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We live our identity. We live our musts, our standards. Through our identity, we define our non-negotiable standards, the things that we absolutely must do. Everyone has things that they want to do: We want to learn more Torah, have a deeper connection with Hashem, develop better midos, build better relationships, create financial success, and have healthier bodies. However, we don’t get what we want, we get what we need. We need to eat, we need to breathe, and until we need all these things that we want, they’re going to remain on our wish list forever. The only way to change something from a want to a need is to change our identity. Only by raising our standards, and creating a growth-oriented identity, can we shift our life towards greatness.

We can all understand the value of developing the greatest possible inner identity. But putting that knowledge into practice can be a daunting, difficult task. After all, where do we start? If I woke up this morning identifying as an overweight, intellectually average, unpassionate professional, how do I suddenly become a passionate, growth-oriented, vibrant individual who strives after my greatness? Here are the three strategies I always focus on:

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Before judging whether or not you like what you see, first think about what you see. How do you see yourself? How do you identify yourself?

Have you ever struggled to find your unique passion in life? Have you ever felt like you didn’t have a clear purpose? We are often told that we are unique and special. But sometimes we struggle to experience our individuality, feeling almost lost in the crowd. If you’ve ever walked the streets of a crowded city, surrounded by thousands of people walking in different directions, you may have felt almost invisible. We live on a planet with over seven billion people; Earth itself is a speck in the universe. If our planet is so infinitesimally small, relative to the universe, and within our planet, each of us is only one of more than seven billion people, how are we supposed to feel special and unique?

Get a Head Start on the Historic 3rd Machzor of Mishnah Berurah

“You don’t have to wait for the siyum to come aboard Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program! You can experience how learning daily halacha transforms your life by jumping into hilchos megillah and Purim and completing all the halachos of Purim before Purim this year! What a way to get started, by being engaged in a dovor b’ito, learning halachos in their right time!” These were the words of Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Hanhalas Dirshu, advocating that new Daf HaYomi B’Halacha learners start right now!

I will never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lectures, and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this. To give you a little background, there are protocols for the introductory process of a speech. At major events, like the one taking place that night, there are always two microphones. The first is for the person who gets up to introduce the main speaker. After finishing his introduction, he walks off with his microphone, and the second microphone is waiting on stage for the main speaker.