Be Happy(ier)

Maintaining a state of happiness can be challenging at times. But with a little focus and daily practice, you can generate a strong sense of joy from within. In this episode we’ll share practical ways to boost your journey to happiness and well-being.

Transcript:

Elisheva: Good morning, everyone. Good evening. Good afternoon, wherever you are, and welcome to this week’s Weekly Energy Boost. My name is Elisheva, and I’m here with David. And full disclosure—normally we do our podcast live—today we have a prerecorded episode. And so, if you're listening on, if you're watching on Facebook or on YouTube, you’re more than welcome to write your comments and questions as usual, and we will get back to them during the week. We are super excited to be here this morning not only in body and in spirit, but also because we are talking about perhaps one of the most in-demand topic when it comes to really practical wisdom is how to be happier. We are going to talk about how to make a happier you. And David and I have each compiled our own lists on things to do or be or become, in order to be happier, we’re going to share 

David: We have not shared with each other.

Elisheva: Right. We each have our own list. We’re going to try and knock out as many as we can. And we’re doing that because right now we are in the week of what the Kabbalists call Pesach what many people would probably call Passover. And the holiday this week of connection for the Kabbalists always falls in the month of Aries. And Aries, if we haven’t given them enough credit already this month, they tend to be very happy people. I don’t know if you can think of the Aries in your life. But studying an Aries is probably a good way to figure out how you can be happier. However, we’re going to take more of a wisdom-based approach to our list, of course. But their ability to sort of move on from things that are difficult, sad, heavy, upsetting is nothing short of miraculous. I know that I wish I could move on as quickly as they move on. But that’s why I have this list, the list of things that helps me move forward and move gracefully through those things that may be difficult or make me less than happy. The Weekly Energy Boost is really the […], well let’s say every episode, we strive to bring you the most practical wisdom and tools to navigate the coming week. One of the ways we do that is also looking at the energy of the month, which is inevitably related to the energy of the week. And especially in a week like this—that is a seven, it’s an eight, depending on where you live—it’s a cosmic window that lasts about a week, where we’re given the energy of freedom: the energy to break free from the things that no longer serve us, to quiet the voice of our opponent and amplify the voice of our soul. And so, to that effect, it will behoove all of us this week, and of course this month, to connect more to the things that make us happy. And before we get into our lists, I’m going to call myself out on perhaps the most important thing that prevents us from happiness is—I don’t know if everybody heard my use of the language “makes me happy.” That to me is the number one thing that prevents people from being happy—that’s not part of my list though—is waiting for things or people or events to make them happy.

David: That should be part of the list. Waiting for happiness should be part of your list.

Elisheva: That’s how not to be happy. I

David: I know.

Elisheva: So, my list is “how to be happy,” 

David: Yeah, so don’t wait.

Elisheva: So don’t wait. Yes, there okay! So, let’s start with that.  That’s number one on David and Elisheva’s list of ways to be happy is: do not wait […] I wanted them to be positive things though. Okay. Stop waiting for people, places, and things to make you happy. We talk about this in almost every episode but the idea that if something outside of me is the source of my energy, I will never be fulfilled in the long run. I will constantly be running from source to source to source—the energy drizzling out of my being as I run to the next source—that habit that we all have. We all have it whether we’re hopping from one cup of coffee to the next cup of coffee; hopping from date to date; hopping from episode to episode on Netflix, wherever we’re running from—or to and from—we’re never going […]. When the source is outside of us, it will always be temporary. It may be instant. That may be the benefit that it has is that it may be instant gratification, but it will always be temporary.

David: I have a question. I think you said two topics in one, which is: there are people who are waiting for something to happen—when I’m waiting for an apology, I’m waiting to hear back about my interview, I’m waiting to, you know, my for my situation to get better—that in and of itself shrinks the vessel, shrinks your spiritual vessel […] 

Elisheva: What is the spiritual vessel, David?

David: Your capacity to hold energy; your capacity to be fulfilled. So, we all have an internal vessel. So, that shrinks it. Every time you’re waiting for something to happen, you’re literally not the Light anymore and you’re the vessel, you’re the effect, not the cause. You’re also saying something else.  You’re saying when we are dependent on an external source of energy. So, that could be that I’m happy when this is happening, and I’m totally not happy when it’s not happening. So, I am the effect in that case, as well. But they are two distinct […]

Elisheva: I'm writing it down: don’t wait for happiness, and don’t depend on anything outside of you for happiness.

David: Similar sisters. They’re sisters—sisters and brothers here—of being the effect. Because essentially what Elisheva is saying is when you’re the effect, it’s impossible to draw the Light of happiness.

Elisheva: And the truth is, if I went and surveyed every single person who’s listening to the show right now: do you want to be happy for five minutes? Or do you want to be happy forever? How many of us would say “I’m good with five minutes”? Raise your hand, if you’re good with five minutes. Nobody should be good for five minutes. And maybe there are those sort of sadistic types that will say “when the five minutes are over, I got another five minutes.” Right. The Kabbalists are saying that if we understood how happy we could truly be forever— unending joy and fulfillment—we wouldn’t shortchange ourselves on the five minutes, and five minutes, and then five minutes, and maybe ten minutes of happiness that we are bouncing from throughout our lives. And I’ve had people […] I mean, even my kids, […] it’s actually a funny thing to […] I didn’t even think about it before today. But let’s say for example, they have a birthday party to look forward to, or a vacation to look forward to. They ride on those fumes for the whole month before the vacation or the whole week before […]. And then the birthday party is over. And I’m thinking about now […] and I’ve heard them say “now what do I have to look forward to?” And what a punch in the gut that is for me as a parent.

David: The “look forward” type people, people who only derive joy from looking forward.

Elisheva: Right. And if we’re honest, we’re all a little bit like that, right? The vacation in a month may not be the source of our happiness. But in those quiet moments, we remember it, we get […]

David: Anticipatory happiness. 

Elisheva: It’s a thing. 

David: It is a thing. Anticipatory happiness. 

Elisheva: So, that’s really our first advice, guidance […]

David: That’s your first point.

Elisheva: My first point. It’s two points, though. 

David: Yeah.

Elisheva: My first two points. Maybe David will get the next two. My first two points are: do not wait for happiness, which includes the anticipatory type, and do not depend on anything outside of you for happiness.

David: How you do those things? Obviously, we talk about it in all our other shows and classes, but we’re giving the headlines here. 

Elisheva: Right. And by the way, I actually, I did—before you get into your […] before you take the mic over David—I did want to share an excerpt from the Power of Kabbalah book about the root of our unhappiness, and then maybe we can segue in some more positive language […]

David: Spoken word.

Elisheva: Okay, so this […] we’ve been reading, I’ve been reading from this book for the last couple episodes. It’s just, it really is the user’s manual for life. And it says […] there’s just these two quick paragraphs here. What page is it? It is page 26. So, it’s important enough that it’s in the beginning. It says here: “The reason we are unhappy and anxious is because our desires are not constantly fulfilled by Light. If we have joy in one area of our life for five years, we may feel fortunate, but this also means there was enough Light in the ‘tank’ to only last five years. Running out of Light—or rather, disconnecting from the Light—makes us unhappy. The more Light we have in our life, the longer our desires remain fulfilled, and the happier we are. We also have a lingering, deep-seated fear that our happiness will eventually end. When we find ourselves in a rare state of contentment and serenity, we have a negative tendency to believe it’s too good to be true. We worry about tomorrow. And the moment these doubts creep in, we lose our connection to the Light. Light is therefore also defined as the peace of mind that comes from knowing that happiness will still be with us tomorrow. When we are connected to the Light, we have no fear, anxiety, or insecurity about the future.” And that basically talks about exactly what we were saying. Anything that’s time […] based on timing, a certain timing, a date in the future, or something that sometimes it’s also […] people—their happiness comes from reliving something that happened in the past. And there they tend to hang on—we call it nostalgia to be polite—but sometimes they hang on to things from the past that…that is their only source of joy. And so here again, Rav Berg is saying basically anything outside of you […], that’s if your happiness isn’t coming from the Light, you’re not really connected to the Light and your tank is gonna run empty. 

David: Very nice. I have a list of spiritual concepts, but also practical ones that I feel would be beneficial. So, I'm going to mix it up a little bit. I'm gonna start with a practical one. We talked a lot about the spiritual concepts. This is rooted in spirituality, but I'm gonna bring it down to earth. This is something I applied. I've seen other people who apply this. It works.  Twenty percent of your time should be dedicated to being free, creative, thinking, thoughtfulness. I don’t know how to put it, but I know that […] I tell our employees that I want not your whole day to be working on your tasks. Twenty percent of you should be thinking about how to improve your department, how to be creative, how to […]

Elisheva: Expansion.

David: Expansion. Right. Scaling, whatever it is. And we all operate that way. When we’re just on the hamster wheel, getting stuff done, and finishing the day, having finished yesterday’s to-do-list, this suffocates happiness, this—if you want to make it spiritual—[…]

Elisheva: [laughing] Nah. Let’s keep it practical.

David: Spiritually, what happens is the vessel can’t expand. So, the capacity to hold the Light of the Creator can’t be there. And we also know that when we have free time to think, to dream, to be creative, those thoughts expand the vessel, and then all of a sudden, those things come. So, I know that if I think about something, or I meditate on something for—let’s say, I don’t know—I want to […] I need to meet somebody about something. I’ll think about it, I’ll ask for it, and I’ll pray for it. And all of a sudden, the circumstances align where that opportunity comes about. But that only happens when you have freedom. And how many of us have freedom in our day to expand our career, to expand and bring more value to our family, to our friends, to our own bodies to our own health? Most people I meet are going from hour to hour. They’re not thinking about the future. They’re just playing catch up. So that’s my first point: finding the way to create that space. And if you do that, you’ll be more successful even though it sounds like you’re working twenty percent less. I’ve seen it time and time again. You become more productive, you draw more efficient ways of doing things, you bring more success in every part of your life. Twenty percent freedom […]

Elisheva: I do something similar. 

David: You do that?

Elisheva: Well, it’s important for me, it feeds me, I am energized when I have to create something. So, it’s similar. I have to be always putting my energy into something that is new. And sometimes it means solving a problem, right? Coming up with a solution or fulfilling a demand for something that doesn’t exist yet. And it can come in the form of creating a class or a seminar, it can be creating an event. It just makes me—I don’t know—sparkly. I like it.

David: Great. I know some people that go for walks when they do that, some people who drive. I know somebody that goes and gets a pedicure, and sits there while he’s getting a pedicure, and he’s thinking.  Whatever, give yourself the […]

Elisheva: Twenty percent of their time on a pedicure? And that’s pretty impressive.

David: I mean, if you really think about it, a pedicure is about 30 minutes, and you know, pedicure takes up five percent of that time. I don’t know. But to give yourself that permission, because sometimes we don’t give ourselves permission. Now I’m being a bad mom, I’m being a bad father, I’m being a bad employee […]

Elisheva: It’s selfish.

David: It’s selfish to be creative. So, give yourself the permission to do that. So that’s number one. Number two, I think is a big one. I notice a complete difference in my happiness in my day when I don’t do this. So, start your day, […] the way you start your day, starting your day with consciousness and not on a reactive note. So, regardless of how your schedule is, you have to wake up and set time that it’s you and the Creator. And whether you’re talking to the Creator, whether you’re studying something that’s inspirational, whether you’re planning for your day. And there’s so many ways to do this, but you got to have a gap—a space. So, for example, if my wife says, “alright, 6:30 you gotta take care of the kids.” I’m not waking up at 6:26 and then rushing upstairs, half asleep or wherever it is to get the kids or whatever. Because I know that I’m starting my day on a reactive note. So, I’ll wake up at 5:30. And I’ll set an hour. 

Elisheva: I’m tired just hearing you say that.

David: To wake up that early? Well, […] by the way, one of my points here for happiness […]

Elisheva: Sleep in [laughter]

David: No, sleep well. This is huge. I have a whole thing about that. And this is your husband’s specialty here. But sleep has a lot to do with happiness. We’ll put that aside for a moment. Starting the day with consciousness. How many of us start our day with something proactive even in the first minute? So, the Kabbalists say how you treat the first minute of your day […]. So, what I do, because Satan really gives me a good […] I’m better at night, not so much in the morning. So Satan gives me a good punch in the face as soon as I wake up. And I just say the word “Thank you” over and over again, as I’m waking up. I say thank you about different things. “Thank you this […].  As many things as I can think of, I say “thank you, thank you, thank you.” And what it does, it creates some really powerful energy. And it neutralizes the Satan first five minutes of the day. And then you know, you do your thing, you wash your face, all that stuff. And then I’ll spend […] You know I have my routine, which I’ve given in other classes. I’m not going to give it now. But I have a routine that I need. Sometimes I get the curveball, where something’s asked of me, and someone interrupts that space. And you got to be ready for that too.

Elisheva: I’m kind of annoyed with you because you sort of stole one of mine. I don't know if it’s…

David: Well, we said if we were going to have the same one, then it’s confirmatory. Is that a word, confirmatory?

Elisheva: It’s annoying that David said it first maybe, but both of us have apparently on our list, the idea of appreciation. Now David threw it into the morning, you know, waking up with consciousness. I would go so far to say is that whatever you know, it might not be […] you may prefer and you may have the luxury of being able to wake up first thing in the morning and consume consciousness, listen to something, read something, pray, meditate. That’s also good for the morning routine. But appreciation is at the top of my list because the lack of appreciation is actually what invites the universe to wake you up, to shake you up, to create challenges that were otherwise unnecessary. So, one of the things—and I tell people as a daily practice—again, not necessarily first thing in the morning, if you can do that without a cup of coffee, more power to you […]

David: You do the coffee […]

Elisheva: Well, I do. I have a quick prayer I say. I wake up the kids. It takes them a few minutes to get to bed. So, I have time to have a few sips of coffee first. I want to be clear, it is okay to love your coffee. However, the gratitude—and by the way, I have gratitude, I go to sleep at night thinking I am so lucky that I have that cup of coffee wait waiting for me in the morning. And I am so lucky that I have a comfy bed to crawl into and I have a job that I love. And I really have to say: I do have those conscious thoughts on a consistent basis. It is really difficult to be upset about things when you are busy feeling privileged, lucky, honored, and appreciative. And the recognition that it all comes from one source—even if it’s my husband that bought the flowers, or, you know, maybe my mom made dinner for us one night—I felt so much appreciation, not only for let’s say my mom and the dinner itself, but appreciation that—it was almost like an unanswered prayer. I didn’t even know I had a prayer for it—like the universe knows me better. My mom knows me better than I know myself. What a beautiful thing. And so, I’m saying it’s not about: I’m appreciative of my bank account, or I’m appreciative that I live in a safe neighborhood, that kind of thing. It’s not even going that far. It’s the little things. It’s in the moment to moment. If you can find five things right now, to be appreciative, you’ve already increased the amount of happiness and joy in your heart. And how simple and easy that is. Your breathing—that’s something to appreciate. You have a job. That’s something else to appreciate. You have a roof over your head, that’s something else to appreciate. And push yourself into that zone. Your mood will be elevated. I promise—no matter what.

David: I want to throw something in there about the coffee. I remember reading something about how studies do show that coffee is better for you than not drinking it. But what was really interesting to me is […]. I remember like one time I had to go to airport early, wake up like whatever like 5 am. And I don’t like to drink my coffee till a couple hours after I wake up. But this time I drank it like 20 minutes after […] I had no choice. I had to down this thing before I get to the airport and it had the opposite effect. It didn’t help me. And then I read an article. And I would say that—if you can—google this: “best time to drink coffee,” because it all has to do with […] 

Elisheva: I read it also […]

David: You read this also?

 Elisheva: […] and I rolled my eyes.

David: Well, everyone’s different, everyone’s different. But it’s interesting that there’s a science behind it, because you want to wait for your cortisol levels to […]

Elisheva: Let your body wake up before you drink it, and it will have a better effect on you.

David: It will have a better effect on you, which I found to be very interesting. Everyone’s different. So, when we’re talking about happiness—also is being in tune with your body. I think it is very, very valuable—physically. Because, again, if you’re sleep deprived, you’re just going to be cranky, you can’t […]. I mean scientifically, it’s hard to be happy. The great Kabbalists […]

Elisheva: There is a verse in the Bible that says you should not put a stumbling block before the blind. 

David: Yes.

 Elisheva: This, to me is an example of putting a stumbling block before the blind. If you know that you get hangry, put up a bar in your purse or your pocket. Meaning that—I think I say this, at least every month—but one of the most difficult things about being a spiritual person is you have to know yourself. You have to be real and honest with who you are, and what your limitations are, and what your needs are. And if your need is to have a cup of coffee in the first five minutes of your morning, because it’ll make you a happier, kinder parent, getting your kids out of the house, do it. If you know that your blood sugar is going to drop and you’re going to become irritable, prepare for it. If you know that you need to sleep eight hours a night to be a functioning human being: do it. The physical reality is there for us to express our spiritual strength. So, if you’re hearing what we’re saying, and you’re saying, well, that’s like, “That’s too materialistic. That’s too 1%. That’s too physical.” No, the physical reality is the stage on which we accomplish our spiritual growth. And if you cannot take care of your body, you are failing a serious spiritual test. 

David: 100%. She doesn’t do it anymore, but my wife used to do a program to help people lose weight. And they asked her, give us—give me—the order of importance of how to lose weight. And she put in an order of stress—so, this is where the spiritual component comes in—because I think that’s the best way to remove stress: stress, sleep, diet, exercise. Interestingly enough, to lose weight, sleep. So, let’s take stress out of it for a moment, because everybody can agree with that. Sleep was more important than diet for a person who wants to lose weight. Because it doesn’t matter how you eat your food, or what you eat, or even how—or what—you do for exercise. If the body doesn’t have the opportunity to heal […]

Elisheva: You’re getting a standing ovation from new moms everywhere. When you’re sleep deprived, it’s really hard.

David: So she said to her clients—because there are people who tried everything they can to lose weight—and she said, if you don’t sleep, the body does […]

Elisheva: Let me get back to sleep again.

David: No, but okay, we’re talking about happiness. And I want people to have practical things when they hear our podcast. I don’t want it to just be like spiritual, “Oh, you know have certainty, you’ll be happy.” Well, yeah. But these are practical things that you can do right now. And part of it is—I’m sure 50% of our audience does something to sabotage their sleep, whether they’re drinking coffee at 6pm, or they’re on their phone before, or they don't have a black—we had a whole show about this—they don’t have a black room. They’re just not investing in the sleep. The sleep is more valuable than anything else to get the hormones balanced, to let the body heal. 

Elisheva: The body needs time to repair.

David: Right? And then you have consciousness the next day. It’s like you receive divine inspiration on a higher level.

Elisheva: There’s a vicious cycle and there’s a precious cycle. This is the precious cycle. It starts with sleep.

David: 100%. Okay, let’s go back to your list.

Elisheva: So, my list […] this is, you know, I said appreciation last. The last thing I contributed was appreciation. I think this other […] my next thing is going to be on everybody’s list. Whether you’re spiritual or just a nice person is “be kind.” Do something kind, do something sharing, do something for someone else. Let’s call it that “do something for someone else.” Because it doesn’t have to be […] it’s not […] you don’t have to spend money. You can say something nice to someone. One of the things I remember, as a child, I would be—I’m bringing up my mom again—so annoyed with is: my mom would talk to every single person. We’d go to the market, she talked to the cashier. We would valet park somewhere, she talked to the valet parking guy. We went to, I don’t know, Starbucks, she would talk to the barista. Like, “Mom, can we just go?” But I realize now that I’m an adult that what she was doing was just being nice. Making the other person feel good. Giving them a compliment talking to them about how they made her day. And I’m like, “oh, my goodness.” You know? It was so irritating to me when I wanted to just get out of the store. But now realize, if you can find one person, something so small as commenting something very positive on the social media post, sharing a compliment. I mean, these days, maybe we’re not going out as much as we used to. But for sure we can […] you can even send a text to somebody: “I was just thinking about you, and it put a smile on my face.” How good would you feel if somebody just sent you a text saying: “You just popped into my mind, and it put a smile on your face? I hope you’re having a great day.” How could you not be uplifted by that? 

David: Right.

Elisheva: But what’s interesting though, the spiritual science behind that is that by you, revealing light, sharing light with that other person, you’re the pipe that delivered it. So that sharing that light, that happiness comes through you. You are filled with that light before it’s delivered. So, to me, […] I mean, I used to have a student a really long time ago, who every time she would have a fight with someone she’d call me and say: “I need to make a donation. I need to give charity.” Her thinking, right, she had heard this teaching and said, okay, the moment that there’s darkness, I have to share, I have to share. So, she would say, “I have to give $50 right now. I just had a fight with my sister.” 

David: Oh, that’s nice.

Elisheva: And inevitably, it would turn things around. It was actually quite a remarkable thing to see. But it’s for, you know, let’s say instead of needing to put out that fire—which obviously, I mean, the Light will put out the fire—but the idea that by me being a channel for the revelation of goodness in the world, I myself am filled with that goodness first. If I’m praying for somebody else—by the way, they don’t need to know that you’re praying for them—praying for somebody else, you’re filled with the blessings you’re asking for them, even before it’s delivered for them to them. So, the idea that I can have it, I can—by me making a difference—whether the difference is acknowledged. And here’s another don't coming up, right? Don’t wait for the acknowledgement. Don’t wait for the thank you. Don’t wait. Not waiting for the appreciation, recognition, and acknowledgement of and within itself is a source of happiness. 

David: I remember one of my students, she would always be unhappy. And things would work out for her. She had stuff and everything kind of was like going her way. But she was always unhappy. And then I realized—just on my own thinking—that this girl doesn’t share with anybody. Like she doesn’t add value to anyone. It’s always about like her, her career, or her this, or relationships. It’s always tied back to what she’s receiving. And Kabbalistically, there’s a huge correlation to happiness and how much value you add to others. But that it’s to the level that it’s unconditional. That you’re, like what Elisheva said, you’re not going to receive something in return. And one of our teachers told me 20 years ago—great advice—every day, do an action that is positive value sharing—whatever—that you feel you’re getting absolutely nothing for. So, it’s kind of like it’s like those actions like “why would I do that?” like “that’s like the last thing I want to do.” But that action is true sharing. If you […]–even the ones that make you feel good right on the spot, or make you […] or you see how there could be a reward or a benefit, whatever—those aren’t as powerful for the soul as actions where you feel like there’s no reason for me to do something like this, but it’s a positive thing. And to train yourself to do unconditional actions of sharing and adding value. And something practically I do is just every couple of hours I stop and I try to think: alright, is a person I can call or someone I can talk to and try to be spontaneous about to break up my day. So, I’m not just consumed with things that are mine. 

Elisheva: Are you done?

David: That was actually on my list. Do you have people you add value to throughout your day—even if it feels like you have to take time away from your own work, your own family, your own situation to help somebody else? This is not just being nice. This is one of the secrets of success. Other areas of your life will improve if you take the time out of your day and give light in other places.

Elisheva: Okay.

David: You have one more? 

Elisheva: We have time for more than one more.

David: Ah…let’s not […] we don’t want to oversaturate our audience.

Elisheva: [laughter] Okay.

David: So, give them one more. I’ll give them one. 

Elisheva: So, mine is like, it could be two, but I’m making it one. And I […] okay, I’m just gonna say it and then I’ll explain it. You have to always be doing something that makes you grow and always be doing something that makes you glow.

David: Elisha meets Dr. Seuss.

Elisheva: Grow and glow. The grow is something that stretches you. And David kind of alluded to it a little bit in the beginning. I wouldn’t say it’s so much the same thing he was talking about—the 20% of your time for expansion, creativity, growth, cultivation, etc.—I’m talking more of something that puts butterflies in your stomach, makes your heart palpitate, makes your palms sweat. Always be challenging yourself to go to the next level. And if you're sitting there and thinking, “Well, wait a second, I’m doing nothing right now to challenge myself.” Come up with something. You may think, “Well, no. I’m afraid to do that.” Or “What if I’m rejected?” Or “What if they don’t like me anymore?” The effect of challenging yourself […]. The truth is that Kabbalah teaches that the only real joy that we experience is joy that we get from growing. Even the joy that we—let’s say you do something nice for someone, the reason you get you feel joy and happiness as a result of it is because it challenged you to do it, not just because it was the easy thing to do. If it was the easy thing to do, you’re going to feel happy for a second. And then back in the shadows again. The idea is that when we are stretching ourselves, getting outside of our comfort zone, motivating ourselves to be more tomorrow than we are today—that expansion—again, it’s creating another tastebud on our ability to experience fulfillment. That stretching is where the real joy and happiness is. And the glow—it’s like the other side of that coin, is that you have to do something that makes you happy. And David was talking before about how sometimes maybe we don’t do things because we feel guilty, we don’t take that time we don’t, it’s not worth it, I have so many other things to do the to do list is so long—you would be surprised, you will be surprised—because I know you’re all gonna listen—you will be surprised how happy it makes you to do just one small thing for yourself. And if you’re listening right now, and you say “Okay, you know what? On the way home from work, I’m going to stop off for ice cream.” Or “When I get home, I’m going to—I don’t know—make myself a bubble bath.” I don’t like bubble baths. But maybe—I know—there’s a lot of people that do. Or maybe I’m going to order […] I’m not going to cook tonight, I’m going to order takeout. And I’m going to order what I want not what everyone else wants. Like that kind of thing. If you make yourself a promise like that, keep it. Just because nobody heard you promise it to yourself, doesn’t mean you aren’t creating a space for light to be fulfilled. And maybe this is something we can dedicate to a future show to—is that when we make promises, we already draw the energy for that thing to manifest. And when we don’t follow through with it, it creates a space in which negativity can enter even when that promise is just to yourself. So, what I’m saying is: if the—I don’t know where I stopped—last count, maybe this is number six already. One way to really increase the happiness in your life is always having something in your life that makes you grow, and always having something in your life that makes you glow.

David: Love it. The last one I’m going to share is […]. There’s this concept Kabbalistically that there’s […] it’s called direct and returning light. And it means that at certain times of the day, you need to be what’s called in the stage of Malchut in the physical—to strive for something, to have a desire for something. And then there’s times you need to be in the level of Keter, which is the feeling that you already have everything. And being in these two places at the same time is the soul’s secret of success. And this is part of a deeper study of what’s called the 10 Luminous Emanations. But how to make that practical? Several times throughout the day, when you feel that you’re working, you may be getting a little drained, or you getting a little frustrated with the process, or just working hard. Stop. You should tell yourself, “I already have everything.” And actually to connect to this feeling that you don’t really need anything. You don’t need to achieve this or make that happen. Your family is perfect. Your relationship is perfect, even though maybe it seems like it’s not. Your kids are perfect, even if it seems like it’s not. But to actually establish at that moment that I have certainty. Everything is perfect and I don’t need anything. And what that does, it does something in the spiritual world that’s very powerful. Because if you’re always in that state of mind, it’s a problem because then you’re not out there creating, doing, building, and elevating yourself. But if you’re always trying to create, build, and elevate, and you’re not letting go and saying, “Wait, I already have everything,” then you’re also not inviting the Light of the Creator into the process. So that’s toxic from the other end. So, the secret is, as you’re going through your day, take time—couple of times through the day—and say, “Wait one second, I already have everything. I don’t need anything; I don’t need anybody. I don’t need you. I don’t need them. I don’t need the money. I don’t need this career advancement. I don’t even need anything for my kids, everything is perfect.” And that consciousness, that’s called consciousness of Keter, when it’s the consciousness of certainty, it draws a unique light that you need. And then you can go back to work. But gotta always connect and flip between these two consciousness—levels of consciousness—that are called Keter and Malchut. So that’s my last one. 

Elisheva: Okay, I’m gonna […] I want to ask you something. You know me, I’m a busy person, I have a lot to do, a lot of people, a lot of things. How—when—on earth could I do what you just described?

David: You could do right now, you could say, “I don't […]”

Elisheva: But I’m busy listening to a podcast.

David: […] or you just stopped. It’s something you do in your mind. You just stop and say, “I don’t even need this podcast.” Like right now, as you’re listening to the podcast, you can say, “I don’t even need to hear the podcast.” Well, why would you need to hear a podcast if you already have everything? You only listen to the podcast because you think you don’t have something, or you think you’re missing something, which is good, because it pushes you to learn, it pushes you to grow, and you need that. But at the same time, you need to also say, “I don’t need this podcast at all. Alright, so why am I listening to it?” Well now you flip back to “Well, I need the podcast.” But the idea is: you have to be in both. And it’s a very deep secret. It’s called Mati velo Mati. You got to be in both realities of “I need, and I don’t need at all.” And this consciousness is the secret of breathing in and breathing out. It’s so many different secrets, which is beyond the scope of how we’re going to explain the mechanics of it. But I know as you hear it, you feel what I’m saying. There’s truth to what I’m saying, you feel it. And it’s a practice. And if you start practicing it, you will then learn the secret of why it works.

Elisheva: To me, it just makes me think about all those single people out there who are pining for their soulmate. 

David: The best way to get your soulmate is to feel you already have one. Right—for the people who are pining.  Now, for the people who aren’t pining who think “Well, why do I need a soulmate?” They need to pine. Right? You need both :you need to pine and feel you don’t need. But if you’re only one, you’re stuck,

Elisheva: It goes back to that idea again, that this work requires such authenticity and such realness with yourself. Because you may be listening and saying, “Well, I want my soulmate.” But deep down inside, you really don’t or vice versa. So, it’s only going to work—everything that we’re talking about—is only going to work if you can look inside and genuinely identify where you’re at, and be okay with it. I think one of the things that keeps people from being their authentic selves—living fearlessly and unabashedly as who they are—is they’re afraid that when they see who they are, or they discover what’s really inside, it’ll be bad. Or it’ll be disappointing, or it’ll be frustrating, or it’ll be impossible to make happy. And that, I don’t know, I think that once you’re able to do away with the need to label it—it’s good, it’s bad, it’s disappointing, it’s frustrating, it’s impossible—there is nothing that can’t [...]. You got to know what you have to work with. And there is no such thing as a bad person or a bad situation. It’s really what you are—or where you’re at in the marathon or obstacle course or whatever you want to call it. But you got to know where you’re at in order to start moving forward. And I think that part of everything that we’ve shared not only today, but in the previous few episodes, really does require getting to know your authentic self, who you are. And that, it’s like […] How are you going to put together the puzzle if the pieces are not all out in front of you? You’ve got to make sure that you’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle in order to put it together and then to be able to appreciate that completed piece of art.

David: Alright, wrap this up. We’ve given them way too much. 

Elisheva: No. 

David: Way too many concepts.

Elisheva:  Think about how much happier the world is gonna be this week because of everything we’ve just shared. 

David: Be sensitive to oversaturating your audience.

Elisheva: Okay, audience Okay, David. So, we still are inviting our listeners to read the Power of Kabbalah book I read from it again today. That is available on share.kabbalah.com/web10 for our listeners to get a 10% discount on the book from our website. Really, as I mentioned before it has the, I think it’s 13 most important Kabbalistic principles. I know we always say, every week, we’re […] “this is the most important thing” […]

David: Even if you get the book for a friend. By the way, if you use that link, it is supporting us. We don’t benefit monetarily. But we want to show how valuable this show is. We have such a huge audience. But we also want to show that this show, we want to show that this show […]

Elisheva: We want to demonstrate that this show […]

David: […] has influence and that—if we do suggest something, because we truly believe in it—that our audience listens because then we can garner more support and financially be able to bring this out to more and more people. So, that’s we share these things because we believe they’re good for you, but you also support us when you use those links, even if you just buy it for a friend or buy it for somebody else. That’s how you can support us and give back to us.

Elisheva: Right and, as you know, we […] It’s not every day that we are […] or we haven’t recommended 18 books in the past. This is [..] 

David: This is the second book in three years.

Elisheva: Right. So this is definitely the number one book that we would recommend for people who are starting out on their journey with Kabbalah. Next week, we are bringing back Batya Solomon who is […] also another one of our most pined for guests. And we’re very excited to have her back. We’re going to talk about […]. I don’t even remember what we’re going to talk about. Oh! Flexible, being flexible, growth mindset, neuroplasticity, how to change your mind when you’re stubborn and difficult. And it’s so good. I’m so excited to do it. I’m so excited that we have all you listening. I’m so excited that you’re all going to be happier this week. If you do not already subscribe to the podcast, please do that now. Rate and review us. Share it with others. Think about how much happier the world will be if a million people hear this episode. See it. Let’s see if we can do it. And that’s it. Have a fabulous week and we’ll see you next week on the Weekly Energy Boost.