Time to make decision and keep it

I was introduced to a Value Auction game in a career counseling course while at college. You are given a sheet of paper where you have to list 10 most important things in your life. The more detailed the better. Then everybody has to share what they wrote with the rest of the group. Out of this presentation the professor identifies 10 common values. Now it’s time for auction. A 1 million fake dollars are equally distributed to all and the game starts.

Among our common values there were successful career, happy family, beautiful house, good health, peace of mind, charity, travel around the world, a good library and self-discipline etc.. Some bought more than 3 while some spent only fraction of their money, opportunities. After the game we discussed about our choices and how we felt about. Some were quite happy with their only purchase while some showed plain dissatisfaction because they failed to get what they wanted most or didn’t use their resources fully enough.

Since I loved this game very much I repeated it in various occasions. Once I was with a group of students from a Catholic university. To my surprise they had difficulties in thinking of 10 important things, because for them material possession was not of much concern. They listed the love of God, constant communication with God as their priorities. On the other hand, I did it with a group of success driven friends, later almost all of whom did MBA in the US. The situation was quite different. They had no problem in listing, because they were clear in their pursuits, although some were crazy. One of them ended up buying a beautiful wife with 90% of his investment!

While repeating the game I noticed one important fact. Some values are not independent by themselves. They include many values within. For example successful career can perfectly cover a beautiful house, a good library, travel around the world and even a beautiful wife. That said, successful career cannot guarantee a happy family.

My priorities were successful career, happy family and being of service to society. I started thinking that there must be the ultimate value that combines these three. I believe the power of single mindedness and concentration. If I pursue several goals it will not bring enough power to achieve, but if I focus only on one goal it will surely produce tangible result.

My conclusion is that I should find my unique mission given by God before I was sent away to this world. My mission should be something built on my strength and talents but with strong element of service to the humanity. I know my strength is in leadership and connecting people while I like to serve for the people helping them develop their potential and grow together. With this enthusiasm toward leadership I also realized that I have passion in helping people get jobs or create job opportunities which can stimulate their spiritual growth. Working in the development sector for several years I am convinced that people can get out of poverty only when they are owners of their fate. There is no better way to be the owner of your life than running your own business. In this unique mission, happy family will surely follow because family is the byproduct of success when you do a meaningful job.

Right, I should pursue this direction. Helping others find jobs. I do not have experience in this area nor education. But I have some tools and ideas, most of all a zeal to accomplish. Everything can be learned by conscious efforts. The reason why we emphasize so much on education and environment is a clear proof that we have not much difference in our potential to achieve our mission. If we know how to tap, I am convinced our God given unique potential will blossom. So what I should do is to study and gain experience in job creation field.

I made decision that I will dedicate my next 40 years in creating meaningful jobs and helping people grow and fulfill their unique missions. The next step is to keep my promise and do tangible action everyday to achieve this mission. I will have to set aside a specific time for this goal. There will be a lot of attacks from Yetzel Hara, but I know that I will never give up. The decision I made is GOD GIVEN. I should never surrender. I will fail and fail and fail but I will rise up and rise up and rise up until I win.

I will start slow but steady. I apply all rules of Torah in building my strength. As I proved in my weight loss experience I will have to build my strength little by little. Small baby steps will be taken little by little, day by day until it becomes weeks and months and years. I will work consistently with persistence. I will keep moving until I build momentum. Massive attacks of Yetzel Hara, but I will recognize it. I will not overlook. I will see it through with eyes wide open until it disappears. I will not resort to my emotion. I will strictly depend on my decision. I will have to keep it. I will have to keep promise with myself. That is the most important thing. I will keep focused on what I will achieve. Spiritual power and dependence on God will only guide me to a right direction.

“I will tell you. We should be able to make decisions and stick to them. And keep them. It’s not enough to make decisions, the main thing is to keep them. Decisions are very important. If you can keep them, more power to you. If you cannot, all I would say is “Try again.” We can never relax. We can never stop trying. We must try again and again and again. The very fact that you are here, you are talking to me, you are a journalist, you have a job, means that you have kept some decisions. If you would have let go, you would have been in some asylum, or God knows where you would have been. This is true about you and about people whoever they are. If we don’t keep decisions, if we cannot keep them, we are lost.” -Issac B.Singer


"FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER" - Samuel Beckett