Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work

What If?: Facing Fear

This chapter was written during the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: the Jewish “Days of Awe.” At this time, Jews are encouraged to look at themselves as honestly and objectively as possible, to determine where they have fallen short, to seek forgiveness from those whom they have hurt, to fix the damage that they may have caused, and to resolve to improve in the New Year. If this process is truly embraced, then one will stand before his or her Creator in atonement. Judaism is by no means unique in this process. There seems to be a universal acknowledgment that we, as human beings, need a ritualized structure that helps us to commit to personal growth. Every significant religion that I know has a similar process—a ...