The Trust Factor
A daily lesson that focuses on achieving unparalleled success in life using ancient wisdom in modern times.
We will be discussing critical concepts as they are laid out in the book Sha'ar Habitachon - The Gate of Trust. Written 1000 years ago, the author reminds us of the values and wisdom that have allowed humanity to thrive throughout history.
The concept of trusting in a higher power that exists purely for our benefit, puts us in the drivers seat with absolute confidence to achieve greatness.
Eliminate: Fear, Hatred, Anxiety, Depression, Jealousy, Greed...forever!
* Note that some terminology will be in the original Hebrew or Aramaic which I will always follow with the English translation.
The Trust Factor
Episode 99 - Stop Worrying About What You Cannot Control
Ever feel exhausted from trying to control every aspect of your health and life? You're not alone. The relentless pursuit of control—whether through obsessive gym routines, rigid diets, or endless supplements—often leaves us more anxious than ever.
This episode of The Trust Factor tackles the fundamental question: What happens when we recognize the limits of our control and embrace a balanced approach to life? Drawing from ancient wisdom that's rarely taught even in religious schools today, we explore the liberating concept of balanced trust—making reasonable efforts while surrendering outcomes to a higher power.
Rabbeinu Bachya's teachings provide the foundation: "One should surrender himself completely to the outcome of whatever decree God has issued for him." This isn't passive resignation but active wisdom. The Torah guarantees that embracing this perspective transforms everything—your peace of mind, relationships, and even your approach to health and longevity.
We challenge the extremes that dominate modern thinking. On one hand, those who believe their rigid health regimens control their destiny; on the other, those who neglect self-care entirely. Maimonides (Rambam) offers a more profound path: the balanced middle way. This isn't about abandoning healthy habits but placing them in proper perspective—making reasonable efforts while accepting that ultimate outcomes lie beyond our control.
Ready to stop worrying about what you cannot control? Looking to find balance in an unbalanced world? This episode delivers practical wisdom you won't find in any school curriculum. Implement these teachings and discover why surrender, properly understood, isn't weakness—it's the key to authentic strength and lasting peace.
Good morning everybody. Welcome to the podcast that will guarantee your success when you implement its teachings. This is the trust factor we're talking about. How do you take this there? But we've really just laid the foundational framework for what we're about to get into. Okay, right now and going forward, we're going to really hit the road running because what we've done up until now is we've prepared ourselves. We've explained to us who God is and how he operates and how this world operates and what we should expect and what we shouldn't expect. That is foundational Right now.
Speaker 1:This is what separates the boys from the men, the girls from the women. This is the stuff that, if you really implement it, if you really take this stuff that I'm about to share with you guys seriously and you really make this change in your life, I guarantee you the Torah guarantees you I'm a nobody. The Torah guarantees you Rabbeinu Bachia guarantees you our sages of blessed memory that lived thousands, hundreds and thousands of years ago. They give you guarantees it is strewn throughout the Torah that if you do these things, you don't have to think. You can literally switch your brain off and stop worrying, stop thinking and stop being concerned with all the things in life that you are so hell-bent on controlling that it's going to bring you down, and so we're going to get into it. I didn't even finish off giving you all the categories and subcategories, frankly, because I just want to get into it and discuss what these matters are. Because, frankly, time is ticking. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. We don't know what five minutes from now or five seconds from now will bring, my friends. All we know is right now.
Speaker 1:So let's get into it, because this stuff is priceless, guys. You can't pay enough to be able to acquire this information. You know where they don't teach it In the school system. You will never get any of this stuff when you're growing up. In secular schools, for sure not. But even yes, my friends, if you remember, I told you not long ago, even in religious schools today, they do not teach this stuff. Now, today maybe a little bit better, but 10 years ago, 20 years ago, not even a stitch. It was all details, data, information. Pile it in and then sort it out later on. Not much was spent on how to develop the muscle of trust and faith, how to really connect back to God and have a two-way relationship with him.
Speaker 1:What I'm about to give you right now. My friends, this is it. So pay attention please. We're getting into seven different categories. I gave you them all yesterday. There are probably a few that are left out, but you're going to figure them out as we get into them. Here's how it goes.
Speaker 1:The number one category that we're about to discuss discusses matters pertaining to the existence and survival of a person's body alone your physicality. Right? We have a body and we have to maintain and take care of that body. Some of us go to the gym. Some of us are very careful about what we eat. Right? That's taking care of our bodies. That's taking care of our physicalities. We need to maintain our good health and our bodies. That's the reality.
Speaker 1:Now, how does somebody who has faith and trust in god commit themselves? Do they spend every waking hour in the gym so that they will never get sick and they will have all the strength in the world to be able to take on every situation that ever comes their way? Or are they gonna eat greens all day long? All they're eating are raw food, diets, lettuce, eating like rabbits, whatever it may be, supplements all day long, doing everything that they can because they believe that that's going to extend their lives or give them better quality of life, and that's where they put all of their effort. Or are they going to do nothing? Are they not even going to sign up to go to the gym? Are they never going to work out in their lives? Are they never even going to move past the regular walk into a fast walk or a jog, god forbid. Or are they going to eat all the garbage that's in the world? Are they just going to live for today and consume anything and everything that's in front of them and eat all the things that taste good to them and do nothing with any of the stuff that they don't love? My friends, that's the world we're living in. Today is a world of extremes. I've told you what the real answer is.
Speaker 1:Let's get into it with Rabbi Neubacher. What does he say? What the real answer is? Let's get into it with Rabbi Neubacher. What does he say? He says he's talking firstly about life and death. He's saying, in a given situation, are you going to live or die? He's talking about food provisions to sustain your life. He's talking about clothing and shelter. He's talking about health and illness. So he's talking about a lot of other things other than just your health and illness. He's talking about clothing and shelter, food provisions. He's talking about your basic sustenance for life. How does somebody conduct themselves when it comes to your basic requirements for life?
Speaker 1:And the answer is, according to Rabbeinu Bachi, that the proper way of applying your trust in God is that one should surrender himself completely to the outcome of whatever decree God has issued for him. In these matters, he should rely on the decision of God and he should know that in these matters, he will not attain, through his own or anyone else's efforts, anything other than what the Creator has already determined to be the most appropriate for this situation in this world and in the world to come and is ultimately the best thing for him. He should realize that the Creator's control is equally exclusive in regard to all of these matters. Absolutely no human being has the ability to employ strategy or exercise control in any of them, except with God's permission. That's it, my friends. Just as no human being has control over one's life, death, illness and health, so do they have no control over his food provisions, his sustenance, his clothing and all matters pertaining to the maintenance of his body. In short, it says, god manages all of a person's affairs and knows what is best for him, and nothing happens unless it is in accordance with God's will. Therefore, regardless of the situation, one should surrender himself to Hashem's decrees, trusting that whatever it may be is for his ultimate benefit.
Speaker 1:There's no other way for me to say this. Guys, right, that was me reading from the book, but I've told you this and we've been discussing this now for almost three or four months, probably closer to four months. This is the crux of life. Figure this out, and the faster you figure this out, my friends, the happier you will be, the better your relationships will be, the longer you will live. It is not the supplements that are keeping you alive. It is not going to the gym that is keeping you healthy. Yes, these things are very nice and there are certainly benefits associated with them, but they are not the determining factor. They are indications that you can give to show God what's important to you and based on what's important to you, we know, in the direction that a person wants to go, god has an obligation to take him there. So if you're interested in living a balanced lifestyle, god will give you a balanced lifestyle. If you just want to focus on your health all day long. That's all you care about, because you want to extend this life.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I don't understand it. Sometimes people are so miserable in their life that things are so out of balance. They're living such an extreme life that they're miserable. They're miserable because they're either extreme left or extreme right. They don't and have never had the ability to inject this idea of a balanced lifestyle and still and still they insist on maintaining and extending that misery. I don't understand. Life's not working out for you. You're always miserable. You're always upset. You're always fighting with people. You're always.
Speaker 1:I'm not talking about everybody in general. I'm just talking about somebody who doesn't live a balanced lifestyle and yet they're in the gym all day long. They're eating everything that a rabbit would eat, because God forbid they should eat something that came out of a plant anywhere, out of a factory anywhere, anytime in their life, not even once, god forbid, they don't even look at it Right. They're so extreme in their approach to life and that extreme attitude has caused them to have challenges in their relationships, challenges at work, all kinds of difficulties, because they cannot maintain a balanced approach to life. It's their way or the highway. They're living an upset life. You can see that and they will tell you that, and yet you can't get them out of the gym and you can't get them to have dessert, not once in their life. Why they want to live to 120,. I understand. What are you living for? To maintain the same corrupt lifestyle. So what's the what's the answer? The answer is balance.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's important to live a healthy lifestyle. Yes, it's important to go to the gym. Yes, it's important to eat nutritious meals. But you know what? It's also important to relax. It's also important to let your body rest. It's also important to go on vacation. It's also important to relax. It's also important to let your body rest. It's also important to go on vacation. It's also important to indulge in desserts once in a while. It's also important to have sweet things that make you feel good once in a while.
Speaker 1:Right, these guilty pleasures. Why are they guilty? If you're having them in a balanced fashion, in a healthy way, then you shouldn't be guilty about it. My friends, this is a world where you need to operate in the balance. We've said it's not my idea, guys.
Speaker 1:This is Maimonides, this is Rambam. He tells you very clearly the most successful people in this world operate in a balanced approach, the furthest away from the left and the furthest away from the right. Where does that put you Smack center? You have to live a balanced approach. When you live that balanced life, how do you do it? How do you live that balanced life? By recognizing that all you can do is make an effort, and a reasonable effort. It needs to be a reasonable effort, not an extreme effort. When you make an extreme effort, the message you're sending to God is you're not in control. God, I am. When I go to the gym. If only I'm in there six days a week. That's going to maintain my health and my life. I'm going to live longer. If only I never touch dessert for the rest of my life. I'm going to live longer. Wrong and foolish.
Speaker 1:Recognize that the only one responsible for the outcome of your health and your life and longevity is your creator and accept that outcome with absolute love. If you haven't figured it out yet, just look around you. My friends. There aren't direct proportionalities between people who work out every day and eat like fiends and and longevity. I will show you plenty of people who are sitting in old age homes well into their 90s, who drink like fish and smoke cigarettes well into their late ages and, in fact, if they stopped smoking cigarettes, that would be what kills them.
Speaker 1:You have no idea. Yes, there are odds. Yes, there are statistics. Yes, there are benefits for you working out and eating. Well, I'm not saying not, to Don't misconstrue it, my friends. Don't be extreme. Remember I'm telling you to live a balanced lifetime. Sometimes you go a little bit to the right, sometimes you go a little bit to the left, a little bit more, but you're always aiming for center, always. That is what's going to keep you grounded, that's what's going to keep you connected back to your creator. The easiest way to do that is to know that the outcome is out of your hands. That wraps it up for today, my friends. We'll pick up tomorrow.
