, too, can enter into a deeper part of yourself by taking the time to find wonder in simple things.

7. You have something you can offer to others, regardless of your circumstances.

You are more than your current circumstances, bank account, history, etc. Believe that there is something you can offer today to enrich, empower and/or support someone else as you go about your day.

8. Sometimes it’s necessary to empty your pockets.

Imagine that you’re on a farm and you find a water well with a pump. You begin pumping and the water that initially comes out is dirty because it’s been sitting in the pipes for a while. However, if you keep pumping, you’ll soon receive fresh water.

As you practice giving, or “emptying your pockets” to give in the way that you feel guided to give, you will begin to tap into the fresh living water of spirit. You will feel uplifted and energized, and you will become more aware of an inner thirst to be alive.

9. Baby steps are okay.

The truth is that baby steps will take you all the way up Mount Everest if you just keep taking them. So notice all the times you’ve taken baby steps since the beginning of the year. Look at the progress you’ve made and celebrate how far you’ve come!

10. The power breathing you is the very source of the life you call your own.

You’re not breathing yourself by yourself. You don’t have the power to even make your heart beat one time. There’s a presence, a power – a source that we call life that’s moving into and through you right now, animating your physical flesh into the life you call your own.

Every one of us is a spiritual being, having a human experience. Spend five minutes or so today and ponder that.

The energy of Rosh Hashanah travels far and wide…

These ideas, regardless of your religion, are not really religious; they’re spiritual, and they’re highly valuable for each one of us. Take a moment and let’s give thanks to all our Jewish brothers and sisters who are on our planet, holding these energies for all of us.

This energy goes far and wide to help us all have a better place called planet Earth.

Take a moment, reflect on these ideas yourself, which can move you forward in your path to creating a life you love.

Now I have a question for you…

Out of the 10 lessons above, which one resonates with you the most and why? Go ahead and share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

I’d love to hear from you 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼