As I am sitting here exhausted from all the preparation getting ready for the Jewish festival of Passover which begins tonight, I am reminded that success and happiness is not easy.
Most of us are aware that the Jewish holiday of Passover occurs this time of year because the TV networks seem to always replay one of the most successful epic motion picture, of all time, The 10 Commandants starring Charlton Heston. It’s the biblical story of how G-d took the Jewish people out of Egypt and took them to Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments and Torah. This week Jews all over the world come together to remember and relive this historical event but if understood properly there can be many lessons in which we call all take away.
Passover is not a holiday commemorating an ancient event but a lesson to achieve true success & happiness in our lives.
The biggest lesson to take away from the holiday of Passover is that success takes hard work and preparation. There are no short cuts to true success. Passover is the holiday of freedom. Jewish mystics teach us that Passover is not the holiday of freedom because the Jewish people were freed from their slavery in Egypt at that time, but that the holiday occurred then because it was a “time” of freedom.
If that is the case, every year there should be a universal energy that occurs now that we each can tap into. This is a time for each of us to search deep inside ourselves to find the things or limiting beliefs that keep us in our rut or comfort zone and is keeping us from being as successful as we can.
When we search deep inside ourselves we will find the true source of our power and energy, and when we truly connect to this energy, we will be amazed in the abundant amount of good we can produce.
The Passover holiday is over week long. The first days are about preparation and beginning on your path of success. Change is not easy. Whenever we try to change, it’s very easy to fall back into our comfort zone. Making change last is what the last days of the holiday is all about.
The 7th day is when the Jews crossed the Sea of Reeds or commonly referred to as the Red Sea. Before they crossed and achieved their true freedom they faced a big obstacle. They felt trapped; Pharaoh and his army where in hot pursuit and they were trapped at the Red Sea. At this point some even thought that they should go back to Egypt (back to their comfort zone). It was not until they refocused on their mission to go serve G-d on the mountain that things changed and it wasn’t until the water reached their nostrils that the sea began to split.
The lesson here is, when you are focused on your goal, what appears to be obstacles will split & provide you with a path to reach your goals.
Our biggest obstacle is our own limiting beliefs. Don’t focus on what you can’t do but what you can do. You’ll see the miracles appear in front of your own eyes. How many times have we quit just before the moment of a great break though? It’s almost scary to think about.
Jack Canfield sums it up in a formula from his book “Success Principles”.
E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome
We all know the outcomes we want to achieve (though some of us have a clearer picture of that outcome than others). But, there always seems to be some event or barrier that comes along and keeps us from journeying forward to our desired outcome. Most of the time, we have no control over this event or the personal barrier that is put in front of us by ourselves or others.
The only thing we are in control over is how we respond to this event. When we focus on the event or obstacle we lose focus and our desire to move toward our goal. But, when we are focused on our outcome or goal, those obstacles that may appear to be as big as a whole sea that will soon split and allow us to truly break free and move toward our goal.
May this season of freedom allow you to break through to your success that is just waiting for you.
