21. Live Inspired: This Is What Inspires Us

In this episode of Spiritually Hungry, Monica and Michael explain why inspiration is one of the most important parts of life as it awakens our desire and pushes us closer to reaching our potential. Tune in to discover tools for finding inspiration in everything – from family and friends to challenges and difficulties – and unlock the unique possibilities of each and every day.

Transcript

If you really want to accomplish in this day what you're meant to accomplish, Look back. Who inspires you today? What words inspire you today? I can point to at least four things that I read today, Four things that I thought about today in new ways that inspired me for today. Too often people cut themselves off from what can and would inspire them because of their judgment. That's a sign certain people were learning from or receiving from. So yeah, That's another lesson, Inspiration within the inspiration. And then at some point if you actually never pursue the things that are important to you, You eventually don't care anymore. You're either exhausted or weary, You don't have the energy or the desire anymore to actually create the change or you just don't think it's possible. In life we have a certain amount of desire and if we don't grab the desire and manifest it now, You don't know if you'll have it tomorrow. Absolutely. Hello, Welcome to the Spiritually Hungry podcast episode 21 where Monica and Michael will be talking about inspiration. That's right, Abigail. Thank you for the introduction. I have a question for you. Yes, What is it? What inspires you? Well, What inspires me is a lot of things, But one of them is my school because there's a thing in my school that I use for inspiration is I'm needing to write something down. It's like an idea book and it has pictures everywhere. It's like my family and places I've been. So that really inspires me about everything. Oh, I love that. Thank you for sharing. Thanks for joining us. Bye. Bye. Hello, Michael. Hey, Monica. Very excited actually to spend this next hopefully 45 minutes or so with you. Well, Then when are you going to speak? And talk about what is one of the most important things in life. I see you've burnt the table here. So well, What's interesting is we take turns coming up with topics and ideas. A lot of the emails that come from our students and friends, Listeners. And this week's topic when you suggested actually, I was like, Oh, It's kind of really too broad. And you're like, No, I think it could be really cool. And I liked the challenge and I'm really curious because we didn't discuss as we never do what we were going to speak about. I took more of an artistic approach in what inspires me and because that's how I kind of see the world. So let's get started. It goes without saying that on the top of the list of what inspires me, It would be you and our children. Oh, That's so sweet. I'm not doing it for points in this moment. But really. Let me change my notes then. Our relationship and our friendship and your kindness has always really inspired me to be better and do more. The way you love me has inspired me to love myself more. And our children just seeing life through their lens every day just opens my eyes to new ways of looking at things and being. So the first thing I wanted to share is that I really liked this quote. It's by philosopher and professor. His name was Karl Popper. So he said, We're social creatures to the inmost center of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, Free from the past or unindebted to others could not conceivably be more wrong. So this morning I woke up, I drank the best cup of coffee. You know, That's like my favorite thing of every day and every night of every part of my existence. That one cup of coffee. It's just perfection. And then I made some of our kids breakfast, Some of them make it for themselves. And I made our youngest lunch. I hugged her, Sent her off to school. Then I worked out for two hours as I do. And then I prepared for a podcast a bit and another podcast I did and then started to work on my next book. Now why am I telling you all of this? To overwhelm all of you. Because none of it would have been possible without the hard work and effort of others over many, Many years. And even if we just look at my workout, Right, Tracy Anderson, She moved to New York decades ago and I'm a devoted follower of her workout and a friend. She's really a pioneer, I think, In the fitness industry. So she came to New York on a dance scholarship and she researched, She refined, She finessed a way to create a dancer's body for people by focusing on the accessory muscles, The small muscles. You have heard me speak about this a few times. Many people have. But I trust you completely. When you work on the smaller muscles that usually are ignored, It really tightens that, It creates a definition in the part of your body that you want. Well, Many people listening to us today have not heard this and they would like to hear this. My point in saying this is that her trailblazing method has resonated with my philosophy of exercise and fitness and has spoken to many others. If we think about her efforts and we think about this. If you don't mind, I don't want to cut you off. But there's one time you took our oldest son to try it with you. You want to share that story? I felt very inspired that day too. Well, David is very muscular and fit. And for a while he, And he was a trainer and he thought he wanted to open a gym. He's 21 and he's an Aquarius. So he's moved on to other things at this moment, But he still loves working out. And he talks a big talk. And so for my birthday one year, I begged him that the gift to me would be to come with me to exercise. It's mostly women there. He was the only male in the class that morning. And also it's a very hot room. It's usually like 90 degrees and very humid. And I don't think he even brought water or a towel to the class. And he struggled. He had to leave three times. And I was just- But he made it through the whole thing? Almost. Almost. Almost. He took some breaks there, But then he totally, I gained a lot of respect that day from our son. But also I think that if you look at the same workout, You could also credit, And I'll connect it for you, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Who passed recently. Because as a woman, If you played in sports or you purchase property in your own name or you have a credit card or equal pay in a workplace, You need to thank her. So if you look at just people and pioneers, If I look even what I do with my life, Helping people, Assisting them, Being a teacher, A mentor. So if the Reverend Karen hadn't opened the doors to teaching Kabbalah to women, Right? Before Karen, Women were not taught this wisdom, Then my whole life would have been a different life. So there are many people that we're going to focus on and we'll go into, And not just people, But things or moments that inspire us. But I think it's important to talk about this idea that we stand on the shoulders of others, Of those before us. Because even if you look at an automobile, The new ones that have been created, They're standing on the shoulders of the car that was created before. And if nobody ever thought about how to make it different or faster or improve it- Or invented the wheel. And just started from scratch each and every time, Where would we be really as a culture, As a society? So I think it's just so important to acknowledge that, Understand that, That we are all linked together. And with that should come some sense of humility, Which often is lacking. And in relation to that, One of my favorite quotes and it's based on a story- And by the way, I have your parents to thank for you, Right? Quite literally. Hopefully, Yes. On the good days. Oh, Honey, They're all good. But the story has been a man who was planting trees, An old man who was planting trees. Oh, I was going to tell that later. Oh, I'm sorry. Will you go ahead and do that? Well, You want to tell them that- No, It's your turn to speak. And he was planting trees and then a man drove by and saw him planting trees. He says, Why- He's a very old man, Right? Very old man planting trees. And he says, Why are you planting trees? He says, Because I want them to sprout and become huge trees and give shelter and so on. And he asked him, He said, But you're going to be dead by the time they grow. Right, Because he was very old. He was very old. He says, Well, Those before me planted trees that I enjoy, I will plant trees that next generations will enjoy. And I think that's, So the second part of that is when you really understand that everything, Literally, I mean, You could point to every single part of our lives, Be it our food, To as you said, Any type of successes we have, Any type of enjoyment we have, Any type of wisdom we have, It is all based on everything that came before us. So with that, Hopefully comes humility and hopefully as well comes a sense of a responsibility to give back to the world, To others, Because what I have taken in is certainly not based on all that I have done all by myself. Yeah. So I think that first idea, Because they're going to come down to lessons, Is that that is an inspiration that then makes you connect to humility and to responsibility. Right. Sorry, I'm completely off topic. We got it. We, You know, We get a lot of- By the way, I spilled tea all over my papers today, Which is such a you move. And I almost got upset for a second. Then I was like, Well, What would Michael do? And you inspired me at all. I inspired you. And I said, I'm just going to say this is so awesome. And my Virgo sensibility is not going to be bothered by the brown color of wetness on my paper and my spirit ink that is now bleeding all over. Nice. Thank you, Michael. You're welcome. So we get a lot of emails and comments all over from listeners to this podcast. And we got one, I think it's maybe the first negative one we got last week. I was so happy about you, By the way, Not me. I was like, OK. And apparently I talk very fast, Which is something I've known for many, Many years. But I will try again. Well, We both do. And that's why I thought at first I just read I skipped the opening and I was like, OK, That's the complaint. And then I was that's why I went back. I was like, I'm sure it was about me. But what I really liked also said she called you Mike. Yes. It's one of my pet peeves when people call me Mike. But anyway, So we will I will do my best to try to again speak slowly. It's just as Monica said, We are so inspired and excited about these ideas. So we want to get them out as quickly as possible. Yes. She said you stressed her out. The pace of your voice. I apologize and thank you for the feedback. All right. So I shared one. Do you want to share one? As I said, For me, Inspiration is one of the most important parts of life. As a matter of fact, One of my mottos is to live an inspired life. I want to make sure that every single day from the moment I wake up, At least most days, I am inspired by something new. I am inspired by new wisdom. I am inspired by a new person. And so interestingly, There's a teaching that for me is foundational to the understanding of the importance of inspiration. There's a great Kabbalist. His name is Isaac Luria. And he writes that most people, When you think about today, Today is recording this on a Wednesday. So most people woke up this morning, Oh, It's another Wednesday. We had a Wednesday last week. We had a Wednesday two weeks ago. We're going to have a Wednesday next week. We had a Tuesday yesterday. Really? Do you think that's really. . . Is that how people wake up? I think people, Well, Certainly not to this extent, Which is what he says. And this is something I try to think about as often as I can every single morning, That this day, Its energy, Its potential, Its light, Its unique possibilities have never existed before and will never exist again. On this specific day, On each specific day. Exactly. What this day is, What this day can be, The blessings that are available, The growth that is available, The manifestation that is available has never existed from the beginning of time till this moment, Till this day. And the possibility of today will never exist tomorrow. There'll be other possibilities. There'll be another coming together of energies and possibilities. So in essence, What you're saying is that each day is uniquely created for each person. For each, Exactly. And what I can accomplish today, I will never be able to accomplish it tomorrow. I would not have been able to accomplish it yesterday. And that awareness of the unique potential and therefore gift of every single day, That the energies are different, That the makeup of the day is different. I, In this day, I'm a different person, Hopefully gives us inspiration to make the most of each day. And again, I know many people think about that. I want you to know, Carbideal, I want to grab the day. Seize the day, Right. But it's not just that. It's really the understanding that there's something very unique in the trillions and trillions of days that have existed. A day like today has never existed and will never exist again. It doesn't mean tomorrow doesn't have potential. Tomorrow has endless potential. New, Different, But not like today. So interesting. So if you think about, I always go straight to a metaphor. Like if an ice cream store creates fresh ice cream every day, Right? And maybe the flavors are the same every day, Maybe not. Let's say they make the same flavors every day, But fresh every day. No two batches will ever be the same, Right? Maybe put a little bit sugar, A little more sugar, A little more chocolate, Or maybe your taste buds are different on that day and your experience of it will be different. It's kind of like the same thing. If you look at what a day is comprised of, Sure, There'll be all the same aspects to that day. People maybe you see every day or the same route you take to work each day, But your experience of it will be different because there are unique opportunities that are available in the day that you won't discover unless you understand that power of each day. And push yourself to reveal its potential. Push yourself to reveal its potential. So how do you do that? So well, Actually it's funny what you were saying about the ice cream that my mind went to Scotch. I'm kind of hungry, Yeah. So the reason there's people like myself who enjoy single malts as opposed to blends, Because blends try to blend the Scotch in such a way that it always has the same taste. Whereas single malts will often have unique taste to its own. Wait, Did I inspire you when I said ice cream so that you thought of Scotch? Or did you think of Scotch when I thought of ice cream? No, I did not think of Scotch. No, No. You inspired me. So this understanding, Which again is unique, Again he's referring to the spiritual work that each individual can do every day. But this thought, Again which is something I try to keep in my mind, Whether it's during my prayers, During my study, During my actions today, Because I think it's human nature if you're not mindful. You'll be robotic. And a day bleeds to the next, And the week bleeds to the next, And a month bleeds to the next. And then it's just a blur from one vacation to the next, Or one New Year's to the next. Or even one day of working to the next. One day of even doing important work. But then we understand that consciousness is very important. Consciousness really directs the day and the energy and the ability to manifest. Living simply with this understanding, Waking up every single morning and saying into ourselves, What is the energy of this day, The potential of this day, The light that I can reveal, And what I can do, I can only do today. You know, There's a beautiful section in the Zohar, The foundational text of Kabbalah that many of our listeners are aware of. And it speaks about one of the first spiritual giants. His name, Biblical Abraham. And it says it as he's getting older, Leaving this world. It says Abraham, It says ba-bayamim, It's the original Hebrew words. And it's translated as he came with his days. And the Zohar asks the question, If you want to talk about somebody who lived a long life, Say, You know, He lived many years, He lived many decades, You can talk about it in different ways. Why does the Bible, In reference to Abraham, Say that he came with his days? And here, The Zohar reveals the secret, That every single day was unique, And he filled every single day, Which means he manifested the totality of light and potential that every day had. And if we're honest with ourselves and we look at our lives, We look even on the past week, Forget about the last number of months, Years, How many days do we really have? Okay, We'll have an hour here of inspiration and awakening and doing maybe five hours there, But to fill every single day, To come 120 years from now, With all of our days, That's quite an accomplishment. And it begins with this understanding. Waking up, Yeah. So basically what we're saying is that you need to have consciousness in everything you do in each day. How do you fill your day? Let's say that for a lot of our listeners, Their schedule is pretty routine, Right? You go to work and a lot of people are working from home now. So how practically would they actually go about their day and grab that, Grab each moment? Okay, So I still, I'll go back to what I said before, I really think that it does begin, And I would strongly recommend every one of our listeners, Every day when you wake up, Remind yourself, This day is like no other. The energy and potential that is available for me today has never been available and will never be available. If I lose the opportunity of today, I will have a different opportunity tomorrow, But not this one again. So approach every single day with that consciousness of its uniqueness, And therefore what you can accomplish in it is unique. That's where I would start. And the second thing, And this I think is really why this topic is so important to me, As I said, And I think to all of our listeners, You have to draw inspiration. I do not let myself go throughout my day without inspiration. I try to study every single day for quite some time, But my mandate is I do not stop reading or studying unless there's something that I understand in a new way, In a deeper way, In a unique way. Every day lives with new inspiration. And that's why, Again, Our listeners, I don't think it's possible for any one of us to self-motivate with something new every day. And that's why thankfully, Like you said, We have thousands and thousands of people, Of books of inspiration, Of wisdom from which we can draw. But I think it also begins with that decision. I will not live any day without new inspiration. And which leads to the next part, There was a great Italian cabalist, One of my favorite, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Who says, Every single day, One of the most powerful ways to motivate you forward is to look at the giants that came before you, The people that can inspire you. And he says, If you really want to grow, If you really want to accomplish in this day what you're meant to accomplish, Look back. Who inspires you today? What words inspire you today? I can point to at least four things that I read today, Four things that I thought about today in new ways that inspired me for today. It's really about just changing how you see things. Most people wake up and they focus on what they lack, Right? Or what they don't want to do in that day that they've committed to do. Or, You know, There's a whole list. But I think that this could be a really powerful reset moment for everybody where, First of all, A, Appreciate the unique opportunity that is available only in that day and each and every day has its own. And then, Like I said, And like you're saying, Look to the giants before you. I think that's really powerful. And you mentioned- And do not live any day. Decide that I will not commit. I will not live any day without a new inspiration. Yeah, I love that. So this is a lesson, I think, Or an inspiration for me in having appreciation. Because I think that's another thing that we talk about a lot, I think, In our home. But also I think it's one of the easiest things to lose. And you mentioned Abraham. That's my father's name, Abe. And this was something that came to me actually on a drive down Laguna Beach. You were with me actually at the time. Laguna's a really quaint, Artsy town in California. And I used to go there a lot before we were married. It's like 45 minutes from where I lived. And it was a time where I had anorexia and I was just so lost and lonely and hopeless and starving for love. My mind was restless. I felt lost, Weary, Voiceless, Plagued by self-doubt, You name it. I was in this dark space. And at that time when I used to go, I would travel. I would go with my father a lot. And he was going through his own struggles at the time. He had lost his job. But he was really a support for me in those years. He was just the one person at that time who wasn't terrified by what they saw me doing to myself. And he was just able to be there quietly supporting me. Even I'm like, Let's hike the Grand Canyon. Not to correct you, But you said he wasn't terrified. I wonder if really it was that his love for you overwhelmed his terror. I'm assuming as a father he was concerned. He had this interesting ability that he had a lot of fear for himself in his life a lot. But yeah, I think his desire to love those people that he already loved through difficulties would remove any fear he had for them. It's true. It was really interesting because I saw him be very fearful in his own life and things that had happened to him. But he wasn't like that when there was really, I think, Truly something to be scared about in those years with me. So anyway, We were driving years later when we were married. And I remember we were going through the bends and the turns in the road. And I was pointing out to you, Yeah, I went there and I bought a ring with my dad. And that's a cute art shop. And I got really teary-eyed and I started crying. And I wasn't crying because of the girl I described. I was crying because of where my father had digressed to. He has Alzheimer's as I've shared and he's not available to me, Not in any way. Certainly not in sharing memories of the past and not sharing desires and hopes for the future and not even accomplishments. But I found myself crying for the man that he was. And it got me thinking, And this was the lesson. You cried. I'm holding it together. It got me thinking about this idea. And again, You know me, I get inspired often through pain and through difficulties. It really does make me take pause and I think be in what is the opportunity in each day, Right? So I thought, Is this how life works? Once we have no need for people, Is it the obvious choice to render them unimportant and simply discard them? And I know that sounds cold, But really I think that human behavior, People do that in life. And we don't mean to do it, Right? What happens when you don't need people anymore? Like training wheels on a bike or floaties when you're learning to swim. Once you learn how, Do you simply discard them? It's the obvious next step, But does the same hold true for people? Do they simply become redundant when you no longer rely on them or have a specific need for them? Or is it our responsibility as moral human beings to always find value, Especially in things for people who were once our lifeline? And as the Rav said, Your father, He said, Once a friend, A friend for life. And you can change friend to anything, Right? I mean, The point of that sentence is once somebody has been there for you, Has found a place in your heart and has shown up for you. Has given to you. There is a responsibility to always be there for them. And even if you can't be there for them in ways they'll recognize or understand, We know what it is to show up for somebody else. It's interesting. It was something that my father spoke about a lot because unfortunately in his position and unfortunately you and I have those experiences as well. Often when people need you or at least they think they need you, There's a great amount of, I don't know if the word is love because is it love if it goes away, But love shown. And then suddenly if for whatever reason, This circumstance has changed and they suddenly feel that what you have to give up for whatever reason they no longer need or no longer appreciate, Then it is human nature to discard. It's crazy. I mean, Unfortunately we've seen this and that's why I think, And again, None of us are perfect, But I think that you and I make it a strong focus to check ourselves when we feel that maybe we're starting to behave in that way to always make sure that, Like you said, If somebody has given you, You try to give back throughout your life. Never a moment that that ends, Which reminded me, There's a section in the Talmud that says that King David, When he would meet or come by the person who taught him the alphabet, Right? So you're in first grade, Right? You're learning the alphabet, Right? And then you're getting into high school, Then college, And then of course you're using that language and do you still, I mean, Honestly think about yourself, Do I still have appreciation for, I don't even remember the name of my first grade teacher. I think it's in the Talmud that you should stand for your first grade teacher, Right? You would stand. Out of respect. King David would stand. So he taught you the ABCs. What's the big deal? He said if he's taught you one letter, Just the A or the olive and the, And that's where we need to strive to be. Right. And that's why this lesson for me was so painful because it hit me. It came flooding in as I was crying for him. I think at that time seeing him disappear and being so vacant, Right? I think out of fear at first I pulled back, But I think also out of that concept of like, Well, We don't really have exchanges. And then when I just, I remembered so many things that opened the floodgates for me, I thought, Oh my God, How could you do that? You know? Right. And now I'm going to get emotional. So then I thought, I'm really going to take this lesson with all people in life. And now I really do celebrate him. I, You know, When I go to LA and we spend time together, It's quality. And I do, I feel that his soul recognizes mine and I cherish him. I cherish him for who he is and who he always will be, Whether he can express it or not. It's interesting. You know, And I hope this isn't too morbid, But this week a friend of ours, His father passed away and we were talking about, We started a whole conversation about where somebody should be buried. Right. And one of the thoughts that I had is, And again, We have a deeper spiritual belief about the soul and that it remains and it's important where a person is buried. And yet we actually believe in, You actually go to visit them and their energy and their soul. But, But I'm not on a, I think a very basic level, Like you said, What happens when people die is that because we don't feel they can give us anymore, They're no longer important to us. And I think. . . Like the chapter's closed or that's a part of my life that's no more. And therefore we put it away where it collects dust and it's. . . And one of the things that I'm surprised, Like I've often asked people and to us it's really important. I go to my parents who are no longer in this physical world. I go to visit them as often as I can and I feel a connection. And again, For us it's even deeper because I feel a spiritual connection to their soul. But even on a very basic human level, The importance again, Because this came up in the conversation about where a person should think to be buried. And I said, I think it's important to be in a place that's accessible to the family. Why? Again, I think there's a whole deeper spiritual, Which may be in one of the podcasts we can get into. But also the fact that when a child or grandchild comes to the resting place of their father, Grandfather, There's a showing of an appreciation. Whether or not one believes in the soul, This person gave me. Gave me life, Maybe gave me more than that. And just because they're no longer in this physical world, Why should that ever be the reason that they're no longer in my mind? That appreciation, If King David stands up for the person who taught him one letter, We better stand up for our parents or anybody who gave us life. And that should be constant. That should be 50 years later. And I'm always surprised when I have a conversation with people and they talk about often a relative who has passed, A father or a mother. And I say, When was the last time you went to visit their grave? And often it's like never since the funeral or every few years it winds up. To my mind, It's on some level a loss of appreciation. Well, They can no longer give me, They gave me life. That was 50 years ago. But also they don't know that I was there or not, Or like so many people do the niceties because it will be recognized also. So I think it's a really great opportunity to be able to check. As an action of reminding ourselves of the appreciation we must have. Right? Yeah. Do you want to take a turn now? Yes, I do. I do. So like I said, This is something that I think about really most of my life. This is probably is the driving force. How can I gain more inspiration for myself and for others because of course that's the way we see the purpose of our lives. Not just of course to have inspiration for us, But to be able to share inspiration with others. And one of my favorite stories, And again, It continues to inspire me to this day, Even though I first read it over almost 40 years ago. And many of our listeners know that the founder of the Kabbalah Center, His name is Rev. Huda Shlug. And he was an amazing person, A spiritual person, But there's one part of his life story that I find unbelievably inspiring. And again, As I said, This is something that continues to inspire me to today. So he tells the story that the way he gained his wisdom was that he was living in Warsaw in Poland at the time. And he met this man and the man was concealed giant. He worked in business, But nobody knew that he had any wisdom and they certainly were not aware of his great because he was obviously a very humble person, Did not want any accolades and want anybody to know how great he was. And Rev. Huda Shlug says, And it's a longer story than this, But I'll cut it down to the essentials because I think this is such a powerful and hopefully inspiring story. He studies with him for a number of months. And because true spiritual study is not about gaining information and or wisdom, But rather about the internal work that one must do in order to be able to access true wisdom. Rev. Huda Shlug says, As I was studying, I was so excited and my ego began growing. And he says that as his ego continued to grow, He tried to find his teacher and his teacher was disappearing from him. He would go to his house, He wasn't there. He would go to his business, He wasn't there. He was looking for him, He couldn't find him. And then he lost his teacher and he realized after some time that it was because he had allowed his ego to grow as he was gaining this amazing wisdom. So finally, For a number of months, He works on his ego, Diminishing his ego. And then finally, He's able to find his teacher. He finds his teacher, The next day his teacher leaves his physical world. And he writes that he was in so much pain from that loss that he forgot everything his teacher ever taught him. Everything his teacher ever taught him. And then from that moment on, And I always make a point that he could have given what would most people do. And I share this regarding my relationship with my father, With Rav who left this physical world. My father was his teacher. In that moment of darkness, One can give up hope. One could say, Okay, Done, Right? On to the next or I'll never. . . But he didn't. And he kept on awakening, He said, A yearning for all that he had lost, All the wisdom that he had lost from all the pain. And because, And this is the, For me, The most important part, Because of the great yearning, One can imagine what yearning day after day, Week after week, Month after month, What you believe is your life source of wisdom. And finally, He says, The way he writes it, There was an awakening from above based on his yearning. And not only did he regain all the wisdom that his teacher had taught him, But even more, He calls it the gates of the heavenly wisdom opened up for him. And because of that, He was able to then continue to write and inspire. And now millions of people have access to the wisdom. But what was the foundation? Yearning. And for me, And this is true, Again, Whether it's about inspiration, But it's about anything that's important in life. The amount of anything, Love, Wisdom, Connection that you're going to receive, That you will be able to manifest is exactly commensurate to the amount of yearning, Desire that you have. And that's why, You know, Kabbalistically, We say that the word, We call it vessel, There's a spiritual word, But that word is the same numerical value as desire. And I think inspiration and desire are one in the same really, Because the purpose of inspiration is to awaken desire. And I think one of the important questions our listeners should ask themselves, As we said before, You commit to living every single day with inspiration, With new inspiration that drives you for that day. You have to also make sure you're living every single day with greater desire. I think about that, Because if you don't have desire, Then you really have nothing. There's no sense of change, Of urgency, Of curiosity. It's like settling. It's just a half-lived life. Not even half-lived. Not even half-lived. And that's why I think, Again, And this is part of- And by the way, When we come into the world, I think we have a lot of desire. If you look at a baby screaming, Crying, They desire food. They desire so many things. If we ever take a kid into a toy store, It's a lot of desire. And the beautiful thing about the desire of babies, Of children, Is that they do not let go of that desire. They will cry for an hour and five and 10. Yeah, Love it. And really, That's why it's very inspiring for sure. And then I see sometimes when people get older, In their 70s or 80s, The desire wanes, And then you see aging really start to set in. Because if a person doesn't have desire, And certainly desires that are rooted in things that feed their soul, Then they get connected to the wrong things, And eventually they don't really want anything at all. Absolutely. And so, Desire is huge. And I think it's an important question for every one of our listeners to ask, How much desire do I have in my day? And again, I believe it's- And we're not talking about desire for steak. No, Most importantly for the important things in life. Whether it's love with somebody, With your partner, With your family, Whether it's for wisdom, Whether it's for inspiration. These two are wedded together. You cannot have desire without inspiration. That's for me what excites me every single day. Well, That's what spiritually hungry is, Right? Exactly. It's good. We get to plug the name every single episode. That by committing and making sure that I live every single day with new inspiration, I am also awakening greater desire every day. And so, I think another point is that people. . . I'm changing this up. I'm going to my next idea, But I think that often people think they can only be inspired by certain people, Right? I think we can be inspired by everything. I said even a drive on Laguna Beach, So this is actually something I read that John Mayer said. And it was an interview- I didn't mean to cut you off, But it's interesting because often we get some of the comments we get people we quote is, Did you know that he also did this or did you know? I actually don't even really know anything about it. I don't know very much about it. I know a few of his songs and I liked what he said in this interview. Yeah, And then the point is this. I think one of the reasons and I've seen this- Anyway, We'll keep doing that because everybody is comprised of good and evil. Everybody has a choice to make each and every day to be selfish or kind. And we all fail at that. But I think that's such an important point because I think too often people cut themselves off from what can and would inspire them because of their judgment. Because they only assign certain people worthy of learning from or receiving from. So yeah, That's another lesson and inspiration within the inspiration. Exactly. And by the way, The Kabbalah's teacher, You should be learning from every single interaction you have from the most negative one to the most positive. You should be learning from every single person you encounter from the most positive one to the most negative one. Exactly. Sorry. So, He said life is like a box of crayons. You don't want to say chocolate. No, It's not- Forest gum. Forest gum. So, He said most people are the eight color boxes. But what you're really looking for are the 64 color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. I like that. I wonder if our kids will even know what that means. But I'm assuming most of- Abigail knows. Yeah, Because I made sure to get her one. I fancy myself to be a 64 color box, Though I've got a few missing. It's okay though because I've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. So when I meet someone who's an eight color type- What is periwinkle? Is it a purple or a blue? Well, Why did you have to- It's a no. I don't know. Somebody will get- I'm sure somebody will write in and tell us. So, He said when I meet someone who's an eight color type, I'm like, Hey girl, Magenta. Yeah, It's purplish. And she's like, Oh, You mean purple? And she goes off on her purple thing. I'm like, No, I want magenta. So, It got me thinking. I missed that. Because I cut you up. So, He's saying when he meets somebody who's an eight color box- Which means less faceted. Exactly. And it's just these eight colors. And he's like, No, There's all these other things. Right? So, This got me thinking. He tries to introduce her to another color. Right. And I'm like, Okay, He said it. And I don't really know what. That's just his experience of life. And I thought that was kind of cool. But it got me thinking. By the way, I think that's really- I mean, The truth is we are blessed to meet many, Many people. And it's really the multi-faceted people that are much more interesting and inspiring to be with. And they'll make more mistakes, By the way. And they'll take more risks. And they'll admit their ego. It's a much more full way of living. But my point is that I am definitely a 64 color box of colors. And they made 128. You're the double pack. I'm on my second box. Exactly. And I have certainly worn down many, Many colors. As I mentioned in one of our podcasts, I love that you keep surprising me. I'll call that the double- So, The point is the more colors you have at your disposal, The more possibility of a masterpiece you can create. Right? And it also goes into desire. So for instance, And I think it ties into what we've talked about, Is how people are nuanced and complex. Right? And how to fit people in an eight color box. And don't judge them for one of their colors. So there I'm going. Oh, Sorry. So I may have been using four different crayons. Gold, Canary, Amber, And copper. Okay. I'm not going to ask you what those are because I only know what gold is. Really? Okay. Well, They're very similar. And they're hues of the same kind of field. But somebody else may only see yellow. My thoughts and actions are so obvious to me and might be incomprehensible to someone else who has only access to eight colors. Right? And I understand this in the realm of colors. But now let's talk about judgments and actions. So through this understanding, Some people are going to be incapable of seeing your coppers and ambers. And when you realize that, You stop expecting them to see it. Right? And not disappointed. And not disappointed because you understand that they're limited in their scope. And it's not to judge them. Like you wouldn't judge somebody for being colorblind. Right? A lot of great people are colorblind. Right. And we're using this as a metaphor. When you really accept that on a fundamental level, This idea, That others will not see your actions as you do, Then you can manage your expectations and your interactions with these people. I think one of the greatest misconceptions is that we think everybody else is fundamentally the same as us. And I remember when I got this lesson, I was shocked. It was like, As I really thought, Like, I'm normal. That person's normal too. And then like decades later, I'm like, No, That person really is not normal. I would never do that. No judgment. I went around for the first part of my life thinking that we are all pretty much exactly the same using the same eight colors. Right? And when I realized that that's not the case at all, It actually opened up this idea of many things. Right? Have empathy for other people. Don't assume everybody is like you, Which then gives you the ability to give them the benefit of the doubt. And also it's okay if people don't understand you or misunderstand you or even judge you. Don't change and only use eight colors to make them happy. That was a really powerful idea. Just from his quote inspired me to see that. Because it goes back to that idea that we perceive good and evil as a universal, Right? What is tragic and hilarious to me is going to be tragic and hilarious to you. Not necessarily the case, Right? So if you just open your mouth. For instance, I couldn't coalesce that tea spilled on your notes. I'm over it now, By the way. I recovered pretty quickly. I'm going to throw them away after. So I'll share one more of my inspirations. Did you? No, You share one more and then I'm going to share one more short one. Oh really? Okay. I know. We always go over time. Fine, Fine. Quiet me. No, I have an idea. Quiet my passionate voice. I'll keep my notes. Fine. I'll keep my notes. Share yours. No, I'm not going to do that. No, You share. I just spoke. Go ahead. Okay. So it's a relatively short one, But for me it's a very powerful one. If it's short I might do another one. One which I draw inspiration from very often. And there was a great capitalist who lived during the time of the Second World War, During the time of the Holocaust. And we've quoted him quite a few times. I was going to quote him too, But I didn't. I was like, There's not enough time. So I'm happy that you are actually. His name was Kalman Kalman. And he was from the time of PSS. Kalman or Kalman? Kalman. He's named after his grandfather was Kalman Kalman. Kalman is like- He is so inspiring. Yes. Yes. And in many levels. And I'm just going to talk about this one thing, Which again, As I said, I both think about very often and share very often. So one can imagine or can only imagine, Right? We've never been there. But what life was like living in the ghetto, Living during the Holocaust as people all around him were dying. There's one day of the year that's called Simchat Torah, Which is a day of great joy and celebration, When you dance around. And on the day of that evening, There was a bombing in the ghetto and his daughter and son-in-law were killed. And everybody who was around assumed, Of course, He's not coming down to celebrate with us. I mean, It's a few hours since he had to bury his family. And to everyone's surprise, As the holiday begins, He goes out and he starts dancing with everybody. And because, Again, He was a man obviously of deep spiritual connection and he, Of course, Felt the great grief and pain. At the other hand, He also felt inspired to show joy, Not only for himself, I'm sure, But for the hundreds of people or even thousands of people who were watching him. And very often when people come to me with going through challenges, We all have challenges in our lives. And often because of those challenges, We allow ourselves to be down or sad or disappointment. And I can tell you for myself, Often when challenges come into my life, I think if of course, Kalmish can dance with joy after having to bury his family. I can certainly smile as I'm going through this challenge or that challenge. And in our lives, And certainly as I look back from the people that I draw great inspiration from, One of the greatest sources of inspiration when you see somebody who goes through great challenges that none of us should ever have to experience and still able to remain inspired and still able to feel joy and still able to give up to others in the midst of that pain. And for our listeners, And this, As I said, Something that I think about very often and I do share very often, Especially when people come to me, I'm going through this challenge, This difficulty. If he can experience joy in the midst of such great grief, Loss, And sadness, Each one of us in whatever challenges probably we're going through, Which don't even come close to that, Can find a source of inspiration, A source of joy even through that. Right. Life is a series of choices, Right? Right. I'm going to go one. It's just really small. Sure, Sure. I read a line that inspired me from the show Divorce. It's on HBO. Okay. I've never seen it. I haven't really either, But I was reading an article actually, And there was this quote of this one line. And when I read it, This is what it awakened for me. So it's, I want to save my own life while I still care about it. And I thought that was such a powerful line because again, It goes back to desire, Right? Most people, When we're in that space of wanting things, Sometimes our desire gets misguided. And then at some point, If you actually never pursue the things that are important to you, You eventually don't care anymore. You're either exhausted or weary. You don't have the energy or the desire anymore to actually create the change, Or you just don't think it's possible. The goal, And this is the Kabbalistic idea, Is that it's to leave this world different than how you entered it. In a nutshell, That is the Kabbalistic view of life. It's about constant change and growth. One can spend their entire lives doing what's natural and easy and thinking they've accomplished great things, But to accomplish the purpose for which you came to this world, We need to push against our comfort and to do it while we still care. That's beautiful. And it's interesting as you were saying that, This is actually a Seinfeld joke. I like, As I've mentioned this before, That I really like comedy and I love my two favorite things to get- As we know, Last night as we were falling asleep. That's true. So Michael falls asleep by listening to things really loudly and his ears on his head says, I could never, Right? But that's a pursuit of sleep. And I usually watch like 20 minutes of something. So I have the TV on and I just feel the whole bed shaking and I hear giggling and he is laughing at the whole bed shaking. And so finally I'm like, I put my show on pause. Like why he's like, You have to hear this. And it was funny. It was funny. It wasn't bed shaking funny. It was, It was, It was. Anyway, It's not the first time I've heard that story. Anyway, So back to whatever. So by the way, To any of our listeners, If you have any amazing jokes sent to Monica and Michael at Kabbalah. Com, I really enjoy them, But they have to be really good. Anyway, The point I said is that Jerry Seinfeld has this new book, Is This Anything, Which I enjoyed reading. And in them there's a joke that I've heard him say sometimes before. And that is about when you're a child, Your parents are always like, Don't ruin your appetite. And it's like, Why can't I ruin the appetite? I realize you have, Even if I ruin this one, I have one right behind me coming up and I can ruin that one. There's another one coming up behind that. So go ahead and ruin the appetite. And the point is that is not true when it comes to desire. In life we have a certain amount of desire and if we don't grab the desire and manifest it now, You don't know if you'll have it tomorrow. And that's why I think that quote is so beautiful and inspiring. And for every one of our listeners, Hopefully that idea that if you have a desire for something, Not for a steak, Great, Go have the steak or don't have the steak, But for something important don't allow that desire to die because you don't know if it will ever come back again. And we do not have a limitless reservoir of desires. Days. Days or desires. So I have a letter from a listener. Okay, Great. Well, I think, Okay, I guess we're not going to get to two questions, But next time. Okay. So I thought this was really nice. He wrote to us after our kindness episode and how he was inspired. So he said, One stressful morning, Just a day or two after Rosh Hashanah, I was hurriedly walking to work late for a meeting. This is in New York City. I think that is an important piece of information. Coffee in hand and headphones blasting when I saw an older gentleman on the corner combing the ground on all fours looking for something. Again, New York City streets. Basically in these scenarios, I secretly pray somebody like this won't ask me for help. But just as I walked past the man, I remembered a personal story Monica shared at Rosh Hashanah in which she almost missed an opportunity to do kindness by a stranger. But upon recognizing she had an opportunity to share, Monica ran after the stranger to help. So instead of rushing past the man, I paused and decided to ask, What are you looking for? Panicked, The man frantically begged me not to make a move. He had lost one of his contact lenses while sneezing and was frightened I might step on it. As we spoke, His fear was evident. After all, He was a commuter about to start his workday with no backup pair of contacts or a local optometrist. By this point, I knew that this was my opportunity to share. So I dropped onto my hands and knees to scan the ground with him. As we discussed the trajectory of his sneeze and tried to assess the wind direction, Another stranger decided to join us as well. At one point, The man even asked me to look in his eye to see if his contact had rolled back. But I found nothing. While we couldn't find the contact, It felt like, If nothing else, We were giving the man moral support and helping him not feel so alone in a very frustrating situation. Then just as we were about to give up hope, The man's contacts slid back into view. Apparently, It had been really far back in his eye. The man was overjoyed and as I turned to walk away, He yelled to thank me. I dismissed it and I said he had really done, I hadn't done anything to help him find it in the end. I mean, I didn't see the contact in his eye after all. He sweetly replied, Of course you did, You gave me hope. I walked away in such a good mood and one small interaction with the stranger had totally turned my morning around. What I love most about this story is how clear it is that it was ultimately an opportunity the creator was giving me to share. The man's contact was in his eye all along and he would have found it without me regardless, But by making the man believe his contact was missing right as I had passed, I was given a choice to share my time and comfort with the stranger or rush past him. In the end, I got so much more from the man than he did from me. That's so beautiful. Such a nice story. Thank you so much for sharing that. It's really, Really beautiful. That's the point, And we spoke about this in that episode, That too often we share for an end goal. Right? So in this case, It's worthless sharing if I'm not going to actually help. No. When you decide that I'm going to do something for somebody else, That's it. It's done. You've revealed light, You revealed hope for them. Really, Really beautiful. And inspired. It inspired all of us. It inspired all of us. And it inspired all of us. And it inspired all of us. I mean, He changed the day. That day was that unique opportunity for him and he took it and it turned everything around. Absolutely. And now it's inspired all of us. Yeah. Really beautiful. So ask every one of our listeners if you have inspiring stories. If you have questions, Please continue to send them into monicaandmichaelatkabalh. Com. And we hope that you are inspired by this podcast and we hope that you enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it. Thank you. Bye.