Think Big, Take Small Action: How the Outside Reflects & is a Projection of Our Inside

And that affects change.

And let's talk about this in the two extremes.

There is sometimes we think too small and we have to think bigger.

Sometimes we think too big and we have to think smaller.

Let me explain what that means.

In general, we always have to think big.

Whenever we're trying to change, we have to imagine the greatest possibility of change.

The Hasidic rabbis, the masters tell us a story.

There was once a lowly soldier in the czar's army that once protected the czar and took a bullet for the czar.

And the czar came to visit the soldier in the hospital and says, whatever you want, you know, you saved my life.

Whatever you want, I'll give you.

And the soldier said, you know, my drill sergeant that works for me is, you know, really tough and really hard on me.

So if it's possible to change the drill sergeant.

And the czar kind of laughed and said, you know, if you want, you could have become the drill sergeant itself.

Which means that sometimes we get tied to a certain story, tied to a certain narrative, and we think that's our lives.

And we get stuck in the smallness of that story.

And then we try to find solutions within that smallness.

But the way to truly live in greatness, the way to truly live and become great is to always imagine an alternative.

Not only to try to find a solution to the situation that you're in, but really to try to find something that's bigger and always to dream the biggest.

So on one hand, in terms of our imagination and our dream, we should always think the biggest.

This is also true physically, materially, emotionally, mentally, and certainly true spiritually.

We always have to imagine and aspire for the greatest spirituality that we can achieve the same thing with everything that the person desires.

On the other hand, sometimes, I shouldn't say sometimes, but simultaneously, while a person has the bigger vision and the desire for bigger change, in order for change to take an effect, we have to know how to do the small things as well.

You know, if a person says, let's say a person is struggling being a good father, a good parent, and they say, you know, for now on, this is a grand vision and I'm going to be a great father.

I'm going to be a great mother.

It doesn't last because there was nothing in particular.

It's in the Kabbalistic language.

This is called or makifir.

This is like a surrounding light.

It's a very good aspirational idea that you're going to be a good father, but it's not going to change.

The way you really change things is if you take small steps.

You say, where is it in my life that I'm not being a good father? Where is it in my life that I'm not being a good mother? Maybe when the children come home after a day of school and I'm present there, I should really be present to put away my phone and really engage in a conversation.

Or maybe when I'm putting them to sleep, I should really let go of everything else and just really be with them and ask them how their day was.

To do small things, that's how we actually grow.

Same thing also in a relationship.

You say you're going to be a great spouse.

You're going to be a great husband, a good wife.

That's all beautiful ideas and this is very aspirational.

But real change occurs in the small things.

And sometimes because we feel like we want our lives to change dramatically, and sometimes you do need to change dramatically, your life needs to change, and you have higher aspirations for much greater things in your life, it's very hard for you to think about the small things, how you're supposed to do small things.