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BE
HAPPY
& SUCCEED
(244
pages)
Awesome
Gifts
"Who is pressuring me? Who is stopping me from living, from enjoying life? Why am I constantly exhausted? Why am I unhappy?" Who pressures us? We pressure us. Our own dissatisfaction pushes us to look for more and more. 
Who stops us from living, from enjoying life? We do. We need to pause a
moment and enjoy the scenery. We need to breathe in the fresh air,
smile, and thank Hashem.Why are we exhausted? We do not sleep enough. When will we be satisfied with all that we have? Only when we are satisfied with all that we have. For, "… there is no peace for the greedy, says Hashem. We have to set aside our jealousy, our lusts, and enjoy all we are. Each one of us is unique; each one a treasure chest, a source of surprise and pleasure. Instead of looking at what we lack, we need to ogle at what we have - the awesome gifts in our lives. In addition, we need to care for our health: to eat properly; sleep properly. We can be happy. Let us be happy - now. Pleasures Many things give us many types of pleasure. Still, we need to learn to take pleasure in Hashem. We may enjoy our families and friends. We may enjoy resting after a long, hard day. We may enjoy a hot meal when we are hungry or a cold drink when we are thirsty. We may enjoy shopping, acquiring new possessions. We may enjoy our accomplishments, our victories. We may enjoy a day at the beach. We may enjoy a sunset, or a piece of music. Still, we need to train ourselves to see Hashem as the author of these pleasures, the source of all this enjoyment. Then we will also learn to enjoy life even without the extras, without the trimmings. Then we will learn to enjoy Hashem for Himself, and attach ourselves to the source of all happiness, for all time. This is the ultimate way to live. Circle of Happiness Where do we stand on the Circle of Happiness? This isn’t a simple question. We keep swiveling around. At one moment we can be close to depression - at the next, close to ecstasy. However, there’s an average position that we hold - that we guard - for ourselves, for our families - for our day, for our week. This position depends on how close we are to having what we need. Do we have the food we want? Are our living conditions comfortable? Do we have family, friends to interact with, live with - support and be supported, encourage and be encouraged? Do we have stimulating, meaningful activities to fill our minutes, our hours? And still, no person reaches perfect happiness. Somehow, it escapes us - stands beyond us. Within our desire to increase our happiness lies our challenge. Will we look for honest, honorable ways to fill this gap in our life? Or will we look for cheap thrills, extravagance? Worse, will we mock and make fun of others for our pleasure? The first option is the true target, something great, awesome - but it requires great and awesome efforts. The second, while easy, is a mistake. For by acting in evil, ugly ways, we lose Hashem’s support and blessing, and step onto the path that leads only to poverty, misery and unhappiness. Only with wise decisions can we be happy. Happy, and Safe BeHandful of Light Ramban letter Iggeret Iggeres haRamban buy Torah happy and you lack nothing. Be happy and you are secure - you are safe. But can we lack nothing? Yes, if we look at our world this way - if we look at what seems bad as being good. With such an attitude, with such a joy, we gain ourselves a new peace of mind and wellbeing. When we lack something, we are vulnerable. When we are in need, we become dependent. We depend on the person or group who may supply us our need. We are slaves. We are open, exposed to any hurt others might cause us. However, once we lack nothing, once we have everything we need, we are invulnerable. No one can hurt us. At times, we need to be weak. But this is only when we deal with Hashem - when we negotiate with Hashem - when we pray to Hashem. But when it comes to working with and dealing with people, with family, friends and acquaintances, we should lack nothing at all. [
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