The son of famed Chossid R’ Michoel Beliner of Nevel (the first Mashpia of Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch) was deathly ill.

The doctors had given up, so R’ Michoel did the only thing he could – he travelled to the Tzemach Tzedek in Lubavitch.

“Arouse from within you the power of trust in Hashem with simple faith, that He will save your child”, the Rebbe told him.

“Thought helps. Think good, it will be good”,

the Rebbe concluded.

***

In the first step of planning this next year, we discovered what we want to improve.

Today we will discuss how to improve.

One would be forgiven for assuming that once they have the overall picture of what they will work on, the next step would be to map out a plan of action, a step-by-step list of technical improvements; that is actually not the first step.

The innitual step, is to actually see yourself in your minds eye having achieved your goal.

Thoughts even though intangible, are profoundly real.

What we think, not only creates our interpretation of reality,

Our thoughts create our reality.

It is our very thoughts, (Bitochon), that serve as a Keili for the way things will turn out.

This is because, when we create something, even if only in our minds eye, it exists at some realm (that of Olam Hadimyon).

And once it exists, all we need is to make the continued Keili for it to come into Oilom Hama’ase.

That begins when the vision causes us to feel an emotion, which effects our physical bodies. It is then that the thought is in the mundane, physical world.

As an example visualize an individual walking late one night, alone, along a dark street. You can practically feel his nervousness amongst the eerie quiet.

It doesn’t do him much good when out of the corner of his eye he spots an old man hunched over his walking stick, standing totally still.

His heart racing, he tries to avoid making eye contact as he gets closer. What could the person want? Why would he just stand like that? This seems no good.

But avoiding the old man is useless, because, he realises too late, that the man couldn’t possibly see him anyway. The reason?  It wasn’t a person; it was really a tree that had fallen just so.

Yet, though the mind had misinterpreted what it was seeing, the fear felt moments before, was very real nonetheless.

The racing heart will testify to that.

It wasn’t any less of a feeling, just because he had seen wrong.

In a similar manner, we can create our reality.

When we can see ourselves already reaching our goal – to the extent that we can feel the emotion, it is only a matter of time before we will physically achieve it.

As long as we have a plan of what we need to do, and keep working at it taking one step at a time.

***

So for the next two weeks spend a few minutes every day picturing in your mind having already achieved your goal.

For example, say one of your goals is to be able to Daven Ba’avoda.

Every day spend a few moments picturing yourself already Davening.

In your minds eye, see the near empty Zal on Shabbos at three o’clock in the afternoon. Picture it as best you can, the floor, the ceiling, the sun beaming through the windows. See the Mashpia sitting in his place, his Talis over his head. Two of the Talmidim HaShluchim sit, their eyes closed, one of them swaying ever so lightly. In the far end of Zal are two Bochurim, who having already finished the Seuda sit talking in hushed tones, as they glance every once in while at the Rambam opened in front of them, as if to quell the nagging feeling that they are wasting their time.

And in the far corner you see yourself, your eyes closed, your mind completely encapsulated.

Spend some time seeing yourself there.

How do you feel when you see that? What would it feel like to be able to have that emotion during Davening?

Hold that feeling.

Do the same thing if your goal is to get over your shyness on Mivtzoim.

Get a vivid image of the street in your mind’s eye. Then visualise yourself there, walking over to an individual who looks Jewish…

Do the same for learning, or for anything else that was on your list.

Because, though obviously Ma’ase Bepoiel (action) is what it is all about, visualising the goal to the extent that we can feel it, serves as a פתיחת הצינור, opening any (often mental) blockages to actually getting it done.