3 Easy Mantras for Sparking Change
Wondering how to create real, meaningful change in your life? Rabbi Sherre Hirsch shares three simple rules for getting unstuck.
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1. Shift your focus.
There's a story from the Jewish tradition about a man who says to the rabbi, “I'm overwhelmed. I've got a wife, a house full of kids—I can't handle it." The rabbi says, “Bring your chickens inside to live with you." Then he tells him to bring in a goat. Then a cow. Just when the man's really going crazy, the rabbi tells him to let all the animals out. The next day, the man comes back and says, “Life is so sweet!" Of course, it was the exact same life he had before. The only thing that had changed was his mindset.
2. Start small.
God began the creation of the world with a ruach, a wind—like taking a huge breath. It was something so simple, but that one breath allowed God to turn darkness into light.
3. Believe.
Often people can't make a decision because they think the outcome has to be perfect. If we took perfect out of our vocabulary, we'd heal the world. You may not get exactly what you want, but this decision will lead to the next, and one day they'll add up and you'll think, "Now it makes sense." It's about faith, which isn't the same as optimism. Optimism is believing that everything will always turn out great. Faith is staying in the game.
Rabbi Sherre Hirsch is the Chief Innovation Officer for American Jewish University and the author of two books. Her latest is Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life's Transitions to Live Fearlessly and Regret-Free.
There's a story from the Jewish tradition about a man who says to the rabbi, “I'm overwhelmed. I've got a wife, a house full of kids—I can't handle it." The rabbi says, “Bring your chickens inside to live with you." Then he tells him to bring in a goat. Then a cow. Just when the man's really going crazy, the rabbi tells him to let all the animals out. The next day, the man comes back and says, “Life is so sweet!" Of course, it was the exact same life he had before. The only thing that had changed was his mindset.
2. Start small.
God began the creation of the world with a ruach, a wind—like taking a huge breath. It was something so simple, but that one breath allowed God to turn darkness into light.
3. Believe.
Often people can't make a decision because they think the outcome has to be perfect. If we took perfect out of our vocabulary, we'd heal the world. You may not get exactly what you want, but this decision will lead to the next, and one day they'll add up and you'll think, "Now it makes sense." It's about faith, which isn't the same as optimism. Optimism is believing that everything will always turn out great. Faith is staying in the game.
Rabbi Sherre Hirsch is the Chief Innovation Officer for American Jewish University and the author of two books. Her latest is Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life's Transitions to Live Fearlessly and Regret-Free.
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