Three Ways to Let Go of What is Not Working for You

Today is the first day of the Jewish New Year, one of my favorite holy days of the year.

What I love about this holiday is the focus on letting go of what did not work for you in the past year. This ritual is called Tashlich, where we symbolically cast our sins into the water. I will be going to Sweetwater Park this afternoon with my friend Jane. We will use very small pieces bread to represent qualities you want to release from the past year.

This ritual of releasing what does not serve you lightens your mental load by leaving shortcomings behind so you can begin again with a clean slate.

The end of September is also the end of the third quarter. At the beginning of this calendar year, I imagine you stated a few goals and intentions for yourself. Now is a great time to check in to see where you are and what needs to happen to achieve the goals you want to achieve.

Typically I have my clients reflect on what they need to do to reach their targets. Because it is Rosh Hashanah, I am going to invite you to look at what you need to let go of to achieve your goals.

Which one of these scenarios would assist your process?

*If you have been procrastinating about getting started on the book you want to write, or business you want to start, why not try letting go of perfection and create a shitty first draft (thank you Anne Lamott) of your outline or business plan.

*If you are struggling to reach a specific goal, why not let yourself off of the hook for not reaching it and stop beating yourself up about it. Take a few moments to reflect on what steps you have taken to reach the goal – even if they are baby steps.  Once you do that, you’ll be able to readjust your strategies and move forward towards achievement.

*And then there is what we do to ourselves when our health and/or body is not where we want it to be. Here is where you can let go of comparison and create a plan and image that is in alignment with what you want for yourself, not what a magazine or your super fit sister looks like. Yes, I have one of those!

When you continue practices that do not work, you are heading straight for that place called insanity. Do something different and release a quality that is not serving you today. This will leave space for the next activity to come in and support you in enjoying many happy days and a fulfilling new year!