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How do I stop being a failure?

By Tzvi Freeman

Question:

Rabbi, I'm a failure. Sure, I'm improving, but I'm still living only half a life.

I want to look Moshiach in the eye and say, "I did more than you expected." But the only way to do that would to bring world peace, etc. NO joke. So I don't know how high to jump or where to jump to.

My biggest fear is to be an old man and regret NOT traveling the world or NOT becoming a rabbi or NOT becoming an artist or NOT becoming rich, etc. Now I'm 26 and there are people my age "out there" who are full time business owners or important rabbis and yet I don't feel I've found my groove.

Answer:

Who says your job is to become chairman of the United Nations? Or to be the world's greatest artist/rabbi/businessman? Maybe your job is to subdue your own burning, self-destructive urges and become a master over yourself—and thereby set a path for others to do so as well?

And, if so, that means the entire Creation was designed with this in mind and is awaiting your victory at every moment.

Don't believe those who tell you that the world centers around the people whose names are in the newspapers. It's a world of lies. The universe is centered around what is taking place in your heart right now. And everything depends on that.

Learn chapter 27 of Tanya. Everything is there.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman for Chabad.org

2 Comments Posted

By Tzvi Freeman More articles... |

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman heads Chabad.org's Ask The Rabbi team, and is a senior member of the Chabad.org editorial team. He is the author of a number of highly original renditions of Kabbalah and Chassidic teaching, including the universally acclaimed "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth." To order Tzvi's books click here.

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