Begin the Redemption by Working the Land
Writing to Rav Chaim Elazar Wax, Rav Eliyahu taught that settling Jews on the soil of Eretz Yisroel is itself the first step of redemption.
In a letter to Rav Chaim Elazar Wax, Rav Eliyahu addressed a worry that redemption must wait until Klal Yisroel is worthy. He answered that when Jews take up the work of the holy Land, around five hundred families to begin with, the redemption has already started, even if the people are not yet at the level they should be. He did not accept that we should sit and wait for Heaven to open the gates by itself. In his view, human effort in a natural way is the road Hashem has set, and the return to the soil of the Land is where a Jew's own repair and the nation's repair begin to meet.
Source: Letter of Rav Eliyahu Gutmacher to Rav Chaim Elazar Wax, printed in Nefesh Chayah (end of siman 1)
Redemption in Rav Eliyahu's eyes began with a concrete act and not with waiting. Choose one hope you have been leaving to Heaven, such as a habit of learning, a gesture of kindness toward a relative, or a connection to Eretz Yisroel. This week, take one small, real step toward it, and put it in your calendar. Do not wait until you feel worthy. Begin, and trust that effort made in a natural way is part of how Hashem brings good.