Three Simple Steps to Success

That faraway peak looks impossible to reach, doesn't it? You want to get there, but you think you never will…

As a spiritual guide and fitness trainer, I receive loads of seemingly unrelated questions on Gemara study, becoming observant, personal prayer, weight training, dieting and long-distance running, among many other things. Sounds like a weird potpourri doesn't it?

Look at these questions and see if you recognize their common denominator:

* How am I ever going to talk to Hashem for an hour a day?

* How will I ever be able to run a marathon?

* How will I ever learn all of Gemara or Shulchan Aruch?

* How can I ever lose fifty pounds?

You get the point.

Behind these type of questions lurks the same culprit of "I can't" or "I'll never be able to do it". This is public personal enemy #1: lack of confidence and belief in yourself.

As fast as it takes you to read this essay, that's the speed that you'll be sending your enemy #1 into forced exile. I'm going to tell you a small story with a priceless gem of advice from Rebbe Nachman and then give you three simple, practical and easy-to-remember steps that will enable you to achieve goals you never dreamed of achieving.

Here's the story:

A simple and barely literate villager came to Rebbe Nachman and told him that he's so overwhelmed by the long Shacharit (morning) prayer that he can't get himself to pray. The Rebbe told him to focus on one word only and to say it with intent; the Rebbe promised that this would fulfill his obligation of prayer for the day. But, he must commit to doing so every single day. "Can you do that?" Rebbe Nachman asked.

The villager smiled and replied confidently, "Sure, Rebbe!"

Rebbe Nachman then told him to add one word every day and say it with intent. The villager followed the Rebbe's advice. Within a week, he was saying one sentence – a whole blessing – with pure and lovely intent. Within in a month, it was an entire paragraph. In time, with the Rebbe's advice, the villager became a righteous Jew who could pray with amazing concentration, fervor and intent.

What was Rebbe Nachman's successful strategy? He gave the villager something attainable that the villager would surely succeed in. He then stipulated that the villager must persevere, while adding a tiny increase in action every day.

Encapsulated, here is Rebbe Nachman's three-step formula for success, which you can apply to fulfilling your own dream, whatever it may be:

1. Start easy, doing something within your reach.

2. Persevere; don't let a day go by without pursuing your goal.

3. Make a tiny increase in action every day.

For best results, ask Hashem for help before you begin and thank Him for your achievement when you finish.

Let's apply Rebbe Nachman's formula to two different examples, one spiritual and one physical:

Spiritual – Learning Gemara: your challenge today is to learn one word of Gemara, no more. Start with the very first tractate, Berachot. If you don't understand Hebrew and/or Aramaic, there are beautiful English-Hebrew Gemaras available. The next day, learn two words – review the first and learn a new, second word. Every successive day, review the words you learned and add a new one. Before long, you'll have the desire to learn a new line every day, not just a word, for you'll see how well you progress. The lines will soon become a page and the pages will add up to an entire tractate. The whole process starts with the one word, the first step.

Physical – Building Strength – the pushup is a wonderful bodyweight exercise that anyone can perform, no gym or equipment necessary. Today, learn to do one only, but do it slowly and in as perfect form as you can. Tomorrow, do two. Take a break on Shabbat, because we shouldn't do strength-building exercises on Shabbat. Sunday, repeat what you did on the previous Friday, then continue adding one a day. Soon, you won't recognize yourself.

Let me know how you progress. Don't ever forget that the path to your personal peak begins with taking the first step. Before long, with Hashem's help, you'll be setting your sights on even higher peaks.