Tag Archives: motivation

Quoting: The Benefits of Trust

When you have trust in the Almighty, you have peace of mind. Even in very troubled times, a person with this trust will be able to handle life without worry and sadness. He experiences joy regardless of how much he possesses. He does not feel a lack, and he does not worry about what will happen tomorrow. He feels intensely that when he has this trust, he has everything.

Moreover, even if he does lack something today, he does not worry about it. His situation is similar to a growing, successful company. Even if on one particular day no orders come in, they don’t worry. They know they have the right product and eventually will make a large profit.

So, too, with a person who has trust in the Almighty. Even if he is temporarily missing some things he needs, he will not complain. He feels secure that the Almighty will send him all that he truly needs. He maintains an inner serenity because he is certain that his path is the path of life.

Sources: see Rabbi Yosef Hurwitz of Nevardok – Madraigos Haadam – Bitachon; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Consulting the Wise”

Quoting: Give the People What They Want

Every person in the world waits for signs of recognition and affection.

Students wait for signs of friendliness from their teacher; teachers await signs of respect from students. Children want signs of empathy from their parents; parents hunger for affection from their children. A customer wants his needs to be understood; a salesperson needs to feel that his merchandise is appreciated.

So give people what they want!

Sources: Alai Shur, vol.1, p.191; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.138

Quoting: Insults Come From Ignorance

Rabbi Yitzhak Meltzin never got angry with another person. If someone insulted him, he always ignored it. He said, “It is wrong to insult someone, and if this person insulted me it is because he lacks the necessary understanding. So why should I be angry at someone for his ignorance?”

Sources: Tnuas Hamussar; Rabbi Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness

Quoting: Act as if in Company

When strangers are present, a person finds it much easier to control his temper than when he is just among family.

The next time you feel angry at a member of your family, think how you would act differently if a stranger were present.

Sources: Maaneh Rach, ch.5; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.210

Quoting: Make a Top Ten List

Make A Top Ten List

When you feel that problems are weighing you down, make a list of 10 reasons why you can still be happy.

If the reasons come from an external source, you might brush them off. But if you develop a list yourself, you will always be able to find at least 10 reasons that are “real” to you.

-From Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Gateway to Happiness,” p.180

Quoting: Prepare for the Best

The best time to mentally prepare yourself for times of adversity is when things are going well and you are in a resourceful state. Adversity is a challenge that enables you to develop attributes that wouldn’t be developed in easier times. Keep building up the inner resources that will enable you to cope well with difficulties. If you are in the middle of a difficulty right now, then right now is the best time to build up those resources. You won’t have to wait and see if the inner resources you need are becoming a part of you, you will see results right away.

Develop courage and confidence. Develop persistence and resilience. Develop optimism and hope. How can you develop these qualities? Visualize yourself mastering them. See, hear, and feel yourself being confident and courageous. See, hear, and feel yourself persisting and bouncing back. Right now feel an inner sense of optimism that you will cope well with difficulties. And if a difficulty arises that you don’t cope with as well as you wished, learn from the experience to cope better next time.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Happiness”,p.196-7

Quoting: Do Your Best

Our goal should be to keep improving ourselves, rather than “being the best.”

Someone who feels the need to be “the best” should ask himself, “Why do I really have to be better than others? What is so awful if someone else is better than me in any given area?”

People who feel the need to be “the best” often suffer much anxiety. They frequently tell themselves, “If I am not the best, then I am a failure. I am nothing.”

There is no basis for this. In ultimate terms, no human can really say who is best. Comparing yourself to anyone else is arbitrary — so why cause yourself misery by doing so?

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.130

If you’re a regular reader here, you have probably noticed that my productivity has fallen off lately. I’ve been crazy busy, both at my day job and at home, so haven’t had the bandwidth to do much (if any) writing. I hope this changes soon.

Quoting: Avoid Using Guilt to Justify Inaction

Feeling guilty is the lazy way of reacting. A guilty person resigns himself to keeping his faults and does not try to take actions to improve.

Don’t use guilt feelings to justify laziness and procrastination. If a person tends to think in terms of guilt, when he hears an idea he will say to himself, “How awful it is that I’m not following that idea.”

It is more productive to keep focus on what you can do to implement the principle or concept.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.222