The 30-Second Secret to a Fantastic Day

E22/2025

Dedicated in the merit (zechus) of Ari Elan ben Rochel Gittel ארי אילן בן רחל גיטל  for a refuah sheleimah — a complete and speedy recovery.

On September 15, 1981—just two weeks before Rosh Hashanah—I arrived in Sydney, Australia, to begin a new mission: to lead the Jewish Studies program at Sydney Yeshiva College, a responsibility entrusted to me by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

My first and most important task was to connect with the students and their parents. I began with a simple question: “How is your day?”

The answers were almost always the same: “Not too bad,” or “Better than yesterday.” On a good day, I might hear, “Good, very good—baruch Hashem.”

When they asked me in return, I would smile and reply, “My day is fantastic, baruch Hashem—unbelievable.” My response often left them surprised, as though I had stepped in from another world.

I would explain: On Rosh Hashanah we begin the meal with an apple dipped in honey and the prayer, “May it be Your will, Hashem, that You renew for us a good and sweet year.” Why both good and sweet? Because everything God gives us is good, but not everything immediately tastes sweet. Some good comes wrapped in sweetness; other times it feels bitter, painful, or incomprehensible—yet it still holds hidden good.

By choosing to say, “My day is fantastic, baruch Hashem—unbelievable,” we not only uplift our own perspective but also inspire those around us. Slowly, life reveals itself not only as good but, in time, also as sweet.

Try it—and watch what happens.

If You Have Another 44 Seconds

The Transformative Power of a Mindset

Gam Zu L’tovah: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Power

Answering, “My day is fantastic, baruch Hashem,” may seem like a small or even naïve gesture. But in truth, it is a profound mindset, produced by a spiritual discipline of training the heart to see beyond life’s surface struggles.

This teaching is rooted in Jewish tradition and affirmed by modern psychology. The Talmud (Taanit 21a) tells of Nachum Ish Gamzu, whose motto “Gam zu l’tovah—This too is for the good” reflected his unshakable faith that every circumstance carried hidden blessing.

Contemporary psychology calls this cognitive reframing, a technique central to cognitive behavioural therapy. The event itself does not change; what changes is how we choose to view it. A cancelled flight can be seen as disaster—or as protection in disguise. This is not about denying pain; it is about building the resilience to trust that “If this comes from G-d, it must be for the good—even if I cannot yet see it.”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught (Igros Kodesh, vol. 15, p. 288) that God’s love for each of us is absolute, and He gives only what is truly best. The sooner we accept this truth, the sooner we will come to experience not only good, but sweetness as well.

So, the next time someone asks how your day is going, pause before answering. You could say, “Not too bad.” Or you could say, “Fantastic, baruch Hashem.” One response drags life downward; the other lifts it upward.

Faithful optimism may not change the facts of life, but it changes us—and, in time, it transforms even life’s hardest moments into something sweet.

I wish you and your loved ones

A Kesivah VaChasimah Tovah

A Happy, Healthy, AND VERY SWEET NEW YEAR.

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