ThinkGood. BeGood. DoGood.
Think Good
There is a well-known Hasidic adage, "Think Good and it will be Good".
This message was instilled in us from a very young age.
As a child growing up, I found myself often questioning this motto. I would observe, what seemed to be, circumstances, both personal, and with others that seemed clearly to be - not good…
I struggled with this idea that if you just forced yourself to have positive thoughts, then all problems would magically disappear.
I witnessed people struggle with Illness, death, despair and destitution and it sometimes felt that their challenges seemed insurmountable. Despite fervent prayer, somber resolutions and an abundance of good deeds, what seemed to be bad things would still inevitably transpire.
As my life evolved, I developed a perspective that does not diminish the awesome power of positivity, but also reframed it for me, in a more practical and relatable sense.
Life is like those books we read as children where you have to make a decision at a fork in the road and depending on your choice, it would lead to three different outcomes.
We are faced with daily challenges. Every single person at certain stages must make decisions that are seemingly critical to their life. It is the way in which we approach these decisions that end up determining our fate.
There is always a better way.
At every moment, of every day, we have the unique power to make small, seemingly trivial positive choices, that can strip away the veneer of negativity and reveal the inherent underlying goodness of our circumstances.
When facing any challenge, ask yourself. What is the most important thing that I must consciously do to improve the vantage point from which I can address this challenge, at this very moment?
It’s all in your mind.
Negative thoughts are the lies we tell ourselves to avoid confronting our lack of trust.
Psychological mindfulness coupled with Intellectual honesty enables us to admit that the outcome is not in our control, but the choices we make will determine the path we take to get there.
Get your head in the game!
Are you awake, aware, energized, and sober or are you asleep, distracted, lethargic and high?
When your head is held aloft, your eyes are wide open and your mind is clear, you are ready to see revealed goodness and become a receptacle suited to receive abundant blessing.
When your head is downcast, and your steps downtrodden, you are left with no alternative but to let the opportunities that are sent your way to pass you by and be lost forever.
And in this way, if you ThinkGood, then inevitably, and over time, you will witness the blessing and it will,
BeGood.
Who is considered Wealthy? Someone who is happy with their lot in life.
Things are good. We see the blessing. We’re happy….for now.
How can we keep it going and ensure that it is not lost?
How can it continue to BeGood?
In order to get how you got here and where you are going, you need to know where you came from.
Sometimes, I feel pangs of regret about decisions I think I should have made that would seemingly have had a better outcome. I kick myself about the person I should have been, or about selling the cryptocurrency that would now would have given me the means to hop on a SpaceX trip, if I chose.
I love to tell a story that a close friend once told me about the Rebbe, that touched me on so many levels.
A student group was visiting New York and had the privilege to meet the Rebbe in a private audience.
As the students entered the room, the Rebbe, a man in his 60’s by then, stood up to greet them. The delegate leader asked the Rebbe a few questions.
“Rebbe, your Chassidim (followers) say that you perform miracles, and if that is the case, could you perform one for us?
Your Chassidim also say that you do not make mistakes, but I can see on the desk behind you that there are erasers that have been well used, and so, how can what they say be the truth?”
The Rebbe smiled at them and while directing his gaze on the student leader, he responded in his European accented English. “If tomorrow, you for instance, would give additional charity” and then turning to the next student, he said “and if tomorrow you would pray” and “if tomorrow, you would do an act of goodness and kindness”, he said to the room. Then one could say that I performed a miracle. And if so, then we can all be miracle workers…”
“With regard to my students. I am not responsible for what people say about me.” To which the students smiled.
“Finally, with regards to my desk. One could look at it as a tool to erase mistakes, but I prefer to view it as a tool to refine the future”
Our past is so precious.
It is our original source and everything thereafter and therefore informs everything that has happened to us until right now.
All of it.
The good, the bad and the ugly. The pride and the shame, the laughter and the sorrow.
It is why so many of us have such a hard time with letting it go. Moving on. We feel we would be betraying our wounded selves if we were no longer to be defined by the jaundiced self view of our personal histories.
It’s not true!
Toss it away! Don’t even squander one less second by wallowing in remorse. If it feels negative, don’t believe it to be true. It can’t be. Truth never hurts like that.
The truth is, you already know it.
You knew it all along, but chose to ignore it for fear of what things could really be like, if only..
The time is now.
Feel your spine. Feel your center. That’s the truth you need to follow. That’s the honesty you need to have. From here on out. With yourself and with all others.
A Grand Rabbi once said “Don’t deceive yourself. Don’t deceive others and don’t let others deceive you”.
Now that we are clear headed.
Just smile.
As you feel your cheeks rise and your eyes sparkle, relax the tension and let it go.
The words. “It’s not in my control. It never was. It never will be…”
Do you hear it. The hush. The stillness.
That’s serenity.
It’s just you and your maker. All you have is each other. You need each other. You want each other. You are True Partners. You are ready to build your business. The Business of Soul and;