“A leader is one who, though they may stumble and fall, arises more honest, humble, and courageous than they were before.”

There is a saying in the Torah: “In the place where someone who has repented stands– not even the holiest of men can stand there.”

To have sinned, to have erred, to have failed, to have strayed, to have fallen down, to have disconnected from your moral code and to have come back– in my opinion– is the greatest achievement man can make.

As said in the quote above, to be courageous, to be humble, and to be able to admit that you have made a mistake– whether you have caused yourself, or someone else pain– and then actually make the necessary changes in your life to not behave in that way again, is truly the greatest accomplishment that I can think of.

With alcoholics and drug addicts, their using is not the problem; their using is the solution to a longer-term problem that is plaguing them. For them, dealing with the underlying issues, and making the changes needed so that they do not need a solution that hurts them is a true accomplishment.

We all have numbing devices and maladaptive behaviors that do not serve us. Often, for better or worse, we use them as our solutions. Whether it be overworking, overeating, or frivolous shopping, these are all ways in which we check out. We all do it, yet we tell ourselves that since we are not ‘addicts or alcoholics’ we do not need to make changes in our lives; yet, I would argue that we do. I would argue that sometimes the less obvious behaviors can be just as damaging– if not more so– than the obvious ones.

How do you determine what your numbing devices or actions are? And, once you determine what they are, how do you go about making the changes needed in order to reconnect?

This week, let’s get to know our numbing devices. Let’s take a walk with ourselves and kindly ask, what are we doing to distract ourselves and escape life, instead of living a connected, harmonious existence.

Accountability, Community, Unconditional Love

Asher

I want to remind all of you that you can hear more on my podcast, Showing Up. We have lots of amazing shows with interesting guests on a variety of personal development topics. It would be great if you could also rate 5 stars, review and subscribe to the show. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/showing-up-with-asher-gottesman/id1489856285y

Posted in Thought of the Week