Question:
What do we think about during the 15 minutes of quiet reflection time?Answer:
That’s a good question, but first, make sure you have the prerequisite: If you just have this 15-minutes a day of quiet time, even if you don’t think anything, you’ve already accomplished a lot, because it’s a big feat to be able to put a halt to the action of life. Not that it’s everything; it’s not everything. But you’ve already done a lot, if you manage to just have 15 minutes a day of time alone to yourself. We are usually bogged down from everyday life and we have no time alone to think, and only when it comes Erev Rosh HaShanah do we make personal reflection. If you have 15 minutes every day to yourself, you will see a change.
As for what to think during this time, think: “For what am I living for?” The more you get used to this, the more you will expand those thoughts. But the very first stage is to have this time alone and think to yourself “For what am I living for?”. After realizing why you live, ask yourself, “Am I actually living my everyday life for that purpose? Am I heading towards the goal of life? If not, what can I do to change?” There’s a lot to discuss after that, of course, but the basis for success is – and this is not my advice, but the Ramchal’s advice – every day, have a set time in which you reflect to yourself. Just like you have three times every day that you daven, so can you have this set time every day to reflect to yourself about the purpose of life. It is a truthful method, and anyone who keeps to it sees success.
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