Author promotes developing ‘Holy Habits’ for living our best life.
Rabbi Cohen says daily decisions lead to Holy Habits. “Life is not made up of major moral decisions, but it’s made up of small moments when I choose to be either a giver or a taker. Do I choose to be honest or maybe to cut a corner? The philosophy behind this is that we’ll never have the strength to make the choices that are the right choices in the bigger moments unless we recognize that we need to get in the habit of making good choices that reflect our values and principles all the time. And here’s where I talk about Holy Habits. Because when we’re in what I call, ‘the groove,’ we are attuned to really making sure that we’re making choices based upon our value system. If somebody doesn’t have a value system, then every moral choice becomes up for negotiation.”
One way to develop habits that reflect our value system is to practice them. In his book, the rabbi suggests that rather than donating one sum of money to a charitable organization, get into the habit of giving every day. For example, if you choose to give $100 for the year, instead, give $1 a day for 100 days, developing what he calls, “the Momentum Factor.”
Acknowledging the challenges and chaos in the world, Rabbi Cohen says the uncertainty can create a sense of paralysis and anxiety. “One of the choices that we have is to just lament the situation in which we’re in. Jewish mysticism teaches us that our role is not to lament the darkness but to increase the light. If I meet someone or pass by someone and our faces meet, a possibility emerges for a soul connection and a moment of eternal impact. Even if I cannot change the world, I can change the world of one person. That little bit of light that I create, that act of kindness, that smile will have an impact that will then transform potentially that person’s life and slowly one by one, the universe begins to change from that. So, to me, that’s a very empowering message.”
He also promotes meditation to connect with the wisdom of our higher selves. “Sometimes there’s so much noise, that we don’t have an opportunity to listen to our inner voice. Whether that’s walking, sitting in the park, saying a prayer, fly fishing, whatever it is, the important thing is to turn off the outside noise to listen to our inner voices. I’m a strong believer that leading a life of legacy is not about imposing something from outside of us, but about unlocking what is inside of us that sometimes we fail to listen to. That’s where meditation is so important on a consistent basis, because it gives us the space and time and bandwidth to tap into the highest aspirations we have for ourself.”
To create a life of legacy, Rabbi Cohen recommends reverse engineering our lives by taking a look at the end product, deconstructing it and rebuilding it. “I’ll ask people to do an exercise: If we have five words that we want to be remembered by, what would they be; if we had 24 hours to live, what would we do and why? Identify what is that life you want to lead. Keep that front and center. One of the principles in the book is called, ‘Living Inspired.’ Living inspired means that we recognize that every day is a gift and that the real value of life is not in days passing but in moments and memories that we create. In many ways, that’s the way that we reverse-engineer our life. Too often, life goes by and we say, ‘Wait a second, where did the past year go?’ But if we can be fully present in each moment that we experience, create a memory of a lifetime, reach out and do acts of kindness. Those are ways that we cannot stop time, but we can slow down time to make the most of the gift of every day.”
Here are five ways Rabbi Cohen offers to live a life of impact and legacy:
Reflect. “Set aside time to reflect on the best version of yourself. Take 30 minutes a week to think about how you want to be remembered.”
Practice gratitude. “Create a gratitude journal. Make it a habit every day to write down one thing you’re thankful for. Do this once in the morning and once at night.”
Reach out to somebody. “Whether it’s a phone call or a text, let someone know how much they mean to you. Thank people in your lives who made a difference in your life.”
Create an “Elijah Moment.” Elijah was a prophet who encouraged others. “Make it a habit every day just to smile and ask somebody how they’re doing. Small acts of kindness really make a difference in somebody’s life.”
Pray. “I believe that none of us can get anything done with only our own efforts, but there’s a higher power. I’m here as God’s ambassador to maximize my potential and to share God’s light with the world.”
“What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone? Creating a Life of Legacy,” is available on Amazon. QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
To hear more, visit Zonie Living: Developing Holy Habits for Living our Best Life with Rabbi Daniel Cohen at StarWorldWideNetworks.com
Leave a Reply