The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. Mark Twain

How often have I found myself feeling overwhelmed at all the things I have on my "to do" list. I just don't know where to start. I keep having this childish notion that when I go to sleep, half the list will mysteriously get done and when I awaken I will have only half to be completed. I kept having this notion and kept awakening to the complete list plus more to do.

Someone once said to me, just start. What did they mean, just start? Didn't they know how long my list was and how many things I had to do? How could I just start? What would I do first? They said it did not matter. Just pick one thing, do it and cross it off the list.

Throughout the years of my active addiction, anytime I had the thought of doing something to help myself, the voice inside my head would always vanquish that notion and propel me further down into that hole of despair.

When I hit my bottom, I had a leap of faith and did one thing, checked it off the list and felt infinitely better. So, I did another thing and crossed it off the list and kept just doing one more thing and before the day was over, I had done most of the items on my list and felt this amazing sense of accomplishment. I came to understand that God was doing for me what I could not do for myself.

God works in my life in mysterious ways and the power to just "get" started sometimes comes from a place I accept but do not understand. What I have learned is that if I take care of the effort, the outcome will always take care of itself.

Finding my spiritual path and building my journey of faith from the inside out has allowed me to help others in my work as a Rabbi and Spiritual Counselor. I have a client who is emerging within themselves and finding the faith to take baby steps and feel the glory of God (whatever that means) working in their life. I can feel their joy over the phone and I can sense the radiance they are allowing themselves to feel. It is joyous.



My prayer for you today is that you just focus on "getting started" and know that you are already successful by having taken action.