We've all heard the expression, "You only live once." And while that can motivate us to seize the day, there are also spiritual and practical lessons we can learn from the concept of reincarnation. Reincarnation is the understanding that after we die, our soul is reborn into another body, where we continue our journey of learning and growth in a new life. It is a cycle of birth, evolution, death, and birth again.

Reincarnation is a fascinating concept often associated with Hinduism or Buddhism, but in fact, is a very strong belief in Kabbalah as well. Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, the concept can offer a lens into a lot of the questions we come into the world with, such as, "Why are we here? Why do we go through challenges? Is there life after death?"

Here are 3 lessons we can learn from the concept of reincarnation:

1. We aren't meant to stay the same. Our life's purpose requires us to constantly grow in positive ways.

The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches that we each have a unique purpose in this world that we are meant to accomplish. This is something that challenges us immensely and requires us to make a major transformation. But we don't always finish our work in one lifetime. In fact, it is so challenging for us that it often takes many lifetimes to accomplish. Work left incomplete in one life is undertaken in a future life until the task of transformation is complete.

Knowing that the point of life is to grow the parts that are most difficult for us can inspire us to become our best selves. When we do positive actions that challenge us and push ourselves out of our comfort zones, we make progress towards completing our soul's work. Just being a good person isn't enough – we must push ourselves to be even better versions of ourselves every day.

2. Challenges can push us to grow and rethink our approach.

Whenever we experience something painful or challenging, it can feel like we're being punished or that we're the victim of bad luck. In reality, our souls know that we need to be growing to complete our life's work, and when we aren't growing enough or in the right ways, it knows that we need a wake-up call to motivate us. Sometimes that wake-up call can be unpleasant, but it is ultimately for our benefit. It helps us to reevaluate our path to see what is and isn't working for us.

We each have the ability and knowledge to complete our life's work without any pain, but it is so easy to lose sight of our goals that we often need a shakeup to keep us on track. We all make mistakes and stumble along the journey, and that is an important part of the process. Remember that everything that happens in our lives, both positive and negative, contains a lesson meant to help us grow. When things are difficult, trust that you can use the experience to become an even better version of yourself.

3. Every person in our lives is there for a purpose. There's a bigger picture we don't always see.

We often go through life thinking things are random, including the people that come in and out of our lives. The wisdom of Kabbalah teaches that our lives are perfectly designed for each of us, and that includes everyone we know and meet: siblings, friends, family, business partners, relationships, and even strangers on the street.

The concept of reincarnation helps us to understand why we have a strong positive or negative reaction to certain people. There is a good chance that we've experienced multiple lifetimes with these people, and there's a bigger picture we don't see. Who knows what we did or didn't do to someone in a past life or what unpaid debts we owe them? Maybe what is happening right now that doesn't make sense actually stems from something that happened 40 lifetimes ago.

If we can go through our day understanding this concept, we can navigate our interactions clearer and better prepared. The people that anger or frustrate us can challenge us to be more forgiving and kinder, while the people that love and support us may help us see ourselves more clearly.

Reincarnation is not just a spiritual theory but also an impetus for change. It gives meaning to our lives and purpose to death. Understanding that we have a difficult job to do, no matter how many lifetimes it takes to complete, can help motivate us to look inside, push ourselves to grow, and learn from every experience and interaction.