Over the Big Hurdle
The evil inclination says, "You'll never succeed!" Those who become discouraged don't even try – that's the big tragedy. Don't lose heart - take the first step...
Personal Prayer? An hour a day? You’ve got to be kidding me!
I had just finished reading two wonderful books, Garden of Peace and Garden of Emuna. These books opened up whole new horizons for me and were truly life transforming. Yet in the books, Rabbi Shalom Arush frequently related Rebbe Nachman’s teaching that we should do an hour of hitbodedut (personal prayer) every day. I felt that there was no way that I would be able to do this!
While I was looking forward to learning more of the teachings of Rebbe Nachman and reading additional books by Rav Arush, I knew that one book, In Forest Fields, was devoted primarily to personal prayer. I resolved to avoid this book at all costs! There was no way I was going to read this book, or so I thought.
One day I arrived at Shul early for Mincha and I noticed that someone had left a copy of the book on a coat rack. Fortunately my curiosity got the better of me and I started to leaf through it. I soon realized that 
regular personal prayer was something I really needed to do.
I’ve been doing daily personal prayer, generally for over an hour a day for almost five years now. My daily conversation with Hashem is a highlight of my day and I can’t imagine being without it. I would like to share with you some insights on overcoming that big first hurdle: how to find the time.
Start Small and Build on Success
We may look at the one hour goal as an impossible dream and as a result many of us fail to do even a single moment of personal prayer. Moreover, if we try to achieve the goal all at once we can become disheartened by initial difficulties and setbacks. When it comes to the length and quality of personal prayer, patience and persistence are essential. Don’t get discouraged. Focus on progress not perfection.
I recommend starting small, five minutes a day and working up, rather than trying to do one hour the first time. We need to remember that any time devoted to personal prayer is precious to Hashem and will elevate our lives, bringing us closer to Him. Moreover, even five minutes a day is a fantastic accomplishment. This will amount to 30 hours of personal prayer per year. Just think of the impact that can be achieved by this!
Don’t give up – have a Plan B
Ideally, it’s best to do hitbodedut for an hour in uninterrupted fashion. This facilitates introspection and reflection. It enables you to build momentum and adds depth to your dialogue. Therefore, it’s beneficial to schedule an hour time slot for this in advance for each day. However, there are days when unanticipated events occur and we may not always able to string together sixty consecutive minutes. On these days it’s vital that we not give up on personal prayer altogether. A fallback option is to do personal prayer in several segments. In this way you’ll still able to devote at least an hour to personal prayer.
The key principle for me is to leave the car parked in the driveway. I try to walk everywhere I need to go. This provides a number of advantages: first it promotes good health. Secondly you save gas money or mass transit fees. Finally and most importantly this gives you precious time to speak with your Creator.
If walking doesn’t work for you, no problem! You can close your office door and talk to Hashem at lunch time. You can talk to Him on a bus or on a train. You can talk to him in your bed at night. Whatever works best for you.
Beginning Is Winning
I recently read a great quote: life’s problems would not be called hurdles unless there was a way to overcome them. All you need is desire to do personal prayer and a realization that this is the key to forging a closer personal relationship with Hashem.
Why not get started now? Right now is a perfect time to go for a five minute walk and thank Hashem for some of the blessings and gifts you’ve already received today.
Rav Arush emphasizes that in order to have a relationship with someone regular communication is needed. If you believe in Hashem, talk to Him. With prayer, you are with Hashem. No cell phone? No problem. You can talk to Him directly; no annual contract or hidden fees, and no waiting. All you need is a sincere desire to connect.
Your Father and King is waiting for you, His beloved son or daughter to talk with Him.
Wishing you much success and blessings.
