Beginning Within - Rabbi Aryeh Weinstein
Change yourself. Influence others.
We all experience pain and suffering and wish desperately not to. Is there possibly a difference between the two? What is it? Can we minimize how much suffering we will experience? Explore important tools to help you grow your ability to do just that!
In life, we all experience a contradiction; times of confusion, and times of clarity and beauty. Although complete perfection is not possible, we can learn tools to help us experience more happiness and strength. Choosing what to focus on can change our lives.
“Wow, he’s so deep,” we might say about someone we meet. What makes a person deep, and why is it important? In this talk, we explore the difference between the realms of matter and non-material reality, gaining tools to help us become deeper and more authentic people.
Experiences are what make our lives so enriching. However, when we’re distracted by other things, we lose the experience. This is why being in the moment is the key to having an experience.
The word selfless is accurately put. We will never entirely obliterate the self. We can continuously make our lives less and less about self. While it may seem counterintuitive, this is also the path to greater happiness.
As long as we’re still excusing ourselves, we won’t achieve what we’re seeking. The difference between the more and less successful people isn’t in how capable they are, it’s in how committed they are!
When we don’t remind ourselves why we’re doing what we do, what we do becomes frustrating. Simply tapping back into our why will reinvigorate what we’re committed to. Just ask yourself, “Why am I doing this again?”
Our knee-jerk reaction to the hurts of life is growing a thick skin and becoming less sensitive. Numbing ourselves comes at a serious cost. It compromises one of our greatest virtues, sensitivity. Don’t give up what makes you most beautiful!
It’s the hardest mile. Your mind is telling you it’s not possible. Your body is shouting no. This is why it’s the most important mile. The Talmud teaches that this mile demonstrates whether you’re in the relationship or not.
We can accomplish great things, we can draw great applause and acclaim, all while remaining defeated within. This is because nothing can replace true strength of character. This is the battle waged within our own selves and it is only this battle that determines whether one achieves triumph or defeat.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there. Defining a successful life is imperative if we want to lead one. It may be the most important first step to leading a successful life. My definition is, narrowing the gap between who we see ourselves as and who we are.
Do you have a long list of wants? Would it be nice to have them or must you have them? Only when your “want” turns into a “must” do you get it. It is then that you’re truly committed to doing everything to get it. So you see, it is you who prevents your wants from being actualized and it is only you can bring them to actualization.
Did you ever notice how the very thing you love about someone you sometimes can’t stand? The funny thing is that the pros and cons are two sides of the same coin. Remember, this very same issue you’re frustrated about is the very same source of their beauty which you love.
One should not be embarrassed when confronted by scoffers. Learn this and you’ll become one powerful person. To be different, not to fit the norm, is a great fear that holds us back so often. That’s why you should practice being different.
If there’s one thing that is most detrimental to humanity, it may just be judgment. Most of us will acknowledge that we’re still trying to overcome the judgments we received from others. Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to practice minimizing our judgments on others?
There are tremendous benefits to stepping out of our subjective perspective and seeing how our world looks through objective eyes. There are also tremendous fears of accepting an uncomfortable new perspective. This is how growth happens!
We are expected to seek refinement. The way G-d created us demonstrates that. Refinement is a soulful life in a body as opposed to a bodily life with a soul.
We all live in a paradigm. When something challenges our paradigm, it offers us an opportunity, to learn a new paradigm or be more resolute in our current one. Only the liberal-minded have the courage to take a close look.
It is worth asking ourselves whether what we’re about to say or do is dignified or not. If it isn’t, we probably shouldn’t say or do it. Acting without dignity is not a sign of authenticity and realness. It’s a lack of respect and unwillingness to control our instinctual selves. We must pursue dignity.
Trendy and hip platitudes have a strong pull but they aren’t always accurate. People like talking about the universe supporting them. Does the universe have consciousness or free choice? It’s authentic confidence based on a reliable source that supports us, not the universe.
There’s a simple way to get more of what we want. Focus on it. This always works because what we focus on grows.
There’s only one person you need to influence and lead. Yourself! We follow you because of who you are, not because of what you tell us to do.
Some say the letter Y is a crooked later, a cute way of shutting down the question, why. I say that why has straightened many a crooked path. Asking why, questioning our answer and once again questioning our next answer is a very clarifying process.
Problems are easy to point out. No genius there. Do you have a solution? That’s where the genius is. Practice being a source for solutions, for uplifting and for light. Look forward as to how it should be done, not backward as to how it was done.
There are those things we want and the things wanted from us. Liberating ourselves from the servitude to our wants frees us to be dedicated to what is wanted from us.
Two stories demonstrate how the choice is in our hands as to whether our circumstances will define our reality or whether we will define our circumstances. It’s the difference between enslavement and freedom.
The difference between an issue and non-issue person is one thing. What is the objective? The issue person always makes themselves the objective. The non-issue person remains focused on the true objective.
When our relationship with another, with our religion or with G-d is shutting us down and not expanding us, it’s an unhealthy relationship.
Discipline is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. As long as it’s given lovingly. Don’t shy away from creating rules, responsibilities, and structure. Do make sure you do so from a place of love, not negative emotion.
The only thing between our current reality and a more expansive one is a thin veneer. It looks fearfully large and intimidating. Yet, it is nothing more than a veneer.