So, I’ve been telling you this has been the time of year that Jewish folks make their  “resolutions”.  Determine what is of value in their lives and how they can augment that.  What we should do better, what we need to eliminate.

We all know how hard it is to change our habits.  After all, they are habits- they are what we normally do, without thinking.  And, as I’m working out what some great new habits would be, I’m hit with concrete evidence how hard that that is going to be.

During the first 10 days of Tishrei- from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kipur, we Jewish folk add a few sentences into our prayers.  Most of them appear in the most important one of the day- the “18”.  (Not surprisingly, the ‘shmone esrei’ (18) is so named because it wqs comprised of 18 specific prayers.) Reminders of the “judgments” that Hashem may impose on the world and on us during the Days of Awe.

Here are a few snippets…

Remember us for life, O King who loves lives; Inscribe us into the book of life…

Who is like You, the benefactor of benevolence; remember your creations with lives of benevolence.

Except…

I’ve been praying every morning for some 65 years.  Using the same daily prayer book for 30 years now. (I do buy new ones, but I use them for special occasions.  But, to be honest, since I turned 13, I have used only 4 different “siddurs” [prayer books]- mostly because the older one had finally fallen apart.)  And, my siddur has the special prayers to be added to my morning ritual highlighted in grey to be noticed.  (As you see above.)

Except…

Over the past 355 days, my brain has been trained to skip over those grey highlighted phrases that need to be added in.  So, unless I clearly seek them out- I end up skipping those important phrases.  So, last Monday (the day after Yom Kipur), when I realized I forgot those extra thoughts, I went back and resaid the prayer.  And, I did it again on Tuesday- but caught myself before I finished the shmone esrei.

But, on Wednesday, I decided to use the siddur that I use on Shabat and most holidays.  (It’s from the same compiler [Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks] as the one used at my shul, the National Synagogue.  So, I can follow along as I pray.)

Why would I use that siddur?  Because the print is different, the special prayers are highlighted differently.  Which means that my brain will be more aware of the special verses that are to be added.

And, it worked beautifully.

That’s exactly what we have to do if we want to incorporate a new routine, a new habit.

We have to find a way to disrupt our normal flow, so our brains will be more receptive to the changes we are hoping to incorporate. If you want to add a morning exercise routine, the way to do so could be by waking up fifteen (or 30) minutes earlier. So, we recognize that we have more time before our routine begins and we remember- that’s the time for our exercising.  Or, we could put our exercise outfit on top of the clothes that we plan to wear the next day, so we can’t forget about the exercising.

We want to start our day by checking and making a to-do list? Set up our computer that the list automatically populates the screen upon startup.  (If you believe in paper and pen, buy a small pad, with a small pen, and leave it over your wallet.  We can’t miss the need to make the list, as we dress the next day.)

What habit do you plan to integrate in your life?  Get started now.