Inspiring thoughts have a way of finding us from time to time. Every once in a while, maybe while driving down the highway, listening to music and allowing our mind to drift, our brain will flash a motivating thought. We’ll get a mental snapshot of who we can be, empowering thoughts about upgrading our behavior, and we'll resolve – for the moment - to live a more meaningful life.
In most cases, that inspiring ‘lightning bolt’ fades and disappears from view pretty quickly.
So, should we see those moments of conscience and focus as 'flashes in the pan'? Or can they yield substantive results, helping us toward a better future?
The answer is up to us. While the inspiration is a gift, actual change takes work. So, when we’re inspired, when the flame of personal transformation illuminates our minds, we need to take advantage of it and anchor it in action. We need to ask ourselves: what can I do – NOW - as a step, albeit a tiny one, toward that image in my mind?
The steps can be small, as long as we keep on moving. As the story of the tortoise and the hare illustrates, incremental, consistent steps are a more secure way to reach the destination of a ‘better me’ than sporadic leaps and bounds. So when that figurative 'light bulb' goes off in your head, resolve to act in a meaningful but manageable way, so that the momentum can be maintained.
When we choose a realistic goal and take a deliberate step toward that goal, we can celebrate a personal victory and continue forward by building on that victory.
The service of the Chanukah candles, in which we begin with a single candle and add a candle from night to night, teaches us that incremental growth is healthy growth.
Chanukah is an eight-day exercise with an eye on infusing inspiration for the rest of the year.
So what do we do after day eight, when Chanukah is over? Our conceptual Chanukah lights need to keep burning, even after the Menorah is packed away.
The miracle of the oil, where the Menorah continued to illuminate beyond its natural capacity, can be our personal story.
This year, let’s make it a year of light and inspiration. Let’s take Chanukah with us.