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Are you a 19%-er? A New Year's Resolution to 'Get a little help from your friends.' Everyone knows how hard it is to keep a New Year's resolution. According to the Wall Street Journal [WSJ], only 19% of those who make a resolution actually stick to it. Why is it so hard to be part of this 19%? WSJ suggests 6 steps to make our resolutions stick, and here is the one that really hit home -- "Get a little help from your friends." Consider the story of someone who wanted to build an appreciation for the good things in life. This person decides to enlist a group of friends to do something simple. Every morning make a list in a pocket-sized journal of three things for which he is grateful. Recent entries: playing golf with his sons; a morning run with his dog; a hot shower; a deep relationship with his wife; a busy schedule; learning yoga; reading torah; the taste of fresh coffee; a sunset. Part of the solution to keeping his resolution is a daily check-in with this group for a few minutes to see how the journaling is going. Someone willing to be there and ask: "Hey are you still on track?" This is also part of the point of being connected to a community, to "Get a little help from your friends," or think of it as the "affinity" that bonds you to someone else, what the Warsaw Ghetto Rebbe [WGR] calls dibbuk haverim. Between the WSJ and WGR, I've been inspired with our recent initiative of Salons. It's a chance to get a little help from your peer group, those you may share carpools, dinners, sports events with but want to connect with more. Both the Rye Salon and the Scarsdale Salon offer different experiences to different groups of people searching to deepen their connections. Along with your friendly neighborhood rabbi, Howie Bender has organized a group of men passionate about exploring their spiritual identities as men, while Carla Ifrah has organized a group of couples with an interest in learning and practicing Kabbalah and Meditation. While my hope is that these monthly moments are a chance to engage with the rabbi and explore our Jewish identities, I know that far more important is the recharge we get from the support we get from friends. As our communal conversation continues, I hope each of us will consider how to get more connected to each other. If one of our existing JCCH Salons interests you, then please get in touch with Howie Bender
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, or Carla Ifrah at
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. If not, maybe you have a group of 15-20 JCCH couples that already share a common bond or affinity? If so, explore whether there is something more we can get by sharing together and be in touch with me. Getting in touch with our interests and connecting with others is a crucial part of making our community that vibrant place we yearn for. Join me as we get one percent closer to that 19% soon!
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