What Does God Want from Me?

Dear Friends,

Have you ever asked yourself:

What Does God Want from Me?  

Have a great week,

Yaakov 

Sivan: Living the Torah’s Wisdom and "The Ten Commandments: Exploring Their Hidden Side"

Dear Friends,

This post is about the Jewish month of Sivan as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan begins Monday night, the 3rd of June and lasts one day.

The festival of Shavuot begins this Motzai Shabbat, Saturday night, June 8th and lasts for two days. On Shavuot, we celebrate receiving on Mount Sinai the Torah, God’s instruction manual for life. Even those who are unaffiliated, without realizing it, observe part of the Torah. Take for example the 10 Commandments, many already believe in God, do not worship idols, honor their parents, do not commit murder, adultery etc.

Begin at whatever level of observance you are currently on, and pick one area you are motivated to strengthen this month. At the end of each day/week, mark off on your checklist if you kept that observance.

Question for the month:

“What area of observance will I strengthen this month or at least learn more about?”

Reading:

The Ten Commandments: Exploring Their Hidden Side

Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,

Yaakov

6 Ways to Deal with Critical Family Members

Dear Friends,

Often the people who criticize us the most are our family members.

6 Ways to Deal with Critical Family Members

Have a great week,

Yaakov

How to Give Constructive Feedback without Sounding Critical

Dear Friends,

There is a time and place for giving constructive feedback.

How to Give Constructive Feedback without Sounding Critical

Have a great week,

Yaakov

6 Ways to Kick the Criticism Habit

Dear Friends,

Being critical of others is a difficult habit to break, but well worth the effort.

6 Ways to Kick the Criticism Habit  

Have a great week,

Yaakov 

You’re Not Arrogant, But Are You Truly Humble?

Dear Friends,

Chodesh tov.
Humility is not all or nothing. The more humble we become, the more we will benefit.

You’re Not Arrogant, But Are You Truly Humble?

Have a great week,

Yaakov

Iyar: Enhancing our Relationships

Dear Friends,

This post is about the Jewish month of Iyar as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar begins Motzai Shabbat, Saturday night, the 4th of May and lasts for two days.

The period known as The Omer occurs during this month. During part of The Omer, we commemorate thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students who died in a plague. The Talmud teaches that the plague occurred because the students did not treat each other with proper respect.

This month, we focus on treating others well and enhancing our relationship with them.

Our relationships play a pivotal role in either enhancing or negatively affecting our emotional, physical and spiritual health; toxic relationships drain us, while healthy relationships nourish us.

Make a list of your key family, work and social relationships. Decide which ones to strengthen or repair, which ones need better boundaries or for you to distance yourself from, and ways to foster new healthy relationships.

Input into your checklist the following practice or a related one: At least once a week, schedule one-on-one time with someone in your life to strengthen that relationship; shut off your cell and give him or her your undivided attention.

In addition, this month, work on being less critical of others. Start by focusing on the person of whom you are most critical. Consider using your checklist and check off each day you were able to avoid criticizing them. You might want to start off with just avoiding being critical during a set time of day, i.e., morning, afternoon or evening, and build from there.

Questions for the month:

“Which of my relationships do I need to strengthen? What is the first step to doing that?”

“Which relationships need better boundaries or for me to distance myself from? What is the first step to doing that?”

“Do I want to form new healthy relationships? What are some ways I can do that?”

“Which person in my life am I most critical of? For this month, am I willing to commit to give them at least as much compliments as criticisms?”

During this month, read up on the type of relationship you are currently dealing with. Here are links to Aish.com articles on specific relationships:

Dating

Marriage

Parenting

Relating to your parents

Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,

Yaakov