Lately I've noticed that I'm finally using all of the knowledge about success and happiness that I've known about for years.
So, what took me so long? I've known what works for thirty years. In this time, haven't I met enough people to know what works and what does not work when it comes to success in marriage, parenting, and business? Even more surprising is that twenty-three years of religious and spiritual education was not enough to make me happy.
Did I need time to develop myself and mature so I could actualize my G-d given potential?
No!
The greatest power that G-d gives man to grow and excel can be described in one word:
DECISION.
I didn't need thirty years to decide to change my life - It only took one second.
What took me thirty years was to find the right strategy to make the decision. You are more fortunate than I was. You can start right now because I'm going to give you what it took me all this time to discover.
I found the answer in chapter five of the book In Forest Fields, which was written by my Rebbe and Spiritual Guide, Rabbi Shalom Arush 
and faithfully translated into English by his loyal disciple Rabbi Lazer Brody - who is also a beloved Rebbe to me.
All of our decisions in life are based on what we believe is possible. Before I could decide to bring my life to the next level, I needed a vision and a ironclad belief that I could really have the exciting, inspired and passionate life of meaning that I'm living now. Once I believed in my end-goal I needed the best tools and strategies that I could find to break free from the limiting beliefs that were controlling me and make my vision real.
I found this in my spiritual role models. Rabbi Shalom Arush and Rabbi Lazer Brody. These two role models worked very well for me because like myself they did not grow up religious, and so it was easier for me to believe that like them I could also discover the wonderful blessings that G-d designated just for me.
I've learned from both Rabbi Arush and Rabbi Brody that there is a huge difference between knowing something and living it. By observing my spiritual guides up close I've seen the difference between Rabbis who espouses beautiful values and those who are totally immersed in them.
Complete immersion means getting "psyched up" to be in the right state-of-mind to succeed at whatever I am doing and to have fun doing it. With G-d's help I can now consciously create states of energy and resourcefulness from which everything good flows naturally.
The reason why most psychotherapies don't help people is because people are speaking about their problems in a unproductive and un-resourceful state. Even when a therapist is offering someone a reasonably good solution, that person cannot benefit from the advice because of the low mood he is in. If therapists and educators understood this we would be living in a different world. I remember how Rabbi Arush used to begin his Torah Lectures to us. We never knew what to expect. Some mornings he came out and threw chocolates to those of us who were early; other times he came out balancing a glass of orange juice on his head. But he was always tuned into whether we were in the right state-of-mind for learning; and if we weren't, he interrupted the learning as frequently as he needed to with stories, jokes and humor in order to shift us back into a state of joy which is the most conducive state for learning.
What is the most resourceful state of all?
Emuna.
Emuna is not just an idea, it's a spiritual state of empowerment that includes your physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual functioning . Emuna is the peak of all peak states. It is the state that tells you that with G-d, anything is possible. Learning to really focus and live moment-to-moment with awareness that you are being driven by the power of G-d and not by fear, doubt or your past will take your life to a place you never dreamed was possible. The more that you will see that every area of your life works better when you are immersed in emuna, the more reinforced is your emuna in emuna.
If you are ready to take action now in some area of your life or your life as a whole, why not take advantage of what we have learned from the best emuna coach of our generation - Rabbi Shalom Arush. Rabbi Arush understands the emotional and spiritual ills of our generation and has remedies for them all. Rabbi Arush's track record as a spiritual coach to tens of thousands of people and even many famous Rabbis in Israel is no less than phenomenal. Through his books and CD's, Rabbi Arush has inspired millions of other people with a vision of what it means to lead an exciting, passionate, compelling life of meaning and success based on the very best values.
Based on our uncompromising adherence to Rabbi Arush's teachings we now have what we believe are the best one-on-one spiritual coaching programs in the world. For more information about our programs email: david@breslev.co.il or call him at: 054-543-2774. For a faster response, please leave a good time for David to call you back.
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Dr. Zev Ballen, Psy.D. has been a practicing psychotherapist for more than 30 years. He is the founder and developer of Emuna Therapy, a faith-based method of counseling based exclusively on the teachings of Rabbi Shalom Arush. Dr. Zev has the endorsements of Gadolei Yisrael such as the Nikolsburger Rebba, Rabbi Yitzchok Fagelstock, Rabbi Shalom Arush, and Rabbi Lazer Brody. You can see Dr. Zev's live video broadcast every Wednesday at 5pm Israel time here on breslev.co.il. You can write in with questions to Dr. Zev at: zevballen@yahoo.com. You can call him at: 845-362-8600 (US) or 054-840-9499 (Israel). Dr. Zev resides in Jerusalem, with his family, where he learns in Rav Arush’s Kollel and maintains a part-time private practice. You're also welcome to visit Dr. Zev's personal blog, Emuna Therapy.