03 May WE ALWAYS NEED TO KEEP GOING

The Mishnah teaches us in Pirkei Avot (1:13), ףיסי†ףיסומ†אלד†– “one who does not increase, diminishes.”

In other words, if we are not moving forward, then we are moving backwards. If we are not rising upwards, then we’re falling downward.

The†first†Lubavitcher†Rebbe’s†young†son†once†came†home†very†excited†after†schoolƆThe†boy†told†his†father†that†the†boys†were†playing†in†the†playground¨†trying†to†climb†up†a†poleƆOne†by†one¨†the†boys†tried†climbing¨†reached†a†third†or†a†half†the†way†up¨†but†then†slid†downƆNobody†reached†the†top†–†until†he†triedƆHe†made†it†all†the†way†up

“Why†were†you†able†to†reach†the†top†and†nobody†else†didø”†the†father†askedÆ

“I†watched†as†they†tried†to†climb¨†and†I†saw†what†they†were†doing†wrongƆThey†all†at one point looked down, and got scared or confused, and fell down. So I decided that when I climbed, I would not look down at all. I just looked up, and I made it all the wayÆ”

“My†son¨”†the†Rebbe†said¨†“you†just†explained†to†me†the†story†of†lifeƆAs†we†climb¨†we should never look down. We shouldn’t look at those who are doing less than we are. This†will†pull†us†downƆWe†should†look†only†upward, at how much more we can still accomplish.

Why†is†this†the†caseø†Why†did†Hashem†create†us†in†such†a†way†that†we†always†need†to†grow†to†avoid†falling†backwardsø

The†answer†is†that†each†year¨†we†are†meant†to accomplish something which we didn’t accomplish†the†previous†yearƆEach†month¨†we are meant to accomplish something which we didn’t accomplish the previous monthƆEach†week¨†we†are†meant†to†accomplish something which we didn’t accomplish the†previous†weekƆAnd†each†day¨†we†are†meant to accomplish something which we didn’t†accomplish†the†previous†dayÆ

Hashem doesn’t keep us in this world to continue†doing†the†same†thingƆEach†day¨†and even each moment, we are to do something new, something better, something greater than what we’ve done until now. We always†have†something†new†to†accomplishƆWhat we’ve done until now isn’t good enough.

This†is†why†life†always†requires†us†to†learn new skills and develop new habits. What works for a person when he is single doesn’t work when he is married. What works†for†a†couple†before†they†have†children†doesn’t work once the have children. What works†when†they†have†young†children†doesn’t work when their children are grown. In†the†professional†world¨†too¨†we†constantly†need to change and adapt. Business practices that†were†effective†20†years†ago¨†or†even†10†years†ago¨†are†not†necessarily†effective†nowƆThis is how Hashem created the world, in order†to†ensure†that†we†fulfill†our†unique†purpose†at†every†stage†of†lifeƆWe†constantly†need to change and learn, because we constantly†have†new†goals†to†achieveÆ

Let†us¨†then¨†never†be†afraid†to†change¨†to†learn†something†new¨†to†try†a†new†approach¨†or to shift gears. This is what we need to do to†guarantee†that†we†fulfill†our†mission†and†realize the purpose for which we are here at each†and†every†moment.