No matter how real this perspective has become for us, we still have to take our dose of motivation every day. If we don’t, it will slowly weaken and no longer always be on our minds. If we leave it even longer, even though these feelings defined us, they will fade. The stronger a person is, the longer it takes, but one day he wakes up to find that his values have been overtaken by something new. Do not let this happen. Read, think, and dream about accomplishing and attaining greatness every day. Don’t take anything for granted. Make this attitude more than just a fading inspiration; make it a way of life!
The best way to turn inspiration into a new perspective on life is to act on it. When we are inspired and stand up to the yetzer hara, the feelings of inspiration seep into our essence. In addition, our victories themselves — even if they are not fueled by inspiration — make us stronger. Over time, this turns accomplishing despite difficulty into one of our biggest goals. We become special people, warriors who look forward to fighting the yetzer hara in the most difficult battle known to man. We start to enjoy the sweetness of success and dream of attaining greatness. The more we accomplish with enthusiasm, the stronger these feelings get.
Of course, we are not always given the opportunity to do battle right after becoming inspired. But we can still create a deep, lasting impression by figuring out what our next challenge will probably be and using our inspiration to build a firm determination to win it. The excitement and resolve to win seeps into our essence and leaves an imprint. Building determination also makes us stronger people. It develops our willpower, a vital tool for defeating the yetzer hara.
Right after a victory is another great time to increase our resolve to succeed. When we win a battle, we must bask in the sweet taste of victory, and then resolve to accomplish even more, knowing that we want more victories because winning is the best experience on Earth! We must then verbalize our feelings of determination over and over. When said amid exhilaration about what we can achieve or in celebration of a triumph, these words cement these feelings within us. If we do this frequently, our enthusiasm will stay strong, and over time we will change dramatically.
When we feel a surge of excitement to succeed, we mustn’t forget this important step. We must capitalize on those feelings by exclaiming to ourselves, “I will win this battle. I am going to do something extremely rare: I will defeat the yetzer hara and accomplish extraordinary acts of greatness. Success is the sweetest feeling, and I will attain it! I will not give in. This is my moment of destiny! I am going to cash in on this opportunity and reach greatness! This is the moment I have been waiting for!”
Say these words with gusto. Repeat each sentence multiple times. Each time you say it, pump your fist strongly and feel the energy pulsing through your veins. This will concretize these feelings within you, giving you immense strength for your upcoming battles. Follow that up by closing your eyes and actually visualizing yourself standing strong in your next battle. This technique combines awareness, desire to win, and willpower to give you the determination to crush the yetzer hara with Hashem’s help.
When we take what we have learned in these chapters — having excitement over our ability to reach greatness, holding ourselves high as fighters, and building firm determination — and put it into practice when we are challenged, that strengthens these feelings the most. In today’s world, we have many opportunities to do so because the challenges are so frequent. If we can defeat the yetzer hara with excitement and determination to win, we will crystallize these feelings within ourselves, and we will become mighty warriors in the battle of the generation.
Quick Recap: