Saturday, September 19, 2009

Despite what many people think, the theme that runs through the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the New Year and Day of Repentance, has less to do with the concept of "sin" as we typically think about it and more to do with goal setting.

According to human potential speaker Nina Amir, "The word for 'sin' in Hebrew, 'chet,' comes from archery and means a target or mark. At this time of year we are looking at the targets or goals we set for our own self improvement last year and if we hit the mark. Did we reach our highest potential? Did we improve ourselves?"

Thus, the theme of the holidays really is quite universal and applicable to anyone. It revolves around reviewing old targets, correcting targets we didn't hit, setting up new targets, and improving our aim so we hit more bull's eyes in the coming year. "This represents a self-improvement and personal growth exercise," she says. "Anyone can use the themes and practices of the Jewish High Holy Days to help them improve themselves and achieve their highest potential."

Here are some tips Amir suggests to help people perform the exercise of "setting new targets" successfully during the High Holy Days, during the secular New Year or at any time of the year.

1. Just as an archer needs to practice hitting the bull's eye, improving ourselves takes practice. It takes effort and conscious intention to accomplish this. So, spend time practicing.

2. When you evaluate your aim from last year, ask yourself why you are or are not hitting the bull's eye? This will not only give you an idea of why you aren't succeeding, it also will give you an idea of why you ARE succeeding in some cases. The latter provides a map to follow for future success.

3. List the reasons why you don't hit the mark. Then figure out ways to eliminate these issues. This will help you hit more bull's eyes.

4. Start the process of t'shuvah, which means return or turn in Hebrew. Return to your best self and then turn towards your goal. Who are you really? If you could be your best self, who would that be? Spend sometime answering that question, and then maybe create a vision board of your best self. Also take action steps to allow your self to unfold into the person who has reached their full human potential. We all fold up and become small for many reasons, hiding who we really are and who we can be. Unfold! Let people see every facet of who you are. This will help you hit the mark more often and will connect you to yourself and to God, which also will help you hit the mark.

5. Don't just set the same targets over and over again. Be sure your targets are really the ones at which you want to keep aiming. Then, when you have a few targets you really want to hit, for each one, list a few things you can do to move you closer to hitting a bull's eye, to achieving that goal. And write an intention statement to go with it. ("I intend to hit my target of...")

6. Discover what stops you from hitting the mark. Be really honest with yourself about why your aim off. Is there a reason you don't want to hit the target? Ask yourself, "What's the payoff for not hitting the target?" You might be surprised at the answer.

"You don't have to be Jewish to complete this process, nor do you have to do it once a year. Do this process as often as you like. Do it whenever you like. You can do it once a year, twice a year, or quarterly. It can be a monthly to-do item in your Day Timer," Amir concludes. "And make sure your targets include things that aren't just about tangible, physical real-world things. Include a few spiritual targets as well."

Nina Amir is the author of a High Holy Day workbook, called "Get Ready, Aim, Shoot, and Hit Your Bull's Eye This Year: A Spiritual Guide to Using the Jewish and Secular New Years to Reset Your Personal, Professional and Spiritual Targets." She is a seasoned journalist, author, speaker, and a conscious creation coach. Additionally, she serves as the director of public relations and outreach for www.CyberJudaism.org, writes a column as the San Jose Jewish Examiner.com, and appears once a month as the holiday and spirituality expert on Conversations with Mrs. Claus, a weekly podcast heard in more than 90 countries and downloaded by 110,000 listeners per month. She holds a BA in magazine journalism from Syracuse University's S.I Newhouse School of Public Communication with a concentration in psychology as well as being a certified rebirther and a trained Voice Dialogue facilitator. Through her writing and speaking, Amir offers human potential, personal growth and practical spiritual tools from a Jewish perspective, although her work spans religious lines and is pertinent to people of all faiths and spiritual traditions. In all she does, Amir strives to help people live fully and feel the Divine Presence in their lives every day.