Success
It is often said that the difference between success and failure is the willingness to go the extra mile. The decision to go the extra mile can only be made when we have already traveled the entire conventional route. When we reach the end of our trail, the successful seek out unconventional means to travel yet another mile.


By this time, we have exhausted our every resource. We have attempted every idea, explored every avenue and consumed the last reserve of enthusiasm. We are tempted to succumb to the inevitable logic of the moment and concede defeat. It is only sheer will power, a resolute aversion to failure and a powerful drive to succeed, that propels the successful forward.


Everyone understands that launching a business enterprise entails an investment of

Failure is not an option.

finance, time and effort. One expects to toil for years before the business succeeds. Yet, turned down by potential customers, refused by financial institutions and rebuffed by critical suppliers, the average person concedes defeat.


Successful entrepreneurs don't. They too often taste the bitter pill of defeat, but they never allow themselves to swallow it. Failure is not an option that they permit themselves. They hurl themselves over each and every hurdle and create opportunities to succeed.


Self-Confidence
Not everyone is a successful entrepreneur, but when interacting with others we can each practice pushing ourselves across the final mile. Interaction is a tricky affair. At times it is a routine journey, but at times even an innocent comment can destroy trust, shatter self-confidence and derail relationships.


When our comments are ignored or when we are redressed at public gatherings, we feel publicly humiliated and worry that the entire assemblage took note. It is difficult to maintain self-confidence, bounce back at the next meeting and risk exposure. The natural tendency is to cower in a shell of our own making, avoiding exposure and vulnerability.


Our hearts tells us that it is best to avoid risk, even as our minds retort that without risk there is no gain. Our minds insist that the abuse was not maliciously intended, but we lack the inner strength to dismiss our concerns.


What can be done when our environment no longer supports our confidence and growth? We must establish our own environment, an inner haven of calm and security. We force ourselves to banish our fears and gloom. We force ourselves to make the extra effort.


This sheer act of will becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Willing ourselves across the last and most difficult mile proves our mettle. Without even realizing it, we begin to project an aura of calm and security that inspires confidence in others. We find our true strength and, with it, our success.


Picking up the Pieces
Once the panic has been overcome, it is time to pick up the pieces and rebuild. A sheer force of will has emerged and temporarily taken control, but that was a drastic measure to avoid catastrophe. We cannot function at this level of intensity all the time. Once the disaster is averted, we must return to our regular routine. We must recommit to steady, but progressive, growth.


Two-Step Journey
These very rules also apply to behavioral and character transformation. Our behavioral patters don't always reflect our values and every so often we are inspired to change. Change, however, is a two-step journey.


First, we banish all thoughts that lead back to our familiar, but inappropriate, patterns. This is a difficult task. We seem to have an endless supply of arguments that justify temporary relapses, which in turn become permanent relapses. Our hearts desire and our minds justify; it is a struggle to uphold our values.


This inner transformation requires nothing less than a blast of sheer will power; a resolute decision that brooks no disagreement. On this subject, there must be no inner debate. Our commitment must be absolute.


This sheer act of will becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.



Once the inappropriate behavior has been stopped, we initiate the second step; turning our attention toward the positive and constructive. We chart a course that reflects our true code of values and that is in harmony with the principles of our faith. This requires dogged and unrelenting commitment. It cannot be achieved in a day; it's a long-term commitment. We must pick up the pieces, direct our talents, marshal our resources, lay out our priorities and reconstruct our lives from the bottom up.


Inner Tabernacle
The Levite tribe carried the Tabernacle as our ancestors journeyed across the desert. The Merari family carried the Tabernacle's walls. The Gershoni family carried the Tabernacle's covers. The Kehati family carried the Tabernacle's artifacts - the ark, candelabra, show-table and altar.(1)


The word merari means "bitterness." All change must begin with the bitter acknowledgment of our inadequacy. When we reflect upon our behavior and consider it lacking, a sense of disappointment sets in. Disappointment is only constructive when it is accompanied by firm resolve to effect positive change.


It is upon this resolve, borne of dissatisfaction with the status quo, that the walls of our new lives are constructed. Indeed, the Meraris, the family of bitterness, carried the Tabernacle's walls.


The word gershon means "to banish." Over the walls of our new lives, a cover must be drawn to secure a healthy environment within. This protective cover is formed by the actual banishment of all inappropriate behavior and even thought. Indeed, the Gershonis, the family of banishment, carried the covers that were fitted over the Tabernacle's walls to protect the sanctuary within.


Kehat, means "to marshal." Once we have secured a healthy environment, it is time to marshal our resources to imbue our new environment with positive behavior and a constructive attitude. Indeed, the Kehatis, the family of marshals, carried the sacred artifacts that filled the Tabernacle's space.(2)

The Tabernacle need not be ancient history.



Reflection
The Tabernacle need not be ancient history; it can become an active element in our daily lives. We are each endowed with Merari, Gershoni and Kehati abilities. We are each capable of firm resolve, of effecting change, and of charting a new course of constructive behavior. We are each capable of bringing the ancient planks, covers and artifacts to sacred and vivid life.(3)


Footnotes

1) Numbers, 4.
2) Genesis, 49:10.
3) This essay is based in part on Likutei Torah (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chassidus Chabad, 1745-1813), p. 21a, as elucidated in Ohr HaTorah (Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, third Rebbe of Lubavitch, 1789-1866), pp. 241-249.