Happy Hebrew New Year
If I timed this correctly, some of you should be reading this on New Year’s day. Now that may sound a little strange since we’re nowhere near January. Instead, we are coming into April. And according to Exodus 12:2, this is when Yahweh said we should start the year, and He called this month the month of Abib. (Exodus 13:4)
The month of Abib is full of Biblical awesomeness. Yahweh plagued Egypt and brought the children of Israel out of slavery. He parted the red sea and the following year He moved into the Tabernacle for the first time ever. And then, of course, the death and resurrection of our Messiah took place during this month. Hope and the promise of great things to come have always been at the center of Abib.
Something I love about celebrating the Hebrew New Year is it gives me another opportunity to set goals. Interestingly enough, Abib falls at the beginning of the second quarter. If you’re like most people, this is when you’re either in the thick of working toward the goals you set in January, or you have already let some slip.
If the latter is true, it’s OK. Goals are meant to give you a destination as well as a point of reference. Once you have a point of reference, you can adjust your course in life as needed in order to reach your destination. So, if you have some goals that have slipped, it’s time to readjust and get after it.
Speaking of adjusting, I made an adjustment a few years ago that I feel to be very beneficial. What I decided to do was to only set business goals in January and then wait until Abib to set my personal goals. This has been very advantageous to me because it keeps me focused and motivated in a deferential manner.
What I mean by that is once upon a time, like many people do, I spent multiple weeks evaluating the business for the previous year and then a lot of time setting goals for the coming year. By the time I got through with all that, even though I was super pumped and ready to get after those new goals, I realized my creative energy was tapped out.
As such, when I went to go do my personal goal setting, I had a real hard time going through the process. Plus, it was easy for me to get overwhelmed with all the goals. And I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed, I employ a tactic called creative avoidance. And I don’t want to brag, but I’m really good at coming up with things that “need” to get done when I don’t feel like working on the one that should get done.
Now, by doing business planning in January, and personal planning in Abib, I don’t get overwhelmed, I stay focused, and I get more done professionally and personally. That’s because by the time Abib gets here, I’ve already spent an entire quarter getting settled into the work associated with the business goals. By then, they are often in maintenance mode. And that frees up my creative energy for me to use on myself and my family planning. And it has made a huge difference.
Even if you did all your goal setting in January, Abib is still a fantastic time to revisit the goals you may have set and adjust as needed. If you didn’t set any personal goals, there is no time like the present. To get started, review the following seven areas of goal setting:
- Spiritual, 2. Health, 3. Family, 4. Relationships, 5. Finance, 6. Education, 7. Fun
Ask yourself these three questions in each area to find out what you did last year:
- What did I do? 2. What went well? 3. What would I like to improve?
These questions will give you a realistic idea of where you stand in each of the seven areas right now. And based on “What would I like to improve,” you’ll be able to set some meaningful goals that will propel you forward to personal success.
That being said, before you begin brainstorming about goals, let me challenge you with this poem by Jessie B. Rittenhouse.
“I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However I begged at evening when I counted my scanty store; For Life is just an employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have paid.”
When you set your goals, you are bargaining with life. And like it says in the poem, life will give you what you ask. Make sure you dream big enough that you’ll be satisfied with what you get paid.
I am excited for the coming year, and I pray that you find what you are looking for. And let me be the first to say, “Happy Hebrew New Year!”
Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.