Each holiday is a powerful and important cosmic window offering specific energies. Yom Kippur begins next Tuesday at sundown, and we can connect to that energy and harness it in our lives. On Yom Kippur, we want to direct our consciousness to that of overwhelming joy, gratitude, and positivity.
Here are four powerful commitments you can make during this window in time:
1) Commit to kindness.
We are the ones who decide what the year will bring for us. Perhaps through our combined efforts to care and be there for each other more, we can tip the scale towards greater positivity in the coming year, both for ourselves and for the world. Being kind, no matter what, is an excellent place to begin! If you feel your kindness slipping into judgment, choose empathy.
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” -Brad Meltzer
Anytime you meet someone, you have a choice. You can either stubbornly insist on seeing the person in relation to your own desires, wants, and needs (where you may perceive him as an obstacle or a pain in the neck). Or you can regard each person as a being just like you–one who longs for happiness and yearns to be free from pain. You have the choice to either embrace others or to cut them off by paying attention to only those aspects of behavior that may affect you at any given moment. Instead, practice consideration for what may be going on in others' lives.