Chapter 22- Finding Our Ambition
Sometimes, we struggle to tap into our desire to become special. There are times when we just don’t feel excited. We feel flat and unready to take on the yetzer hara.
This might come from years of the yetzer hara telling us, “You are a nobody. There is nothing good about you. You are nothing special and you can’t become anything. In the olden days there were big tzaddikim, but nowadays it is hard to come close, and you definitely can’t! You are inferior to everyone, especially those you see succeeding. You are worthless!” We might even hear this from people around us, especially from overly competitive, jealous, or insecure friends. If we think that we can’t succeed or that we are nothing, we will lose our thrill to fight.
Having the wrong attitude when we contemplate the greatness of previous generations can also ruin our desire to succeed. The yetzer hara tries to make us think, “They were so great and you can’t reach those heights. You can’t become anything. You are stuck being a second-class citizen.” The yetzer hara disguises his comments in our own voice and we assume they must be true.
Even though we know these messages are lies, we still might be affected, especially because they seem so convincing. If they influence us emotionally — even if logically we know they are wrong — it becomes difficult to be excited about what we can accomplish. Thus, even if we know these arguments are false, we still need to work on overcoming these feelings. Every day, we must review these lessons about our great opportunity — or better yet, look up the sources and stories quoted in this book. Over time, this will overwrite those internal messages with enthusiasm about our chance to accomplish. We will constantly be excited to reach great heights, and we will be ready for all challenges. The importance of doing something each and every day that motivates you cannot be stressed enough.