Totally Devoted: 3b

Many of us have experienced engaging in programs of spiritual or personal growth. Oftentimes we can find ourselves having put in the effort to really understand and internalize a particular concept, yet we find ourselves unable to truly internalize it and make it a part of who we are.

Standing on the doorstep of transcendent change which will permanently change our lives for the better, we find ourselves unable to fully commit to the new way of approaching life. We wish to leave ourselves a back door to return to what we know, to what is comfortable.

It is this small opening that makes us incapable to truly embrace change and will  inevitably lead us back to where we started.

Totally Devoted: 3a

A connection is not truly unique if the person is aware at the time of connection that he has the option of connecting with someone else as well. By subsequently connecting with another, the uniqueness of the original connection is gone. The fact that he can do so shows that neither connection is truly complete.

For this reason our Sages teach us that Hashem was saddened that even at the moment of the giving of the Torah the people were already inclined to worship the Golden Calf. Even standing at Sinai they were not truly given over to Hashem. Had they been, they would have been incapable of their subsequent behavior. Their disloyal behavior shows that their initial devotion was not completely sincere.

Totally Devoted: 1b

It is possible that when a person feels a sense of success, he can lose his sense of complete faith in Hashem. There is a part of him that feels that he has the ability to act in a sphere outside of the influence of Hashem. It is at this time when a person needs to refocus on his Emunah, on his complete faith and trust in Hashem.

Those who spend time devoting themselves to this focus will often notice how events in their lives are constantly forcing them to focus on their trust in Hashem, to the exclusion of trust in other sources. The feeling of protection and being taken care of that comes from this mindset is unparalleled. It isn't easy to live this way. It is as if Hashem is saying "If you look elsewhere for your sense of satisfaction, then you are not truly devoted to me. Even if in most aspects you are mine, the little aspect where you aren't says a lot about the rest of yourself."

Totally Devoted: 1a

A person may notice that there are certain topics from which he shies away during his conversations with Hashem. Whatever the psychological reason underlying that behavior, the bottom line is that something is causing a division between himself and Hashem. Perhaps he feels comfortable discussing them with a friend, but only as something theoretical, or maybe they are things that he has buried so deep that he can't really verbalize them in any setting.

In a close friendship if a person leaves one aspect of his life out of the friendship and refuses to discuss it, it can ruin the entire friendship. He can't say, "I am giving you my entire heart, but one tiny little bit is reserved." In a trust-based relationship it is either all or nothing. If he opens all the doors of his heart except for one, it is a sign that even all the others aren't truly open. True closeness requires total openness. As it says in a Ketubah: ואל יעלימו לא זה מזו ולא זו מזה, "And they should not hide, not he from her and not her from he."

Always: 7

There is sometimes a value to being with another person even if no words are exchanged. A woman may have an elderly parent who can no longer speak, but there is still something to visiting the parent and sitting quietly with them; to put aside all the other cares and distractions life and to be focused on them.

In a similar vein there is value to sitting quietly with Hashem, even if you say nothing; just to be focused on His existence and your being with Him. You have nothing to say, but you wish to be near Him and aware of his Being.

A person may wish she had something to say, but can't figure out what or how. The experience of just sitting there focused on Hashem, creating a relationship with Hashem, can lead to new ways of communicating with Him when she had no means beforehand.

Always: 6

When a person finds himself in difficulty he realizes that he doesn't control his own destiny. He doesn't rule over his own life, but is given over to external forces over which he has no control. In contrast, when a person is feeling success, he is happy and fully sated, he often errs and feels that he is in control. If he even shows the slightest humility he feels it is a great accomplishment.

The reality is that specifically the time when a person feels he has everything is the time to realize the truth - that he has nothing. A person with true understanding comprehends that even if superficially it appears to others that he has it all, he understands to himself that this is simply untrue.

For a homeless person begging in the street it is easy to understand that he has nothing. But for someone sitting comfortable in his home, full of blessing and success, it is a much greater challenge to embrace the truth.

Always: 5

Imagine a student who studies in one place in the mornings, another in the afternoon, and a third place in the evening. Besides that, he spends the night hours at home. It is impossible to really learn the truth of who such a person is. You can't talk to him and find out his essence. In each place he can hide his true self.
However, a person who is always found in the same location no matter what is going on cannot hide who he is. Any cloak of invisibility falls away. He can't hide himself 24/7.
It is easy to enter into a group of people and share a deep insight in human relations; the words don't necessarily come from the essential person. The person is possibly not connected to his truth. The same is true when someone shares prepared remarks. It is a different story when sharing with people to whom one is connected all day long and the conversation is flowing constantly.