Yom Kippur 5784/2023

Today is Yom Kippur, my favorite holiday, which is known as the day of atonement. I like to look at today as not only a time to make amends to those we may have hurt, but to also look inward and begin a new chapter with ourselves. I choose to let go of what is no longer serving me, set goals for the person I strive to be in this upcoming new year and to begin to create new neural pathways (new patterns).

As it has become a tradition…here are some life lessons from the past year.

“Life is happening now. Enjoy the present.”

If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s change. A motto of mine since I was barely a teenager, is that the one constant in life is change. So many of us, are waiting…to go to the beach when we lose ten more pounds. Waiting to travel until we are done with college or until the kids are grown. Waiting for life to happen.

The right and perfect moment may never come.

Often, we are not present in our daily lives, because we are worrying about our future or preoccupied with thoughts of our past.

It’s time to follow our heart, chase our goals, and make the best of what we have. Get rid of ‘what isn’t’ and move towards ‘what can be’.  And remember that happiness is made up of a collection of small moments.

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

We have a choice in how we respond in any situation.  We can’t control the words that come out of another person’s mouth, but we can control our reaction. There’s that survival instinct, that when our brains sense danger, get triggered, and we automatically go into fight or flight mode. But we can choose to respond instead of react. Think before we act. A quote by Viktor E. Frankl, that is fitting for this life lesson is: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

“There is no glory in a grind that literally grinds you down to dust.”

Our society pushes a fast pace life. It can overstimulate and exhaust us. When we complete one task, there’s another one to begin. As we race against the clock, we reach our destination quicker, but lose the experience of the journey itself.  We praise people who keep pushing and pushing themselves, even when it can be to their own detriment. The hardest thing about prioritizing self care, is not feeling guilty about it. It’s ok to slow down….to set boundaries with others, but also with ourselves.

Here are my goals for the year 5784:

Make time for self-care

Learn something new as often as possible

Work towards moving 10,000 steps a day

Try and read ten books this year

Connect more to my faith and G-d

In the coming year, I strive to be the best I can be, love myself unconditionally, and always count my blessings.

I pray for peace, understanding and lots of love for one another, as we move forward…

Gmar Chatimah Tova! May you be inscribed in the book of life!

As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment below or feel free to email me at TheZenFashionista@Gmail.Com

To subscribe to my blog, you can click the subscribe tab at the top of this page, comment, or give it to me personally. I really appreciate it!

Until next time,

 

XOXOTheZenFashionista