Rest and Reflection

 Ancient Israel observed what they called shavat which is Hebrew, meaning "to rest." One day out of every seven they would change gears and would rest from their labors of the week. They would intentionally not work. 

What is perhaps more interesting is what they replaced work with. They would have symbolic ceremonies and recite holy writ. I believe these rituals and symbols were designed to help them look at the bigger picture, to see who they were, where they came from, and the direction they should be heading in.

I believe it is a good idea to take time out once a week to reset and refocus. Often times we get so wrapped up looking at the trees that we don't see the forest. There are some things I should think about at least once a week.

Who am I? Do I understand my purpose, mission, calling, dream, or vision for the future? What can I do to better understand who I am?

Where have we come from? What progress have I made that needs to be celebrated? What missteps have I taken that need to be learned from?

Once I understand who I am and where I come from, I can then make plans for the future. Where should I be going? What steps do I need to take to get there? What course corrections need to be made? What habits do I need to develop?

Weekly reflection on the past week and planning for the following week is an incredibly powerful habit to form. However, in similar manner, we can get so caught up in the week-to-week, that we miss the bigger picture. I think it is important to also do the same type of exercise on a quarterly basis as well as an annual basis. 

Many people understand the idea of making New Year's Resolutions. Taking the opportunity to look back over the last year and setting goals for the next year. Unfortunately, without the quarterly and even weekly reflection and course correction, most New Year's Resolutions die off sometime before the end of February (notice the gym is only really busy in January and maybe the first half of February).

If you haven't already, I would recommend observing shavat, and invest a day in rest, reflection, and planning as well as taking time every few months to look at the bigger picture as well as once a year. It will make your New Year's Resolutions much more effective as well as help you feel tremendous accomplishment as you make small steps every week that add up to amazing few months and incredible years.

Do you observe shavat in some way? Do you take a day a week to rest and reflect?