“I’m So Excited…..
and I just can’t hide it”*
At the end of 2021, we excitedly made resolutions/promises to ourselves with an eye towards reaching our dreams and goals.
We began the New Year 2022, with lots of enthusiasm towards reaching those dreams and goals. Inevitably, for most, that enthusiasm will wane over time.
Here are some thoughts for keeping the fire burning
There are lots of new beginnings. There is a new year, a new month, a new week, a new day, hour, minute…… Each new is another opportunity to reignite the enthusiasm you had at the beginning of the last new. If we celebrate each new as another opportunity, we can renew that enthusiasm and keep it burning. So cherish the new of every new, and renew with each and every new.
“The beginning is embedded in the end, and the end is embedded in the beginning”. – Sefer Yetzirah 1:7
With every new, remind yourself of your dreams and goals. Think about what the goal was and why it’s important to you. Visualize how it will feel when you reach that goal. Create a word or mantra as a reminder to be regularly repeated and throw on another log. With those reminders you will keep the enthusiasm in the present.
Most Important
Be grateful for each New that you are given!
Remember the words of the Tightrope Walker who said when asked how he gets across
“It’s simple. Before I begin, I find an object on the other end and focus on it. I don’t dare take my eyes off the object while I’m walking. I don’t look to the right, I don’t look to the left, I don’t look down. As long as I focus on my goal, I make it across”.
Now with all that enthusiasm, remember that it is the Doing!! “Wishing and hoping… and planning and dreaming”**, – “Won’t get you where you want to go”***. It’s the doing that will get you the results.
If it’s worth starting, it is worth that much more when you finish
Your power is in your follow through
Your persistence says how much you want it
“When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done”. — Lou Holtz
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Grateful Be Healthy
* from “I’m So Excited”, The Pointer Sisters
** from “Wishing and Hoping”,Dionne Warwick
*** from “Words of Love”, the Mamas and Papas
Looking To 2022 With 2020 Hindsight
with 2020 in Hindsight
2021, was indeed another challenging year, first with some hope from vaccines, and then concerns with variants. So another year to put behind us, except for the lessons we hopefully learned.
A continuing and constant thought on this site is that we have no control over what comes our way, we only have control over our response. 2020-21, with the pandemic, certainly made the point of the “what comes our way” part. It was an extra challenge for the choosing our response part. It made it in a commanding and global way. It came to everyone. Everyone was/is affected. Yet, we must remember that we always have a choice in our response.
You Cannot Lower Your Mountain, You Can Elevate Yourself!
You Can Always Choose to Elevate Yourself!
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstances, to choose one’s own way”. – Dr. Viktor Frankl from “Man’s Search for Meaning”
Soooo….. let’s choose to approach the New Year with this attitude
Let’s look to 2022, with the hope that the pandemics challenges are at least mostly behind us and we can soon return to normalcy (whatever that was and whatever it will be).
For this New Year, let’s do more than just wish. Let’s make this a “Happy New Year”. Let’s make this the year where our deeds make our wishes reality. A year where we tap into “all of our possibilities” and potential to become the human we were destined and created to be. A year where we each do our part to make our world a better one. No matter what the circumstances are.
Make 2022 your best year ever…so far!!
Healthy and Happy 2022 To All
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Grateful Be Healthy
Choose Wisely
You Don’t Have To Be Jewish To Enjoy Eating Latkes *
You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy eating Latkes (potato pancakes fried in oil) and you don’t have to be Jewish to gain from some of Chanukah’s lessons and miracles.
Jews all over the world are now celebrating Chanukah, a true celebration of many miracles. From the victory of a small band of men fighting for the religious freedom of the Jewish people against a very large and well equipped army. To one days worth of olive oil used to light the Menorah (candelabra) for rededicating the Temple, which then miraculously lasted for eight days.
Here are some of my favorite lessons that apply to all
The miracle of the victory and of the oil burning for eight days represents light overcoming darkness, both literally and figuratively.
The holiday is commemorated by lighting oil or candles on a Menorah. This is done for eight nights, The first night one light is lit. Each night one more light is added, thereby increasingly bringing more light to vanquish the darkness. How exciting is it, that when the fifth light of the eight is lit, there is now more light than darkness. A reminder for us to continually and increasingly bring more of our light to all.
At nighttime, Jews place their lit Menorah in doorways or windows to bring light to the dark street and to all who see it.
“A little light will dispel much darkness.” — Tzeda LaDerech
On the Menorah is a head candle called the Shamash, which is used to light all the other candles. The Shamash lights the other candles without losing any of its own light. Like the Shamash, each of us can bring our light to all whose lives we come into contact with. We all have that power through acts of goodness, kindness, and charity. More than like the Shamash, not only do we keep our light when we share it, we actually shine brighter!
“From one burning candle many candles are lit, yet its own light is not diminished.” – The Sages
Of all the special qualities of a pretty and delicious olive, its essence is found in its oil when lit, producing light. In order to get to the olives essence, it must first be crushed to produce the oil.
So too in our lives, we sometimes are, or feel crushed – by pain and suffering, illness, fears, loss, …….. Just like the olive, it is in those moments that you may find your essence and with it bring your light to the world.
Happy Chanukah
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy Be Thankful
*Another updated “Oldie But Goodie”
Happy Day of Giving Thanks 2021
We so quickly and casually say “Happy Thanksgiving” that we often miss and forget that it’s a day for actually Giving Thanks. Of course, so is every day and so we begin everyday with Thanks. When we Give Thanks, we have a happy day.
No matter what else is going on that may trouble us, we always have something to be Thankful for! That you woke up today is the first thing to be Thankful for. That means you were given more time. You were given more time, because you are still needed.
Taking a moment to think about that which you are thankful for, creates a feeling that is healing.
What are you Thankful for?
Who are you Thankful for? Let them know!
Thank You for being a friend of The Spinning Rabbi and Fred Fox😊
Wishing You A Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy Be Thankful
Innie Or Outie*
Not do you have an “Innie” or “Outie” but are you an “Innie” or “Outie”?
In other words, are your thoughts, speech, and actions predominately innies or inner-directed, or outies or outer-directed. Inner-directed as in solely for the benefit of I, which is not souly, or outer-directed as in for the benefit of others, which is souly? Are they directed towards what you can get or what you can give.
Inner-directed leads to the dead ends of anger, envy, and/or depression. Outer-directed leads to an open and never-ending road, with the top down, and lots of sunshine. It is the road of giving of yourself to someone or something other than yourself. It is the road that leads to being Happy then Happier…..
“being human always points, and is directed, to something, or someone, other than oneself—be it a meaning to fulfill or another human to encounter. The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself. What is called self-actualization is not an attainable aim at all, for the simple reason that the more one would strive for it, the more he would miss it. In other words, self-actualization is possible only as a side effect of self-transcendence”. – Dr. Viktor Frankl from “Man’s Search For Meaning”
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy
*An “Oldie but Goodie” re-posted
Do You Want to Have A Good Day
I recently saw a quote that said “Wakeup thinking something great is going to happen today”. That quote sounds good. It evokes excitement for the day and hopefulness. That’s good, although it can lead to disappointment.
If that’s what you’re thinking when you wakeup, what happens when the day is over and “something great” didn’t happen? Then, as you lay your head on the pillow and close your eyes, you won’t feel contented.
What happens if the “something great” that you hoped for doesn’t happen for days and days? The disappointment might lead to hopelessness, anger…..
We too often think about what we want to get, instead of what we can give
Wakeup with these thoughts to create a truly good day
Wakeup each day by being thankful and grateful. First and foremost be grateful that you woke up. For that means that you have been given more of the most precious non-renewable resource of all—Time! You have been given time because you are needed, your life has purpose and meaning, and you matter. You are given this time to perform a good for one or for many. You are given this time because no one else can perform this specific good except you! Now that’s exciting! Next Thought…..
Think that today will be a good day because of all the good you can and will do today
So the secret to having a good day is to make it a good day. You make it a good day through the good deeds you do. You make it a good day by making someone else’s day better. Maybe, what you give of yourself to another is the “something great” for them? Then, as you lay your head on the pillow and close your eyes, you will feel contented, knowing that you made “something great happen today”!
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy
Keep Digging
Many, many years ago there was a famous geologist who traveled all over to study the soil and what might be found below. One day he came to a small village and began studying soil and rock samples around this village. He came to a certain spot and from his analysis there, he was certain that deep below would be found the most precious gem in the world.
He invited all interested villagers to come and dig on a certain day. He said that whoever found the gem could keep it, as all he was interested in was knowing he was right.
The day arrived and many showed up to dig and many to witness.
All the diggers began very enthusiastically. After a short while and only a few feet down, a few gave up. They said, “they hadn’t slept well”, they hadn’t eaten or hydrated”, they had an argument with their significant other, …….” and many other excuses.
The rest got down about one hundred feet, where it got darker, colder, and muddier. This caused some more to give up.
Another hundred feet or so down and more gave up. Some no longer believed that there was such a gem to be found. Some just decided that even if there was one, it just wasn’t worth digging anymore.
Eventually, there was just one!
As dark, cold, and muddy as it got, he kept digging. He kept digging deeper within himself to keep digging deeper underground. After hours and hours, suddenly he saw the gem shining and lighting a path to it. He got to it, took it in his hands, and hugged it. He was elated.
He climbed back up to the top as fast as he could. When he got there, he raised the gem to show it to the large crowd that was still there waiting for him. Some of those that had given up, were in the waiting crowd. They were disappointed, as they were hoping that he would emerge empty handed. The rest were cheering and cheering. They were happy for him, and never forgot his example.
He was offered large sums of money for the gem. He was a poor man and yet he refused to sell it. It was more precious to him as a reminder of what he accomplished and what he was capable of. He would look at the gem whenever he was pursuing another of his dreams, goals, and his purpose.
Which one of the diggers are you? Dig deep down within yourself and you’ll know which one you can be and truly are!
We’ve all been giver-uppers at one time or another. Let this story I made up, be a reminder as you dig for the gem in your dreams, goals, and purpose.
“Can you dig it” 😊
Finish what you start and that will make you stronger, healthier, better—Heart and Soul.
If it’s worth starting, it’s worth so much more when you finish
Keep Digging
Be Good Do Good Think Good Be Healthy
The Spinning Rabbi - Heart & Soul 