September 23rd, 2025

The Jewish calendar marks time differently than the one hanging on most of our walls. Instead of January, the year begins in the fall with Rosh Hashanah, literally, the “head of the year.” It’s both a celebration and a spiritual reset, often marked by eating apples dipped in honey to symbolize the hope for sweetness ahead.

But unlike a typical New Year’s Eve, Rosh Hashanah isn’t just about festive beginnings. It opens a ten-day window of reflection, called the Days of Awe, that lead into Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year: a full day of fasting, prayer, and honest self-examination. In Jewish tradition, it’s a time to acknowledge where we’ve missed the mark, make amends, and start again.

That’s where we find ourselves now, the last week before Yom Kippur. And this week comes with a challenge: it asks us to not only dream about change, but to ask what change really requires.

A true fresh start isn’t just about wishing things would be different. It’s about facing the patterns we’ve repeated, the lessons we’ve resisted, and the places life keeps testing us. Did you avoid the same tough conversations again this year? Did you let busyness replace presence? Did you keep quiet when your voice was needed? These are the moments worth revisiting. Not with judgment, but with curiosity.

In Judaism, the process of reflection and repair is called teshuva. While often translated as “repentance,” it really means “return.” A return to your best self, to the values you hold, to the person you know you’re capable of being. And teshuva isn’t about getting everything perfect. It’s about choosing, over and over, to step closer to alignment.

So as Yom Kippur approaches, the question isn’t only, What do I want to change? but also, Where will I be tested again, and how do I want to show up differently this time? Because life has a way of re-presenting the same lessons until we finally learn them.

And when you do, when you respond with courage instead of avoidance, patience instead of frustration, compassion instead of judgment, that’s when the new year really begins.

The beauty of this season isn’t in erasing the past. It’s in remembering that no matter how many times you’ve stumbled, you always have permission to begin again. With more awareness, more humility, and more intention than before.

And just like in work, the most meaningful growth often comes when we pause, reflect, and adjust. Projects, teams, and businesses thrive not because we never make mistakes, but because we’re willing to revisit what didn’t work, own it, and choose better next time. The same courage that fuels personal renewal is what allows us to lead with integrity, build trust, and create lasting impact in the year ahead.

L'Shana Tova- May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year,

Sydney Addis