One result of anxiety and anguish is paralysis. From within that state, a person cannot see the possibility of winning the battle in front of them. And because they cannot see it, the inability becomes self-fulfilling: they don't engage, and so they don't win.

In this state, it is hard to contemplate the possibility of a different reality. They are a prisoner of their own mental constructs; the fortress they built to protect themselves from the risk of failure becomes the very prison preventing them from succeeding.

How does one break free from this trap?

The opening verse of Ki Tetze offers a possible key: "When you go out to battle against your enemy, and G‑d delivers him into your hands … " The implication is clear: for G‑d to deliver your enemy, you first have to go out and fight. As long as you remain safely hidden inside your mental fortress, not even G‑d can help you win.

And the first enemy to confront is your own mind. Your own thinking is often what holds you back the most. It is not reality so much as your perception of reality that determines whether you walk out to face your challenges with energy and confidence or stay frozen behind your defenses.

You have two options: work to change your perception or act in spite of it. If you believe your success depends on yourself, the wiser path is to work on reshaping your perception, replacing fear with conviction. But if you understand that your success ultimately depends on G‑d — not on you — you can move forward even without having first reprogrammed your perception of "reality." You go out and do what you have to do, trusting that your best effort in the service of good will be met with Divine assistance.

Sometimes we are paralyzed by the sheer volume of tasks and responsibilities before us. It can help to visualize how you will feel once they are accomplished. In other words: look at your tasks not as battles to endure but as opportunities for eventual victories.

There is an important detail in the Hebrew text. The verse says you go out to battle against your enemy, but the word used is not neged ("against," implying equal footing) but al ("over" or "upon"). You go out over your enemy. The Chasidic masters explain that this single word holds a great secret for winning the inner battle: you go out confident that you already have the advantage.

If you go out "against" your enemy, viewing the forces as roughly equal, you will always be uncertain whether you will win. But if you go out convinced of the superiority of your "secret weapon," everything changes.

What is that secret weapon?

Conviction. Genuine, selfless conviction in the rightness of your cause.

When you fight for a just cause, you do not relent until you achieve your goal. When you fight for something primarily out of self-interest, you will abandon the field when the effort no longer seems worth it.

This recalls a question posed to one of the IDF's generals after the Six Day War: "Was the victory a miracle or a natural outcome of circumstances?"

"Both," he replied. "The miracle was that we were able to defend ourselves against so many larger armies. The 'natural' part was that G‑d helped us. Who else was He going to help? Our enemies?"

The Talmud cites a saying of Reish Lakish that captures this beautifully: "One who comes to defile himself is allowed to do so; one who comes to purify himself is helped." When one chooses the self-serving path, G‑d allows it. When one chooses the path of growth and purification — doing the maximum for the sake of good — not only is one allowed, but one receives special Divine help. The effort is not only not held against you; it gives you an actual advantage.

The tool for this week: If the challenge looks insurmountable from where you stand, move. Step outside your position and you will see a different view.