Don't stop running!

Buzzer beater,

If you have a chance, read it after Shabbos.

A couple of days ago, I had some extra time so I went for a run to clear my head. For the first couple of minutes, everything felt great. I was invigorated with inspiration. Shortly after I started running, the initial inspiration wore off and I was more than a mile away from my house. At that moment, I decided to keep moving regardless of my lack of inspiration or energy. The motivation behind this was that if I stopped moving, I wouldn't have overcome this difficult obstacle or achieved my goal. 

When I turned 13, davening and doing mitzvos were still fresh and I was excited by the new activity. After a short time, the initial excitement started to fade. Slowly I was convinced that it wasn't a big deal if I missed shacharis or a bracha here and there. 

Similar to running, if you stop the momentum mid-run, starting up again is tough. This is why even though I was tired and barely able to walk, I convinced myself that the cold didn't bother me, my feet weren't tired and my knees didn't hurt so much just so I can complete the goal. 

Throughout our life, we are placed in situations where we can easily just stop running. Lately, since I stopped writing every week, I lost a lot of momentum. When I was brainstorming how to get it back, I thought about climbing a ladder. One doesn't jump from the bottom to the top. They take one step at a time until they are back to where they once were. In honor of the holy Shabbos and to kickstart the momentum again, I am sharing this thought. With the help of Hashem, this little bit of momentum and energy should bring us one step closer to Moshiach, reuniting us in Yerushaliam. 

Good Shabbos 

All the best

Avrohom Y Ross