Episode 99 - Stop Waiting For The Right Time To Grow

The world is getting louder, faster, and more chaotic and that’s exactly why clarity, truth, and trust matter more than ever. We take timeless guidance from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) and translate it into real-life principles you can use today: build community, stay humble, speak plainly, and stop waiting for the “perfect time” to grow. If you’ve been feeling isolated, overstretched, or stuck in your own head, this conversation is a reset.

We start with a powerful idea: don’t separate yourself from the community. Not as a nice concept, but as a practical foundation for resilience, support, and momentum. We talk about finding a local group you can actually show up for, why shared learning and shared celebration matter, and how community becomes your safety net when life hits hard. Then we shift into humility and the danger of overconfidence, plus a hard but necessary reminder about judging others: you can’t truly stand in someone else’s place, so you’re responsible for giving the benefit of the doubt.

From there, we get into communication and why simple, clear speech is a form of integrity in a world full of vague language and complicated systems. We also challenge procrastination head-on, because “when I have leisure” is often the excuse that quietly kills growth. Finally, we explore a provocative lens on health and illness, asking whether the deeper “why” behind suffering is spiritual, not just medical, and what it means to trust Hashem alongside treatment.

If something here hits home, subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the line that stayed with you most.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

The Trust Factor is a ticket to a better life. The Trust Factor shows you how to get through the mic.

unknown 0:21

Trust Factor.

Community As A Life Anchor

Humility Beats Overconfidence

How To Judge Others Fairly

Speak Simply So People Understand

Stop Procrastinating On Growth

Illness And The Spiritual Why

Share Subscribe And Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 0:22

The world is louder and more chaotic than ever. That's why clarity and truth have never been more important. Welcome to the Trust Factor Podcast. Good morning, everybody. I hope you're doing well. Thank you for joining another episode of the Trust Factor Podcast. It seems like we're amped up in terms of pressure because now there's that much more content that I want to give over, given that we're talking about the ethics of the fathers. So, so important. I hope you enjoyed it yesterday. I had a lot of amazing feedback on it. Let's give you a couple more nuggets of divine wisdom that is absolutely priceless from the ethics of the fathers, and then we'll get right back into the book. Yesterday we left off with the idea that you should negate your will for Hashem's will. Now it says, do not separate yourself from the community. Understand that in all of Torah, there is what's called pardes, which basically means without getting into too much detail, there is the simple understanding of what we read, and then there is the depths. There is the stuff that is you've got to drill down to really understand what it's saying on a higher level. We're not going to get into too much depth because I can write books, and books have been written about almost every sentence in Pierre Kavot and the Ethics of the Fathers. But let's talk about simple understandings. Do not separate yourself from the community. What do you get from that? It's obvious. Number one, a community is critically important. If you don't have a community, you are lacking. It is vital to your success. And not only do you have to have a community, it says over here, don't separate yourself from it. Meaning make it cornerstone in your life. Make sure that you are part of a community that is in your area, that you go to on a regular basis, that is made up of like-minded people, similar age categories, children in the similar age categories, people who you share commonalities with, who you can rely on and who rely on you. It is critically important, not just in difficult times, but also in good times, to celebrate the holidays, to come together and to grow together and to learn and teach each other and from each other. Very, very important. And God forbid, when times are tough, I know. And if you don't know, consider yourself lucky. But the reality is eventually you'll start to understand that the community comes to your aid in the time of need. And we are notorious as a nation for doing that on a level that most people can't even begin to comprehend. Just look at what's going on in Israel. Overnight we went from being at each other's throats to being family again in that sense of community, national community, is what gives us our resilience and our strength to move forward. Then it says, do not trust in yourself until the day of your death. What does that mean? Don't trust yourself until the day of your death. In context, Rambam says, Maimonides says, what it's talking about over here is don't be overconfident in your achievements. Don't say, I've come so far, I've done so much, I've excelled at life so much more than other people have. Look at where I'm holding and give yourself a big pat on the back. Why? Because the stumbling block could be right around the corner. Everything that you've done can be undone. Don't think too much of yourself, that you're going to trust in your abilities to handle all these situations because you've had successes in the past. No. Approach a situation with humility. Approach a situation with caution to make sure that you're not overconfident in yourself, because that overconfidence can be enough to sink you. And then you'll come out wondering, how is that possible that I've failed so miserably? Don't do that. You're setting yourself up for failure. Come in open-minded and humble, knowing that there is a possibility that things may not work out for you, and that will give you the best shot of success. And it'll also help you cushion the blow. When you fall, we need to have a cushion, especially when you're coming at something with such confidence. So when you come at it with humility, that humility is your cushion when things don't work out. Then it says, Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. We talked about this a couple weeks ago. Bottom line is it's telling you, if you read between the lines, that you're not supposed to judge your fellow man because you're never going to get in your friend's place. You can't stand in his place. Two things can't occupy the same place at the same time. That's what it's saying over here. Is that you're never going to be able to stand in the exact place where your friend is standing, because he stands there. So therefore, do not judge your fellow man. But we've said, wait a second, we are supposed to emulate who? Hashem. And Hashem is the ultimate judge. So clearly we are going to judge, and therefore we learn later on that when you judge, you have an obligation to judge favorably, to give somebody the benefit of the doubt. Do not say something that cannot be understood, trusting that in the end it will be understood. So many ways to understand this. That in and of itself needs explanation. It might not be understood. It's interesting that the message itself is guilty of the same thing. How do you understand that? Do not say something that cannot be understood, trusting that in the end it'll be understood. Many ways to understand it. The simple understanding is speak clearly. Don't mince your words. Don't make things complicated. If you can dumb things down to make them simple to understand, then people will be appreciative and you'll be that much more successful in conveying messages. You know that today, if you look around, you will see that a lot of the intellects in the world and a lot of government organizations and a lot of legal jargon is intentionally kept vague and complicated, obscure, difficult to understand. Why? Because that puts a lot of power and control in their hands. When things are too complicated for you to understand, even though in reality they don't have to be, when it's complicated enough, you throw your hands up in the air and you surrender and you say, you know what? I need to hire a professional. I need a lawyer because I can't understand this. I need an accountant because I can't file on my own. So many people think that they need professionals when in so many situations you don't need them. You just need to understand things in a simple way. But they're not made simple to understand because the system wants you to rely on others. That's how it works. And so when you say something, make sure that it's clear. Make sure that you're not mumbling. And make sure that what you're saying is something that could be easily understood by the masses, not just by philosophers and intellects, because they make up a very small portion of society. The vast majority of the world are simple people. Keep things in simple terms. That's what I try to do in this podcast. If you notice, a lot of the terminology that I use is simple terminology. Oftentimes I'll even read the book, and the book uses terminology that is of a higher level, and I bring it down. Not because I think people are foolish, but because I want everybody to understand it. The wise person can understand the simple, but the simple person might not be able to understand the complicated. So you have to appeal to the masses. Nobody should be left out. And finally, very important, it says, say not, when I have leisure, I shall study. Perhaps you will not have leisure. Let me explain that one a little bit better. What it's saying is, don't say that when the time is ripe, don't say that when things change, when the situation gets better, then I'll start to live a godly life. Then I'll start to do the right things that I know I needed to do every day, but I kept pushing it off and pushing it off. Why? Because for a million different reasons. I'm young today, I'm a teenager, let me enjoy my life, let me do the things that my friends are doing. And then when I get older and I get married, I'll have kids and I'll start to learn Torah. Wrong. Because what'll happen is you'll get to the point where you have a wife and children, and then you'll say, I'm busy now, I'm trying to raise a family. It's very difficult. There's not enough hours in the day. Let me wait till I make my first few million dollars and then I can pull myself away from the business. And then I'll start to learn Torah and I'll start to live a godly life wrong. Because you'll get to that point and you'll say, I don't have time now. I'm too busy managing the money. I'm too busy with my investments and my business. It's too demanding on me. Leave me alone right now. When I retire, I'll have all the time in the world, and then I'll come back and live a godly life and learn Torah. Bottom line, it'll never happen. God will make sure that if that's what you're saying, if that's your position, that I put it off until a time that is more convenient for me, then He will make sure that that time never comes. Bottom line, strike while the iron is hot. That's our obligation. Why do we strike when the iron is hot? Because that's the time where it's most malleable. That's the time where you could shape it easily with the minimal amount of effort. And so when you see an opportunity, when you're inspired to do the right thing and you've done the math and you know it's right, strike now. Forget procrastination. That is the thing that will sink so many people is constantly putting things off, constantly making excuses for why not to do it today. Do it now. You've done the math, it makes sense. Stop thinking, switch off your brain and start putting things in motion. That's it. If it's meant to be, it will happen. And if it's wrong, you will have stumbling block after stumbling block. You will not be able to progress with the thing that it is that you're trying to achieve. God will put roadblocks in your way. But if it's supposed to be and it's good, then you will see that things will happen with relative ease. Doesn't always have to be perfect, but it'll happen with relative ease. So just try. Don't stop, don't think, don't overthink. Move forward because if you're constantly saying, I'll do it when the time is right, the time will never be right. That's it for Ethics of the Fathers today, my friends. We're going to continue with it tomorrow, but in the meantime, let's get back into the book. We've still got a few minutes. It says that God runs the world according to our actions. Remember, we're talking about illness, we're talking about sicknesses in the world, the things that affect us more than anything else. And it says that he runs the world according to our actions. What's the message? That when people behave in an upright manner, then the world is in harmony, in balance, and it's filled with loving kindness. But on the other hand, injustice, immorality, and cruelty invoke stern judgments and calamities. Look around. Look around. You don't have to be brilliant to realize that people are suffering. I went to visit an employee of mine who's in the hospital, recently had a stroke. The hospital was jam-packed every single room. And waiting rooms with hours and hours of wait time for something as serious as a stroke, went into the hospital for a stroke. It was clear through his symptoms that he was dealing with a stroke. He went in at four o'clock in the afternoon and got admitted at 4 AM. Twelve hours with no treatment, with an active stroke happening. Understand, that's in Toronto, in one of the most modern and technologically advanced hospitals in the city. Guys, people are suffering in a big way. There is so much disease and illness that is floating around. And I don't know about you guys, but it seems like today, when we're getting sick with colds and flus, it's not the same caliber of cold and flus that used to be pre-COVID. Today it seems like it's on a whole other level. Recovery takes so long, and the symptoms are so much harsher than they used to be. Why? Very clearly, God is sending us a message, measure for measure. That's his approach to life, and it's no different when it comes to illness. Sickness is directly rooted in a person's misdeeds. Therefore, medicine and medical professionals, as advanced and skillful as they may be, like I just mentioned to you, this hospital in Toronto, cutting edge and brand new, cannot possibly take into consideration divine considerations of an individual, of a patient. Whatever his debts and his merits are on a spiritual level, they have no clue. They can only treat symptoms. That's why the medical world does just that. They don't cure, they treat, they look at the symptoms, they say, what's going on? Tell me, what are you presenting with? Is it a stroke? Ah, okay, then we know we can give you X medications, and that will take care of the issue in the interim and get you back to work, but it will never solve the problem of why. Why did you have a stroke in the first place? Why did you get sick in the first place? Remember, I've told you the why is the critical component, not the what. The what is easy to discern, and that's what the medical industry does. They determine what you're sick with, and then they give you the treatment. But that treatment is not a cure, it's a band-aid. Why? Because they don't understand what really goes on on the spiritual side. This individual's soul, their nishama is hurting, and they don't understand how it manifests physically. No professionals, as talented as he or she may be, can override Hashem's decree. If God decrees something of an illness for an individual, you can give him all the standard treatments and it simply won't help. If Hashem decrees that a person should be sick for a week, then no treatment in the world will help him get well any faster. And the opposite is true. If God decrees that a person needs to recover, it doesn't matter what the doctors say. That person will get well immediately. And there are stories and firsthand accounts. You've heard them, we've seen them. It's not front page news all the time, and that's by design. That's by design. They don't want you to believe in a higher power. They want you to believe in a lower power, that being the doctors and the nurses. That's where they want your faith. So when they see an individual that is cured from something that they didn't do that went against their logic and their prognosis, you don't hear about it. They don't want to promote it because they can't take credit for it. You understand? But it happens more often than you can even begin to imagine. Why, my friends, because Hashem runs the world, and that includes very much your health. Have an amazing day. Until tomorrow. Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast. If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift. And if you're on social media, connect with us. Leave your thoughts, drop a quote that resonated with you. Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast. Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose. I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast. Thanks for listening.