Elul And Reflecting On A Year

 

We are currently about a third of the way through the Jewish month of Elul. Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and personal stock-taking. I am someone who can't get enough of such personal stock-taking and have looked forward to Elul for the past few years. 

I find fall is the perfect time to start taking stock before the Jewish New Year. (Honestly I really enjoy having a month to review my past year and using September, October, November, and December to try out New Year resolutions and see if I want them for 2024 or if they need to be modified)

I get a daily email throughout the month of Elul via the Jewish Studio Project with reflections and journal prompts. One such email was around celebrating small victories.

It can be exceedingly difficult to recognize the ways in which we’ve changed from year to year. The pace of transformation is slow and our memories are short. That said, sometimes we re-encounter a challenge and we have the opportunity to see ourselves respond differently. This happened to me in the last couple of weeks, and while, on some level, I would have preferred not to experience the frustration and sadness again, I did have the opportunity to witness my growth. I was undeniably less reactive, more accepting and more patient. I share this not to toot my own horn [insert shofar joke], but to say that noticing our small victories, celebrating our successes, is an important way of keeping track of the ways in which change really happens. (Rabbi Jordan Braunig)

When thinking about the past year (last Elul to now) I found my successes fell into two main categories:

Growing Social Connections

• Joined Three Avenues book club
• Joined two library book clubs
• Joined a monthly craft class at library

Growing Vocationally

• Got a new freelance client and now for the first time get bi-lines for my work (which is amazing and makes showing examples of my work much easier)
• Going through an amazing job interview process which while did not turn into a position did leave me feeling encouraged and like I do have skills and talents that I bring to the table

It really is neat to think back on my small sucesses from the past year. It is nice to see I have grown in the past year and wonder in what ways I will grow next year. My hope for everyone is that you continue to grow gradually into the most connected, loving, and kind person you can be.