We always seem to be counting towards something. This universal human tendency structures our lives, creates anticipation and drives progress—yet we apply it inconsistently across different domains of our existence.
As we near the end of the Omer, we have been counting towards the holiday of Shavuot, where we, a recently formed nation, accepted God’s Torah. Each day represents a deliberate step towards spiritual growth, preparing us to receive the Torah. This practice embodies the power of incremental progress—of marking time not merely as passing moments, but as meaningful stages in a transformative journey.
For many life events, we count down. It is common practice to anticipate a significant milestone by tracking the days until its arrival. We see this as students eagerly count down to their summer vacation, or as engaged couples mark the days until their wedding. These events represent profound changes in status: the celebration of success in one grade and advancement to the next, or the recognition of personal growth that has prepared individuals for a lifelong commitment with their chosen partner.
The question arises: Why do we not apply these same intentional time measurements to advancing our careers or growing our businesses?
We often witness professionals struggling to progress in their career journeys, seemingly stuck in patterns of stagnation. Frequently, all it takes to catalyze career advancement is the confidence to move forward or completing a simple course that provides new skills to expand one’s knowledge base and bolster self-esteem. Yet without a countdown or count-up framework, these growth opportunities remain perpetually on tomorrow’s agenda.
Similarly, businesses frequently follow the same operational models year after year because they’re comfortable and familiar. With strategic foresight, however, innovative leaders can envision the benefits of streamlining onboarding processes, updating company policies, or providing additional tools such as AI or Excel training to their staff— interventions that improve both productivity and work quality.
Imagine how much more effective our professional development would be if we instituted the same counting concept to our business and personal growth. Setting a target date by which we aim to begin specific professional development initiatives would eliminate the tendency toward procrastination and the perpetual postponement of advancement until that mythical moment when we “have more time.”
Business owners should count up from the last time they provided educational training to their staff. If it exceeds one year, your team is likely growing too comfortable and not seeking innovative ways to improve productivity. Likewise, consider repetitive tasks, such as onboarding new employees. If these processes haven’t been updated in years, perhaps it’s time to evaluate and streamline them to ensure consistency for all new hires.
Has your nonprofit been using the same model for donor engagement? Again, an annual count towards enhancements will remind you to reevaluate ways to increase engagement and integrate modern tools like AI for outreach and donor management.
For high school administrators, consider which direction your counting takes you. Are you merely counting down to the end of the school year, focused on completion and closure? Or are you counting up to the start of the next academic year—using this time to integrate innovative coursework and new educational options into your curriculum? The latter approach transforms the traditional summer planning period into a positive, forward-looking process of growth and renewal, ensuring that each academic year brings fresh opportunities for student engagement and achievement rather than simply repeating established patterns.
By establishing these intentional timelines in our professional lives—whether counting up from our last improvement or counting down to our next innovation—we create the same sense of momentum and purpose that drives our spiritual and personal milestones. The act of counting doesn’t merely mark time; it transforms time into a pathway of intentional growth.
The ancient wisdom behind counting the Omer reminds us that meaningful progress rarely happens spontaneously. Rather, it unfolds through deliberate attention, day by day, count by count, as we move with purpose toward becoming what we aspire to be—in our spiritual lives, our personal relationships, and yes, in our professional endeavors as well.
Beth Chesir is director of enrollment and career services, YU Global. Email Beth at beth.chesir@yu.edu to plan your organizational learning needs and build a framework that drives success across your company.
