The Chafetz Chaim’s Wisdom on Achieving Your Goals

Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan (1838-1933)

Almost every day I hear someone express some variation of the desire to change.

“I really want to lose weight but I’m struggling.”

“I know I should cut down on X (usually sugar or smoking) but I enjoy it too much.” 

The masters of Mussar (Torah-guided self-improvement) observe that real – permanent – change is an enormous struggle. Yet it is possible for anyone.

In the Weight Watchers program, a reported 85-90 percent of participants have regained their weight after five years. That’s an enormous failure rate.

But the good news is that ten to fifteen percent succeed.

What’s their secret? Are they more determined? Do the 85-90 percent simply lack sufficient will power?

I suspect that determination is not the key factor. I suspect that those who succeed are following a wise path similar to what was articulated by the Chafetz Chaim (Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan) a century ago, addressing a smoker:

In other words, be sensible: take slow but steady steps, like the tortoise in Aesop’s fable.

You want to reduce your sugar intake? Don’t go cold-turkey. If you ordinarily put three spoonfuls in your coffee, try reducing it to 2.9. And a few days later, make it 2.8. And so on. If you ordinarily put a cup of sugar in your challah recipe, try 9/10 cup. And next week, make it 8/10. The same with unhealthy oil – try substituting 1/10 of your oil with healthy olive oil. Then the next week, make it 2/10.