To enjoy this world's pleasures as a means to enhance our performance and acquire our next world is good. However, to indulge in such pleasures as an end in themselves, wastes our time, money and strength, and profits us little in return. To indulge in such pleasures as an end in themselves, bars and blocks us from knowing and enjoying our Creator. (From Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter One)
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Just what I need
"What is your comment on this new development? Good, excellent, just what I need."
Let's try that again: "What do you say about this new development? Good, excellent, just what I need."
We need to practice this a few times. Get it into our heads, and keep it there. Then, with every new happening, whether good or seemingly, bad, we'll have a ready response. We'll greet it with a smile, with a positive outlook, with hope -- we'll expect success.
Can we be this positive? Certainly, we can.
Does it pay to be so positive? We'll never regret it.
When should we apply this attitude? We should never stop applying it, not for a moment. For everything in this world is the Creator's work, everything is for our benefit -- for our growth, for our happiness and success.
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Let's try that again: "What do you say about this new development? Good, excellent, just what I need."
We need to practice this a few times. Get it into our heads, and keep it there. Then, with every new happening, whether good or seemingly, bad, we'll have a ready response. We'll greet it with a smile, with a positive outlook, with hope -- we'll expect success.
Can we be this positive? Certainly, we can.
Does it pay to be so positive? We'll never regret it.
When should we apply this attitude? We should never stop applying it, not for a moment. For everything in this world is the Creator's work, everything is for our benefit -- for our growth, for our happiness and success.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Loss Song
When we suffer a loss, and then pause to think about all we haven't loss, we start singing. (Based on Rashi, Tehillim 3.1)
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Monday, October 26, 2009
The Relationship
Mostly we turn to the Creator when we're in trouble. We need something badly, all avenues seem to be blocked, and we turn our eyes to the heavens.
More important though, is to look to the Creator as a source of inspiration. We should appreciate the outstanding qualities He posses -- the power, the goodness, the joy, etc., -- and strive to emulate Him, to copy these qualities into our thoughts and our lives.
This relationship, this approach towards the Creator is more solid, and leads to many wonderful benefits.
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More important though, is to look to the Creator as a source of inspiration. We should appreciate the outstanding qualities He posses -- the power, the goodness, the joy, etc., -- and strive to emulate Him, to copy these qualities into our thoughts and our lives.
This relationship, this approach towards the Creator is more solid, and leads to many wonderful benefits.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Qualifications
When we think of a king or a queen, we think of power -- the ability to affect others, change their lives. If used properly, how much goodness it can bring, how far it can go to improve lives, inspiring others to greater accomplishments, to higher standards of living.
Power includes glory -- the palaces, carriages and limousines; the processions, grand feasts, beautifully dressed servants, gardens and parade grounds. Still, this is external -- and while it impresses the crowds, its value is superficial.
Power however, also includes the attributes we know a king should have -- wisdom, courage, kindness, compassion. These we understand are the real qualifications for leadership, for majesty. These are the true signs of greatness.
Do we have such qualities? To know this answer, we need to monitor ourselves carefully, especially in times of stress.
Can we acquire such qualities? Yes. If we make an active effort to gain them, internalize them, they can be ours.
When do we start? We start now. Place a crown on your head, and be a king or a queen, now!
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Power includes glory -- the palaces, carriages and limousines; the processions, grand feasts, beautifully dressed servants, gardens and parade grounds. Still, this is external -- and while it impresses the crowds, its value is superficial.
Power however, also includes the attributes we know a king should have -- wisdom, courage, kindness, compassion. These we understand are the real qualifications for leadership, for majesty. These are the true signs of greatness.
Do we have such qualities? To know this answer, we need to monitor ourselves carefully, especially in times of stress.
Can we acquire such qualities? Yes. If we make an active effort to gain them, internalize them, they can be ours.
When do we start? We start now. Place a crown on your head, and be a king or a queen, now!
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Super-Tonic
Be happy and you cannot be angry. Be happy and you cannot hold grudges. Be happy and you cannot be desperate.
When we are happy, we cannot be angry. Instead, we look for something besides shouting, fuming, to fix the situation. Is there a way to deal with frustrations without shouting, without raging? If we'll think about it, we'll find it.
When we are happy, we cannot hold grudges. True, others may wrong us in 101 ways. True, they may cause us losses -- severe and lasting damage. Still, with happiness we can handle it. We can smile at it. We can turn our loss into a gain.
When we are happy, we cannot be desperate. If we can smile, there must be a reason to smile. We just have to find it...
The secret to being happy is to be happy. Smile. Shine. Tell yourself all is well -- all is as it should be -- The Creator controls all, with perfect coordination, perfect control. Life is great. And therefore, we have every reason to smile and shine.
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When we are happy, we cannot be angry. Instead, we look for something besides shouting, fuming, to fix the situation. Is there a way to deal with frustrations without shouting, without raging? If we'll think about it, we'll find it.
When we are happy, we cannot hold grudges. True, others may wrong us in 101 ways. True, they may cause us losses -- severe and lasting damage. Still, with happiness we can handle it. We can smile at it. We can turn our loss into a gain.
When we are happy, we cannot be desperate. If we can smile, there must be a reason to smile. We just have to find it...
The secret to being happy is to be happy. Smile. Shine. Tell yourself all is well -- all is as it should be -- The Creator controls all, with perfect coordination, perfect control. Life is great. And therefore, we have every reason to smile and shine.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
On Wealth
The definition of a wealthy person is one that is happy with his lot (Pirkei Avos 4.1). The problem with this however, is no person has everything he needs. We all lack something. How then can anyone be happy with his lot -- no person leaves this world with even half of all he wants in his hands (Koheles Raba 1.13).
The solution must be that even though we lack things, we are satisfied with this lack. We understand that this lack is really for our good, spurring us to new achievement and benefiting us in an important way. Only when we hold such a thought in our mind can we call ourselves wealthy.
A further point is that such a thought must be a constant, a state of mind. In other words, just as to be wealthy is a state of being -- we wouldn't call someone who is wealthy for a minute wealthy -- so too the approach of being happy even with what we lack has to be a constant. To be wealthy we need to fix such an approach, such a trait into our psyches.
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The solution must be that even though we lack things, we are satisfied with this lack. We understand that this lack is really for our good, spurring us to new achievement and benefiting us in an important way. Only when we hold such a thought in our mind can we call ourselves wealthy.
A further point is that such a thought must be a constant, a state of mind. In other words, just as to be wealthy is a state of being -- we wouldn't call someone who is wealthy for a minute wealthy -- so too the approach of being happy even with what we lack has to be a constant. To be wealthy we need to fix such an approach, such a trait into our psyches.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Nuggets
When we realize that only fulfilling the Creator's wishes brings us to the eventual pleasure and delight we desire, we will give them proper importance: fulfill as many of them in range and number as we can, and perform them with high precision and focus. For according to our exertion, so is our gain. (From Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter One)
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
Album
"Look Father, they're taking pictures of me."
"All day, they take pictures of you, son. Mostly, you don't notice this. But they're there, photographing your every move."
"Why do they need so many pictures? What will they do with them?"
"These pictures make up the album of your life. They are your true personality, the real you -- your reward in the world to come, your wholeness for eternity. This is the "you" you take with you when you exit your body and go home."
"Can I see this album, Father?"
"You can see a little of it, son -- but not very clearly. It's too dark in this world to enjoy it properly. You can get a vague idea of what's in that album -- and whatever you see, you can use. But its true beauty, you will only grasp later, when your vision clears.
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"All day, they take pictures of you, son. Mostly, you don't notice this. But they're there, photographing your every move."
"Why do they need so many pictures? What will they do with them?"
"These pictures make up the album of your life. They are your true personality, the real you -- your reward in the world to come, your wholeness for eternity. This is the "you" you take with you when you exit your body and go home."
"Can I see this album, Father?"
"You can see a little of it, son -- but not very clearly. It's too dark in this world to enjoy it properly. You can get a vague idea of what's in that album -- and whatever you see, you can use. But its true beauty, you will only grasp later, when your vision clears.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Nuggets
Our own observations show us that to live only for this world is futile. For, even its greatest honors are accompanied with hard labor and pain. Not one person in a thousand reaches the pleasure and happiness we all crave -- and even then, it all ends in sickness and death.
Our reflections also show us that our souls, our minds, more sensitive and higher even than those of angels, sit in our bodies in discomfort. They are a princess imprisoned in a peasant's cottage, longing only escape to a higher, lovelier reality. (From Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter One)
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Our reflections also show us that our souls, our minds, more sensitive and higher even than those of angels, sit in our bodies in discomfort. They are a princess imprisoned in a peasant's cottage, longing only escape to a higher, lovelier reality. (From Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter One)
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Trust and Happiness
Can we keep happy in the face of adversity -- a terrible illness or the illness of a close relative -- the loss of a job at an age when it's difficult to find another one?
There is an interesting paradox. This is that the more a person is in the dark, both materially and spiritually, the closer he comes to investing his trust in the Creator. The more he trusts in the Creator, the more he basks in the Creator's light. In this way, being in the dark is a gift.
The Torah reflects this idea as follows: "Who is there amongst you that fears the Creator … who walks in the dark [no material success], without light [no spiritual success] -- he will trust in The Creator …"(Yeshayahu 50.10)
Then, when a person learns to trust, to really trust, he may be happy, and enjoy every type of success.
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There is an interesting paradox. This is that the more a person is in the dark, both materially and spiritually, the closer he comes to investing his trust in the Creator. The more he trusts in the Creator, the more he basks in the Creator's light. In this way, being in the dark is a gift.
The Torah reflects this idea as follows: "Who is there amongst you that fears the Creator … who walks in the dark [no material success], without light [no spiritual success] -- he will trust in The Creator …"(Yeshayahu 50.10)
Then, when a person learns to trust, to really trust, he may be happy, and enjoy every type of success.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
Crown Prince
"Father, can I play now with the other children?"
"Go son, play. But remember -- you are the crown prince, the heir to the throne, a future king. Even as you play, you must know this. Be kind to others, especially the weak children. Be fair. Stay clean. And when I call you, come in immediately. Your studies, your quiet time with me, must come first."
"Yes, father!"
Who is the king? -- Only the Creator. Who is the crown prince? That's you -- your potential, your importance. What is the playground? -- This world and the people who inhabit it.
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"Go son, play. But remember -- you are the crown prince, the heir to the throne, a future king. Even as you play, you must know this. Be kind to others, especially the weak children. Be fair. Stay clean. And when I call you, come in immediately. Your studies, your quiet time with me, must come first."
"Yes, father!"
Who is the king? -- Only the Creator. Who is the crown prince? That's you -- your potential, your importance. What is the playground? -- This world and the people who inhabit it.
Visit the author's site. Subscribe to "Keep Smiling".
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