Why can’t we just focus on the positive?
If we’re sitting at a business meeting, and we’ve had a pretty good quarter, why can’t we just soak that in and celebrate? Why do we also have to go to the downside and consider how much better we could have done? Why spend precious energy considering what we didn’t accomplish? Let’s celebrate what we did accomplish instead of bemoaning what wedidn't!
Closer to home: I’m a better-than-decent parent and spouse; I do a lot for my family. Can't I just celebrate that, and not pine over how I could be better?
While it’s important to be satisfied with our accomplishments, and to be content with our respective lot, there’s a possible downside to that attitude: Complacency. In and of itself, self-satisfaction won’t get us to move off our own dime. If we’re fine where we are, why complicate things?
When I genuinely process how much more I can accomplish, I may feel temporarily bummed (since I’m not where I could be in life), but I should also be encouraged. Recognizing that I can do better means I have more ability than I originally thought. It means I have more success in my tank, waiting to be tapped.
That’s the heart of the Rosh Hashana attitude.
Rosh Hashana is a happy day. It’s a holiday when we celebrate our loving relationship with our Creator and the profoundly meaningful purpose in our creation. We each matter to G-d, because we each have something very special to bring to the world. That’s something to soak in and celebrate.
At the same time, Rosh Hashana is a time for thoughtful introspection; a time to consider the gap between the potential beauty in our lives and the actual. It’s a time to think about how much closer we can feel to our Creator - all year round - and how much more we can do to find the purpose in our existence.
That may be sobering, but it should also be empowering.
Rosh Hashana is around the corner. Stop in to services. Take some time to close your eyes and think, and to contemplate some of the liturgy. Grab life by the horns and seriously consider who you’re not [yet]. It’s a time for growth, and G-d is cheering you on.