Smile
On Chanukah I resolved to refrain from biting my nails for all 8 days. It worked. For the most part, I successfully stayed away from my nails for the duration of the holiday. Then, I slowly reverted back to my bad habit. Chomp, chomp.
Was it worth it? I think so. Firstly, it showed me that I can do it if I really want to. (Hopefully, I'll really want to again soon.) Secondly, it introduced more discipline into my life.
Costco recently conducted an online poll, asking their members around the world about their personal New Year's resolutions. (As a rule, I'm not a big January-1st-New-Year’s-resolutions kind of guy, but I am all for personal growth. So, anytime I can throw something at the wall of personal growth and see what sticks is a good time for me.)
In the most recent Costco Connection magazine (page 26), I read about some of the results of that online poll. Two distinct thoughts came to my mind.
Of the six resolutions that were highlighted in the magazine, three were food-related. Lose weight, eat a healthy breakfast or eat less red meat. That figures. After all, the number one New Year's resolution in the world is to lose weight. But I struggle with that fact. After all, I recognize food is a huge part of our lives. (According to Google, there are approximately 15 million restaurants in the world!) But is food really such an integral part of our personal growth journey that it deserves so much attention from resolution-makers? After all, does healthy eating contribute to meaningful living? Perhaps it does. I guess that a goal of losing weight can be viewed in a similar vein as my nail-biting resolution, by virtue of the fact that it brings discipline into our lives, similar to the concept of kosher eating, I guess.
Another one of the six featured resolutions (from someone named Hitesh Shah) was, "To be a better person than I was the previous year." I love this sentiment. Don't we all want to be better people! But the reason I struggle with this one is because it's not specific enough. In the sidebar of the same Costco magazine article was a sidebar titled, "Tips to make your resolutions work." The three tips were:
1. Keep our actions small and concrete.
2. Take that next small step.
3. Self-change is a process. Forgive yourself for not being perfect.
Here's my 2019 resolution game-plan:
Resolution: Become a happier person.
Action point: Smile and hug more.
Strategy: Do not go to sleep each night unless I've smiled -at 3 people and hugged at least one person. (Wide smiles and tight hugs!)
Invitation: Join me!
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Koval
