Dear Friends,
A key characteristic of successful people is that they have grit, they persevere and do not give up.
“I Tried. I Failed. Now What?” 10 Ways to Recover From a Setback
An article related to the theme of this month of spiritual spring cleaning:
4 Ways to Safeguard Your Moral Purity
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Nissan: Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Dear Friends,
This post is about the Jewish month of Nissan, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Nissan begins Friday night, the 16th of March, and lasts for one day.
During Nissan, we celebrate the holiday of Passover. On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. It is a time of freedom, when we free ourselves from that which brings us down spiritually.
Even today, many of us are still not yet free and are enslaved to our passions, to varying degrees. At the same time, we still maintain some level of moral purity. The goal is to raise it up a notch, thereby increasing our freedom.
When you prepare for the holiday by removing leaven from your house, also remove spiritual pollution. To whatever extent you are ready, go through your books, magazines, music and videos, and get rid of those filled with profanity, lewdness or vulgarity and using a filter, block related websites; they downgrade your spiritually.
An aspect of maintaining your purity is speaking in an elevated manner. Are there any words you choose to remove from your vocabulary, at least for this month, that do not reflect the type of person you are?
Using your checklist, you can check off each day you succeeded in speaking in a refined manner and/or staying away from spiritual pollution (or limiting your exposure as best you can).
Questions for the month:
“How can I declutter and elevate my spirituality at the same time? What will I get rid of?”
“What is a source of spiritual pollution in my life? How can I shield myself from it or at least limit my exposure to it?”
“What word(s) do I choose to remove from my vocabulary, at least for this month?”
This post is about the Jewish month of Nissan, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Nissan begins Friday night, the 16th of March, and lasts for one day.
During Nissan, we celebrate the holiday of Passover. On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. It is a time of freedom, when we free ourselves from that which brings us down spiritually.
Even today, many of us are still not yet free and are enslaved to our passions, to varying degrees. At the same time, we still maintain some level of moral purity. The goal is to raise it up a notch, thereby increasing our freedom.
When you prepare for the holiday by removing leaven from your house, also remove spiritual pollution. To whatever extent you are ready, go through your books, magazines, music and videos, and get rid of those filled with profanity, lewdness or vulgarity and using a filter, block related websites; they downgrade your spiritually.
An aspect of maintaining your purity is speaking in an elevated manner. Are there any words you choose to remove from your vocabulary, at least for this month, that do not reflect the type of person you are?
Using your checklist, you can check off each day you succeeded in speaking in a refined manner and/or staying away from spiritual pollution (or limiting your exposure as best you can).
Questions for the month:
“How can I declutter and elevate my spirituality at the same time? What will I get rid of?”
“What is a source of spiritual pollution in my life? How can I shield myself from it or at least limit my exposure to it?”
“What word(s) do I choose to remove from my vocabulary, at least for this month?”
A reading for the month:
Are You a Balaam, a Job or a Jethro?
Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,
Yaakov
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Who Are You? Getting in Touch with Your Essence
Dear Friends,
Have you ever asked yourself, "Who am I?" Or, "What type of person am I?"
Who Are You? Getting in Touch with Your Essence
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Have you ever asked yourself, "Who am I?" Or, "What type of person am I?"
Who Are You? Getting in Touch with Your Essence
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Saturday, February 24, 2018
The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover
Dear Friends,
This Wednesday night, February 28th, begins the festival of Purim.
The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover
Have a great week and a Happy Purim!
Yaakov
This Wednesday night, February 28th, begins the festival of Purim.
The 2 Forms of Divine Providence: Purim and Passover
Have a great week and a Happy Purim!
Yaakov
Saturday, February 17, 2018
3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power
Dear Friends,
How can we be more accepting of our challenges?
3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power
Have a great week,
Yaakov
How can we be more accepting of our challenges?
3-Dimensional Acceptance: A Pathway to Peace and Power
Have a great week,
Yaakov
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Adar: Enhancing our Joy
Dear Friends,
This post is about the Jewish month of Adar, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Adar begins Wednesday night, the 14th of February, and lasts for two days.
Our Sages teach that with the arrival of Adar we increase our joy, culminating in the festival of Purim. Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people during the Persian exile.
While we do not have direct control over our moods, the following are six tools which can be helpful in enhancing them: Gratitude, acceptance, self-compassion, expressing ourselves, addressing festering issues and making lifestyle enhancements (these tools are discussed in the reading below). Many times, even using just one tool will help us feel better and increase our enjoyment of life.
After reading the article, choose one tool which you will utilize this month. Then, decide on the one change, technique or behavior, related to that tool, you will do on a daily or regular basis, for at least this month. Add it to your checklist and track how often you do it.
Questions for the month:
“What do I think is most negatively affecting my emotional health? How will I address it?”
“What will I do this month to enhance my emotional health/mood and become a happier person?”
Reading for the month:
6 Tools to Enhance Your Mood
This post is about the Jewish month of Adar, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Adar begins Wednesday night, the 14th of February, and lasts for two days.
Our Sages teach that with the arrival of Adar we increase our joy, culminating in the festival of Purim. Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people during the Persian exile.
While we do not have direct control over our moods, the following are six tools which can be helpful in enhancing them: Gratitude, acceptance, self-compassion, expressing ourselves, addressing festering issues and making lifestyle enhancements (these tools are discussed in the reading below). Many times, even using just one tool will help us feel better and increase our enjoyment of life.
After reading the article, choose one tool which you will utilize this month. Then, decide on the one change, technique or behavior, related to that tool, you will do on a daily or regular basis, for at least this month. Add it to your checklist and track how often you do it.
Questions for the month:
“What do I think is most negatively affecting my emotional health? How will I address it?”
“What will I do this month to enhance my emotional health/mood and become a happier person?”
Reading for the month:
6 Tools to Enhance Your Mood
Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,
Yaakov
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Personal Growth: How to Upgrade Your Skillset
Dear Friends,
We're all a work in progress. The question is what are we working on?
Pick one area of your life that you want to focus on improving.
Personal Growth: How to Upgrade Your Skillset
Have a great week,
Yaakov
We're all a work in progress. The question is what are we working on?
Pick one area of your life that you want to focus on improving.
Personal Growth: How to Upgrade Your Skillset
Have a great week,
Yaakov
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