As BT’s we’ve made some pretty amazing changes in our lives. And we all know it was very difficult.
But if you’ve been Shomer Shabbos for 10+ years, you know that teshuva becomes more difficult. The changes have to go beyond behavioral and deep into the character.
So what keeps you going?
What tools and techniques have you found useful?
Are you using a different tools, than you did we you first became frum?
I ordered from the publisher, prior to distribution in North America. These sites are good and as someone who listened to almost all of the original shiurim on the sefer from Rav Weinberger, this printed version is great.
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Song-Teshuvah-Commentary-Yitzchak-HaTeshuvah/dp/1936068249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346353531&sr=8-1&keywords=song+of+teshuva
Seforim Center:
http://www.seforimcenter.com/product.asp?numPageStartPosition=1&P_ID=6793&strPageHistory=cat&strKeywords=&strSearchCriteria=&PT_ID=287
Neil,
Where did you find that sefer?
Great suggestions Scott and Steve.
I would suggest that the daily rigors of sweating the details, combined with Limud HaTorah, especially Talmud, Halacha and Tanach, coupled with the works of RYBS and some Baalei Chasidus and Musar, always provide a moral compass. I highly recommend the works of R C Kalenstein ZL on any of the Chagim for a powerful hashkafic injection.
Find the person whom you find especially inspirational. Perhaps someone from your shul who always has time for others, or the teacher from the school who always puts in 1000% to connect with the students. Or that chesed individual who never rests, putting up so many guests for Shabbos and whose kids gladly give up their rooms.
Contact that person more during Elul, ask about how they do everything and have so much energy, then decide that you can also try it instead of wasting so much time. Sometimes it’s such a surge of adrenaline during a month which can otherwise be draining.
From last Elul until around Pesach, I was learning Oros HaTeshuva with commentary from Rav Moshe Weinberger. It was a very fresh approach to the Teshuva process.
Over the years, I find that I always end up returning to the writings of Rav Dessler zt’l.