Daily Lift by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

[phkrause]

#404 Joyful Zrizus

Some people might take action, but with resentful zrizus. "I shouldn't really have to do this," they say to themselves. "Someone else should take care of this."

There is a well-known idea expressed by the late Rabbi Chaim Friedlander: "If you are doing it anyway, you might as well do it with joy."

This is so important and valuable that it's worth repeating. "If you are doing it anyway, you might as well do it with joy." We are constantly choosing our thoughts, our feelings, our words, and our actions. You can choose to feel distressed or joyful about taking care of the things that you need to take care of. When you take action with zrizus, choose joyful zrizus.

[phkrause]

#405 Enjoy Your Self-Talk When Doing What You Must

Sometimes you can find ways to actually enjoy doing something dull or boring. But when you can't come up with a creative way to enjoy what you are doing, you can still talk to yourself in interesting and fun ways. Your hands will be engaged in an activity that you need to do, but your mind will be engaged in a running dialogue that is interesting and even entertaining.

How you feel at any given moment will depend greatly on your self-talk at that moment. Even if you start out with negative self-talk that creates distress, realize that your thoughts are the key factor in whether you will feel good or bad.

People who have learned how to talk to themselves in ways they find enjoyable find enjoyment when others find distress. They don't procrastinate as much. They get more done. If you can't think creatively when you're doing something you don't enjoy, you can always think thoughts of gratitude. Thinking gratefully lifts your spirit and is the basis of happiness.

[phkrause]

#406 "To Do With Joy" List

People who get things done make "to do" lists. Considering it important to take action on your "to do" list leads to taking care of things. When you create a "to do" list, label it "to do with joy."

When you explicitly write that it is a "to do with joy" list, you are giving yourself a valuable message: You are telling your mind to remember to be joyful.

A person might feel rushed to do all the things on the "to do" list. A person might feel a little resentful or overwhelmed that he or she has so many things to do. But when you call your list a "to do with joy list," you are preparing yourself to feel good while you do the things that you want to do.

[phkrause]

#407 Allow Yourself to Experience Happiness Now

You have a right to experience happiness right now, in the present. This is a very important concept to keep in mind. You don't need to wait until you accomplish your goals before you are happy.

Many people think, "Only after I accomplish my goals will I be able to be happy." These individuals mistakenly think that they need to wait in order to be happy. They feel that they can't be happy right now. They tell themselves that they first need to achieve what they would like to achieve before they can be happy.

But happiness is a birthright. You were born. You are now alive. You are breathing now. Right now you have a right to be happy. You can choose to be happy now.

[phkrause]

#408 Positive Thoughts Increase Energy

Positive thoughts add to your vitality and energy. Worry and other negative thoughts take away your energy. Be aware of what thoughts you would be wise to increase and what thoughts you should decrease or even eliminate.

[phkrause]

#409 Ambition Takes You Far

Ambition can be powerful. Ambition helps a person mobilize his resources. Ambition enables someone to face challenges and persist. Ambition prevents a person from giving up.

A person with a high degree of ambition will be able to accomplish much more than someone with similar intelligence and skills but without ambition.

Ambition enables a person to overcome laziness and a tendency to procrastinate. When you have an authentic ambition to excel in a certain area, you will put in the necessary time and energy to gain the knowledge. You will have the energy to practice the skill you want to perfect.

Ambition helps you overcome potential obstacles that might get in the way. The stronger your ambition, the less any obstacle can deter you from proceeding.

[phkrause]

#410 Recall Your Own Moments of Zrizus

We all have experienced zrizus and moments of joyful willpower. That is, we did things swiftly and right away. There are many instances when we felt motivated to do something positive that we strongly wanted to do and felt good about actually doing them.

When you recall a moment of zrizus and joyful willpower, you can experience in the present how you felt then, and recall what actions this led you to do. See what you saw when you felt the feelings of zrizus and joyful willpower. Hear what you heard when you felt the feelings of zrizus and joyful willpower. Feel what you felt when you felt the feelings of zrizus and joyful willpower.

[phkrause]

PKRAUSE

THE word Zrizus??

dgrimm60

Yes it is. :)

[phkrause]

#411 Learn From Role Models

When your first reaction is not to take the action that you really want to do, ask yourself, "Who do I know has a positive attitude about taking action? Now let me borrow his mind, as it were. Let me borrow his brain in my own unique way." Make yourself feel the way you imagine he feels about the situation and task at hand.

On a screen in your mind, see this person taking action with zrizus. Now on the same screen, see yourself taking action in a similar way. Run through that picture over and over again.

[phkrause]

Mentally See Yourself Taking Action

When you are not yet ready to take action, visualize yourself taking the action that you would really like to do. This way even though you are not in a frame of mind to actually take the specific action, you are mentally preparing yourself.

Your mental pictures will make it easier for you to take action. When you run pictures of yourself doing the things that you want to do, this mental rehearsal will shorten the amount of time it takes to build up your willingness to act.

Mentally picturing yourself taking action will help you overcome the resistance you are feeling. Anything we've successfully done in real life makes it more likely that we will take that action again. Anything that we've visualized doing is stored in our brain as if we actually took that action.

[phkrause]

#413 Master your Desires

The pleasure one has from mastery over desires is greater than the pleasure of one who seeks to gratify all his desires. The latter will only attain one in a thousand of what he seeks and will be constantly frustrated. But a person who is master over his desires experiences great joy. Such a person has a double advantage over the hedonist. The hedonist will feel he is lacking a lot and suffers because of this. Moreover, he does not enjoy what he already has. His suffering due to what he is lacking does not allow him to feel joy with what he has.

On the other hand, the person who has mastered the art of not desiring what he is missing feels happy even though he might lack many things. Such a person is surrounded on all sides with happiness. He is happy with what he has already obtained in the past and he feels good about the future. Since he does not worry about the future, he constantly feels good.

[phkrause]

#414 Query Calm People

Would you like to become an expert on how to be calm in all sorts of challenging situations? Do not just rely on your own ingenuity. Keep asking people who appear to be calm, "Would you mind if I ask you how you are able to be so calm?" Most people will happily share their thoughts on the subject with you.

[phkrause]

#415 Feel Joy for the Miracle of Teshuva

God's acceptance of our commitment to correct ("teshuva") is a miracle greater than all other miracles.

The requirements of teshuva are: regret for what one has done wrong in the past, and resolve to improve in the future.

To the degree a person is aware of his wrongdoings and feels pain for what he has done, to that same degree his teshuva is of greater value. The essential thing is to feel extreme joy for the miracle of teshuva, and to praise the Almighty for this good fortune.

[phkrause]

#416 Most Tests are Subtle

The tests and challenges that come to a person from the Almighty are so concealed and subtle the person being tested usually does not feel what is happening to him is a test. If he is aware it is just a test, he would definitely be able to withstand the difficulties and rise to the challenge, but then the test would not be a real test. Therefore, tests are concealed in such a manner that a person thinks they are merely obstacles and nuisances. A person who withstands such tests is truly elevated.

[phkrause]

#417 Stupidity is not Courage

Courage is only courage when it is connected to wisdom. It is immature to risk one's life or health for fun or thrills. Not only is this immature, it is dumb. The Sages ask: "Who is a wise person? One who foresees the outcome." (Talmud - Tamid 32a)

Driving a car at speeds high above the speed limit because one enjoys the feeling, is stupid. Climbing in dangerous places when one doesn't have a valid need isn't courage, but foolhardy. Walking in dangerous places just to prove to others that one is brave is reckless.

Life is too precious to waste it with illusory courage.

[phkrause]

#418 Accept What May Be

In order to have peace of mind, prepare yourself in advance to accept with serenity whatever occurs. People who expect everything to go the way they want are caught off balance by difficult life situations. Have an awareness that difficulties constantly arise. Being prepared in advance to accept what happens makes it much easier to cope with the vicissitudes of life.

When you feel anxiety about a future event, imagine the worst and accept it. This has a very calming effect. For example, if you are afraid you will miss a bus and feel anxiety, imagine you have already missed it and accept the consequences. If you are afraid you will be fired from your job, imagine you have already been fired and accept it.

Then "reality" can only get better!

(see Ohr Yechezkail: michtavim, p.286; Gateway to Happiness, p.75)

[phkrause]

#419 State your Goal when Impatient

Develop the habit of repeating, "This, too, will increase my patience."

How often will you say this? The more impatient you are when you start this process, the more frequently you will find this beneficial. The problem itself will be the source of the solution.

[phkrause]

#420 Use Joy To overcome Impatience

A master at accessing and creating joyous states will find it easier to master patience. While others stew and fret over delays and the need to wait, the joyous person will use the Creator's gift of a brain to experience positive thoughts and feelings.

[phkrause]

#421 Choose your Words Carefully

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21).

If you were writing a newspaper article, you'd be sure to choose your words carefully. You'd even ask others to help edit what you wrote.

It is equally crucial to watch what you say when speaking to your husband or wife. Your words to your spouse can create feelings of joy, love, closeness, gratitude, and hopefully even radiant bliss. Your words can console, comfort, inspire, motivate, elevate.

Other words can create feelings of pain, distress, and anger.

Choose carefully.

[phkrause]

#422 Appreciate being Asked to Help

Don't complain that other people keep asking you to do things for them. If others come to you for help, it's an expression that they believe you are a kind person.

You might not be able to meet other people's needs right now, but by being aware of their needs, you might think of a creative solution.

[phkrause]

#423 Judge People Favorably to avoid Anger

There is a mitzvah in the Torah to judge people favorably (Leviticus 19:15). When we fulfill this commandment properly, we will not get angry with others.

Whenever you get angry with someone, it is because you are blaming him for doing or not doing something. If you realize that it's not his fault, you won't be angry with him. For example, if someone took your umbrella, you might get angry with him. If, however, you find out that he is blind and mistakenly thought he was taking his own umbrella, you won't be angry.

By making it your habit to judge people favorably, you will be able to assume that perhaps the person made an honest mistake, and had different intentions than you assumed.

While we should be on guard to protect ourselves from possible harm, when nothing practical can be done about a situation, we should not assume guilt. Keep asking yourself, "How can I judge this person favorably?"

[phkrause]

#424 Who's Calling Whom?

When we pray due to suffering, we usually think that the suffering comes because of external situations and hence we have to pray.

But this is not correct. The very purpose of the suffering is that we should pray. By pouring our hearts out to the Almighty, we become closer to Him. Hence the suffering is a tool for our elevation.

ps: hmmmmm very interesting

[phkrause]

#425 Counter Sadness With A Treat

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[phkrause]

#426 The Mistake is to not Try

Try to become as great as you can. Some people are afraid to accomplish because they might make mistakes -- and those mistakes will be more serious than if they remained simple!

This is not valid reasoning. Each person is obligated to develop himself to the best of his ability. The smallest person has potential for greatness if he utilizes all that is within him.

[phkrause]

#427 Better Than Duct Tape

One person who frequently lost his temper, finally learned to control it with the following method:

Whenever he felt angry at someone, he would take a sip of water and hold it in his mouth for five minutes. Only after the five minutes passed would he criticize someone.

During this time his anger subsided and he was able to talk calmly.