This coming Sunday marks the 14th Yohrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe - Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn. The Rebbe's leadership, teachings and inspiration touched hundreds of thousands and had an unmistakable impact on world Jewry.

One of the many lessons of personal growth that I learned from the Rebbe comes from the following story. In 1978 he suffered a severe heart attack. When blood tests were necessary as part of his treatment he asked the doctor to explain how the blood is drawn. The doctor explained that the syringe is attached to a vacuum tube. The vacuum then automatically aspirates blood into itself.

The Rebbe refelected for a moment and responded: "From every experience one can learn a lesson. Recently one of my followers complained that he was going through a stage of emptiness. He was not motivated or inspired and was feeling directionless. But that feeling of nothingness is like a vacuum and can be used as an opportunity to draw new vitality and energy into ourselves, like blood that represents the life force of the human being."

Constant success and fulfillment can also result in limited growth. We become comfortable with ourselves and are unable to break out of our own little world, and go beyond our own limitations. A period of emptiness can shatter the shell of our comfort zone to allow us to take a giant leap into something new. We are forced to rethink our strategies and our goals. It becomes an amazing opportunity to change direction.

The Rebbe never allowed himself or others to view the world negatively in any way. Everything has a positive side and every challenge is really a great opportunity.

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