You were not the most fit. You were not so skilled. Classmates even viewed you as an under performer. How did you pass all those extreme physical tests in order to be accepted as a Navy Seal?”
“It was determination, my friend. I never questioned whether or not I could do it. I wanted to be a Navy Seal, and I knew that it would not happen if I listened to my peers or just followed my natural set of skills. Meeting those tough challenges were expected, so I persevered and pushed until I got it done. Determination and perseverance were my road to being a Navy Seal.”
The crucial question is: How much do we care for the job to get done? Are we paying lip service, or do we have skin in the game? Are we 100% committed?!”
Being committed does not mean one is blind to the challenges that lay ahead. Rather, it means that the challenges don’t look like stop signs, but are viewed as mere bumps that are to be expected and are part of the road to success.
Determination and commitment means running that extra mile; you’re exhausted, your colleagues all stopped to rest, your teammates all say it’s impossible, and you… just push and push until it’s done.
Our mind has more power and influence over us than any other organ. Once the mind decides it will do it, it will get done.
Unfortunately, it works the other way as well: Once we decide “it’s not doable” – there’s no way it will get done.
If you want to hit the finish line, just push on! Don’t listen to the bystanders.
Am Yisrael is here because we didn’t listen to the bystanders. We didn’t dilute our identity. We didn’t give up! Whenever that thought creeps up on us and whispers: “How can you be so different? Why do you have to stand out? Why can’t you just blend in?”
Remember: We will persevere. We can be that Navy Seal. It can, and will get done, if we believe it will.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mendy
