Do you celebrate Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish ✡️ New Year?
The timing of the Jewish New Year has always made a lot of sense to me. By September, most of us are done with summer vacations.
If you have children in school (something largely in my rear-view mirror), September is a good time to refocus on work.
If you are Jewish, this is the season to take stock in what changes you would like to make in your life. What will you do to be sure that you are “inscribed in the book of life” for another year? How will you become a better person? What positive personal habits do you want to cultivate?
As a coach, I also know that the start of the year is a popular time to make professional and personal changes. Many new clients reach out in September and in January.
For me, this has been a particularly meaningful year professionally.
⭐The ABA published my book Think Like a Lawyer, Act Like an Entrepreneur.
⭐I was honored to come in first in three categories in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Reader Ranking Awards (what I like to call the “Triple Crown of Coaching”—Lawyer Outplacement, Business Development Coach, and Executive Coaching).
⭐And my coaching practice continues to thrive.
But all of this is happening against a more sobering backdrop. Around the world, wars continue in the Middle East and in Ukraine, bringing untold human suffering. Here at home, we have seen disturbing attacks on the rule of law, on science, and the continued demonization of immigrants and marginalized people.
So over this past weekend, I decided to seek my own renewal in a simple way—by challenging myself with a hike in the Blue Hills Reservation outside Boston. I hadn’t done any real hiking since before the pandemic, and I wondered if I still had the stamina to climb for two hours. I had just read Bill Bryson’s book about hiking the Appalachian so I was inspired!
I managed to complete the hike, enjoyed a panoramic view of Boston on a beautiful fall day (see photos below), and did it without listening to music or podcasts. My phone stayed in my pocket except to check the trail map and snap a few photos (which of course I texted to my family).
Seeking renewal in the new year might be about things you want to change at work. But just as important is taking the opportunity to reflect on what you want from life personally. Being out in nature is a great time to do that.
While I’m not that observant (though the passing of my parents at the start of the pandemic gave the concept of the “book of life” new meaning to me), I’ve come to appreciate that the Jewish New Year creates one more opportunity each year for a fresh start. If you screw up in September, there is always January.
I’m excited for 5786 as I continue to coach great clients. And if I lapse somehow, personally or professionally, there’s always 2026.
Best wishes to all of my Jewish friends and colleagues for a sweet new year—and to anyone else who is simply embracing the promise of the fall season.