Today I had to tell my daughter news she wouldn’t like. It wasn’t particularly bad, but kids are kids and we all have our triggers. Predictably, she didn’t like it. She reacted as she has in the past when similar situations have arisen. Before I told her however, I prefaced by saying: “I am giving you an opportunity to respond with grace”. She tried for a while, but that didn’t last. Ultimately I told her that the universe will keep testing her with the same patterns over and over again, and the only thing that she can do is change how she responds. Once you change how you respond, change the pattern, only then will its effects diminish, because they will no longer control you or your emotions. You might be tested again, but you will be in control of how you perceive and react to events, because you chose to change your response.
In Judaism it is believed that God only dishes out what it is believed you can handle. As we cap off the previous Jewish year, and enter the new one that starts tomorrow night, we enter a period of reflection. We think about our past year, we think about our actions, we ask for forgiveness, and plan out the person we want to be in the coming year. At this time of year, I like to remind myself that not only should we seek to forgive others, but also to forgive ourselves.
As we enter the fall, volume and volatility returning, it is a perfect time to reflect on the traders we want to be to finish the year. Will we keep being tested over and over? Absolutely. There is nothing that tests all aspects of our being quite like kids or the stock market. Can we choose to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes, for our past reactions and work to accept the tests and choose to perceive them for what they are? After a considerable amount of time my daughter lifted her head to the sky and yelled out: “Do you hear me life? I accept your test!”
