With spiritual pursuits, sometimes the only path to success is to just jump
He recently made a surprising comment to me: “You know, I could never be the truly wealthy askan, it’s just not in my cards. I can never make real game-changer type of wealth.” Appreciating my bafflement, he continued, “I’m just too smart. In order to make massive profits, you need to jump at deals with huge upside and also significant risk. I’m just too deliberate and strategic. Only a person who doesn’t foresee all the potential consequences of his actions would take a leap of faith.”
This got me thinking. Isn’t it proper to be strategic and analytical? Isn’t it irresponsible to jump into big life decisions? Do we really only achieve success when we just “jump in,” throwing caution to the wind?
When it comes to spiritual endeavors, Rav Tzaddok HaKohein (Tzidkas Hatzaddik 1) writes that when starting something new in avodas Hashem, a person has to jump in. If he thinks too much, he may never get there. He has to be willing to take the plunge.
This is true even though generally it’s crucial for one to think carefully and properly plan when making life decisions. Mesillas Yesharim writes that one should generally avoid doing things spontaneously, without adequate contemplation.
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