• Humility = Strength. Ego is the enemy, and getting ourselves out of our own way is the David/Yehuda way to incredible success/Kingship. When we uphold the image of our successful self, we can take the high road of Yosef, but sometimes the best and most powerful path forward is to admit that we are in fact powerless (this expression of powerlessness is the essence of prayer, and king David says of himself “I am prayer”). With no skin in the game we are able to humbly submit before Hashem and allow Him to lead us to great success that only He knows us to be capable of. Millions have found strength and powerful inspiration from the various twelve step programs. Step # 3, which is the crux of the program reads as follows: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of G-d…” There’s incredible power in the raw honest living that comes with genuine ego negation. 
• The interplay between resilience and excellence
• Yehuda is crowned King by Yaakov at the end, but that is only after first failing to fully save Yosef, saving his life, but sent away by the brothers for failing to immediately save Yosef in such a way that would have avoided the rift in the Jewish people which is only healed by Mashiach, then personal and familial failure with Tamar, and then the crowning achievement of his admission, which paves the way for his taking full responsibility for Binyamin, and his face-off and discovery of Yosef. 
• Yehuda and Tamar: Admitting weakness as a form of strength (Yosef, who represents strength, only emerges after Yehuda admits to his role with Tamar). 
• Yaakov entrusts Benjamin with Yehuda and not Rueven: Responsibility as the foundation for leadership.. What makes Judah trustworthy is that he submits his entire being under that responsibility, he becomes the vessel to succeed in the mission he’s entrusted with because he negates himself so powerfully. Yaakov can’t bring himself to trust Reuven with the dangerous and consequential mission, as he is worried that Reuven will mix himself into the picture, and fail to bring his entire self to bear on the problems that the Egyptians will surely throw their way. Under fire, fears of failure, even legitimate ones, will hinder one's ability to focus everything they’ve got, and under fire you’d better have access to all your strength and focus.
• Yehuda, with no self in the picture, is able to decide exactly when to push Yaakov to part with Binyamin. He isn’t rash. He has no need to act if it won’t be 100% useful, and so he waits, patiently, for the perfect opportunity, and he gets one when the food supplies run dry. 

• Yosef is being led by the hand to his destiny. His descent to Egypt is the catalyst for the Jewish nation being exiled there, surviving spiritually, and ultimately emerging as a nation, and it all begins with Yosef’s descent. This story is so much bigger than him! And Yosef knows this, else, he wouldn’t survive the loneliness and suffering. He knows there’s a big picture. And yet, he also focuses 100% on his small picture – the one in front of him today. Being the most useful servant of the depraved Potifar. Why? Because he knows that this small picture of today will build his own story, and ultimately the story of the Divine plan. How they exactly connect isn’t his business at the moment, but he knows with perfect faith that they connect.
• The meeting point between free-will and Divine providence.
• The above idea leads us to a deeper understanding of the serenity prayer. We don’t merely accept that which we can’t control as something that is not worth focusing on, because, hey, there’s nothing we can do about it anyways, rather, we accept the inevitable as part of our place in the Divine plan that is way bigger than we are. And then we get to work on the aspects that are within our control, and therefore our responsibility. Never forgetting that there is a bigger picture as well.

YOU Write the Script of Your Life.

We discuss how staying above your circumstances, by being rooted above your circumstances. That way you can *choose* to define your reality, and not let reality dictate to you what your life is.

We return to the life of biblical Joseph. The great commentator, Malbim, writes that Yosef acted based on the needs of the situation, not his own personal preferences. He treated those who were socially needier than he was with compassion, while he treated his equals with strength. This is something that was misunderstood by his brothers.

From Joseph we learn that focused Action = success. Marry the potential to the proper area of actualization and stick with it. Success is not a product of random chance! With focused efforts, we marry our potential to its soulmate –the fertile grounds of actualization.  

We must see our circumstances as the setting for focused action that will build our reality --today is only a springboard for tomorrow.. 

Having a growth mindset isn't only about one’s skill set and strengths, but in truth it's really a global idea. How do you see the world? 

We get into how being able to choose, and being able to focus action to build the future, tie together to be one concept. Today things are only the way they look because you haven't brought your free-will to bear yet.   

Interestingly, as we’ve mentioned twice, this futuristic view actually makes it easier to accept circumstances as they are today, and not rebel against the will of God in giving us our personal package of reality. Joseph accepts his reality 100% and then he gets to work, seeing where this reality will take him. Todays reality is just a stage, and it setup comes from above; there’s nothing I can do about changing things as they are NOW, so why bother?

It's inspiring to follow Joseph down to Egypt and watch as he finds success in all circumstances via complete focus on the present. Hashem is creating my reality. It is exactly as it should be, so focus 100%.

Despite being ‘out of a job’ --Potifar purchased Joseph for immoral purposes, but was struck by a impotency--, Joseph focuses on the task at hand, and becomes chief of staff -- he gives everything his best effort and reaps the rewards.

Joseph realizes the power of getting to work on the reality right in front of you. There’s no reason to search for opportunity. The opportunity in front of us is where we must start. If we begin, the rest will follow.