How do you deal with adversity? When facing a challenge in life, how do you react? There are the conventional approaches of fight or flight; do you retreat out of fear of confrontation; escape your reality? Or do you stand up and fight, waging a battle with the enemy within and without? Others might turn to prayer; do you beseech G-d to interfere and show you the way? Or do you follow the approach of simply giving in; surrendering to the circumstances and waving the white flag. These are the fou...
Dec 08, 2022•31 min
Do you ever feel that there is a battle being waged within your psyche? That you have conflicting drives tugging you in opposite directions? It may be a struggle between your reflective mind and impulsive heart, or between your responsibilities at home and at work, between your personal values and the outside pressures that may compromise your standards, or between being a taker or a giver, between serving yourself or serving others. If you feel a battle raging inside you -- manifesting in any o...
Dec 01, 2022•28 min
We all can appreciate the personal and universal message of Thanksgiving. The importance of gratitude resonates deeply, and its power has been demonstrated to increase happiness, lower stress and anxiety, and overall improve our mental and emotional lives. Recent psychological studies show how gratitude frees us from our self-contained, self-interest driven egos, how it teaches us to appreciate our gifts and blessings, and broadens our horizons. In turn this unshackles us from toxic emotions and...
Nov 24, 2022•31 min
Everything in our material world will naturally age, erode, deteriorate, break down... and perish. Is there anything that lasts forever? Can we touch the infinite; experience the eternal? Enter your soul. Your body ages and ultimately dies. But how about your soul? Is it subject to the natural laws of erosion? Is its potential limited and confined by the parameters of material existence? Where does our soul go after it separates from the body and leaves this world? The question really begins the...
Nov 17, 2022•30 min
A clever cynic once said: We must believe in free will. We have no choice. Do we have free choice or is everything in our lives predetermined? Am I wired like a machine -- programmed and predictable, or can I change the course of my destiny? That is the big, age old question that has sparked many debates, research and countering arguments. In 1814, French philosopher, mathematician and scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace stated what has come to be known as causal determinism -- that if there was an i...
Nov 10, 2022•29 min
Can you be a pioneer? Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Do you have the confidence and inner strength to form your own choices and direction in life? Or are you hesitant to take charge and navigate uncharted waters? Many people feel that they are just not wired to be a leader.. they feel they are lacking the traits necessary to step up and have their voice heard. But the honest and deep truth is that you - yes, you! - have a leader within you; you have a pioneer within you. You ma...
Nov 03, 2022•35 min
How many of the things you do are driven by other people's expectations, demands and attitudes? How much do outside influences impact your life's choices and direction? Is your identity defined by you or by others? Whether it be our parents and their approach to things that shaped us in our informative years, or by our colleagues and their opinions; whether it be by our education system, culture and religion or by society and the media's noise that inundates us with information... Can you see th...
Oct 27, 2022•27 min
Are you bored? Do you find your life to be a monotonous routine, going through the motions, often feeling stuck in a rut? How do you relieve the tedium? Lethargy is lethal for the human spirit. We will do anything -- sometimes healthy, often not so healthy -- to get a new rush of excitement, a high, that will lift us out of the doldrums. Would you be surprised to know that there is a millennia-old time-tested method to discover renewal in your life? Would you be further surprised to know that to...
Sep 29, 2022•33 min
How do you experience renewal in your life? How do you truly move forward, away from all your old baggage, your past experiences? Can you truly let bygones be bygones and forge ahead into a new future? Every one of us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, are always seeking to improve our life, but often our past haunts us, holding us back from growth. Is there a way out of that trap? Can we learn to not ignore our past, but also not to let it hold us hostage? As we prepare to enter th...
Sep 22, 2022•36 min
We human beings pride ourselves on our intelligence; how we are far superior to all other species with our minds, our innovations, scientific breakthroughs and technologies. With our intellect we have learned to tame the elements and conquer the universe. Yet, what exactly is intelligence? And what defines intelligence? Is a powerful mind the only contributing factor? Is dominance over other forces the litmus test for success? One can be book smart but have no common sense. A person may have a h...
Sep 15, 2022•31 min
Do you live to work or work to live? If someone asks you who you are, do you show them your business card? Is your identity defined by your work? Shouldn't it be the other way around? But many us have become so consumed by our jobs and careers, that who we are has become an extension of what we do. Shouldn't we be directing our vehicles and instruments where to go instead of them telling us where to go? Who is the captain of your ship? Let's take this a step further: Is labor a positive thing? W...
Sep 08, 2022•30 min
Love. One simple word that is far from simple. Love contains volumes upon volumes. Everyone uses the word, but does anyone know what it means? No matter what culture, race, religion or nationality, love -- or the lack thereof -- is everywhere. From the beginning of time, authors, poets, songwriters and artists have tried to define love; the simple word connoting longing, passion, connections, complexity, depth, beauty, heartache, intensity, to name a few of its many facets. Love has moved mounta...
Sep 02, 2022•37 min
One of the greatest compliments you can give a person is to call them a visionary. But what is a visionary? And who is a visionary? We often think the title is reserved for the geniuses, the rare individuals that were blessed with unique foresight, prescience, wisdom and strength -- a guiding light and presence. But the truth is that every single person - you and I included - is capable of being a visionary! We each have the capacity; we just need to become aware of our uniqueness, and learn to ...
Aug 25, 2022•37 min
Details, details, details.. All of our lives are comprised of so many minute specifics, obligations to our home, family, friends, work and even to ourselves. We often get overwhelmed simply by the pressure, expectations and demands of these daily routines, known as the daily grind for a reason. It sounds nice in theory to be told that we must step back and see the forest for the trees, get beyond the minutiae and look at the big picture -- and allow the big picture to inform the particulars. Gre...
Aug 17, 2022•33 min
"Life breaks all people but some are stronger in the broken places." Ernest Hemingway During the course of our lifetime, every one of us is going to inevitably experience hurt -- a loss, a setback, trauma, grief, death, etc. At one point or another, we will all face difficulties along our journey, tested with heartbreak and challenges. Now, this is not meant to paint a dark picture and negative outlook on life.. It is simply the reality of life's cycles. The most important thing to remember is t...
Aug 17, 2022•30 min
When was the last time you cried? I will never forget the day when a gentleman in his mid 40s came to see me. Taking one look at him, without even uttering a word, I could sense the extreme tension in his body. He was so wound up, clearly carrying a very heavy weight on his shoulders. When we finally began to speak, he shared with me that throughout his entire life he was bullied, loathed, hated.. by his parents, siblings, friends and strangers, to the point that in time he began to hate himself...
Aug 04, 2022•29 min
Is your life made up of many disjointed and fragmented pieces? Or is there a larger narrative that's unfolding, connecting all the dots and moving parts of your daily life? Sadly, most of us live our lives from moment to moment, often in survival mode - just getting by and through each day. Some moments are ups, some are downs; and there are twists and turns along the way. But is there an underlying thread between all these seemingly random moments? Where are they leading us? The secret and trut...
Jul 27, 2022•28 min
When asked, "What would you hope to witness in your lifetime?" , world peace might be the most common -- and cliched -- response. But what does this really mean on a practical level? What is the secret to achieving global peace, and how can I, one of billions of people that make up this world, make a difference - or even a slight dent - in achieving this monumental objective? So many world leaders, thinkers and philosophers - especially in the last century - have been aspiring and seeking all ty...
Jul 21, 2022•34 min
Do you know how to communicate effectively? Are your interactions with others positive and productive or are they critical and draining? Are you able to resolve disagreements and conflicts? Communication lies at the heart of every relationship in our lives. Personal. Business. Family. How we interact and communicate with each other reflects the health of our relationships and is the basis of everything we do in life. Developing better ways of communicating will directly improve the quality of ou...
Jul 21, 2022•29 min
The word vacation evokes a feeling of letting go, freedom, lightheartedness and even folly. It brings to mind visions of beaches and mojitos, frolicking in the water and relaxing under the stars. Vacation is usually associated with an escape from our reality, a runaway from the daily grind and life's responsibilities. But can vacation be both fun and meaningful? Does it serve a purpose other than pure enjoyment and a respite from the routine? Today you will learn something new, a unique perspect...
Jul 07, 2022•26 min
As we approach July 4th, we are reminded of the revolutionary principle proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, which is really the foundation of this entire country - and the foundation of the modern world today. "All men [people] are created equal." We are all equal and we all are entitled to equal rights. But what does equality really mean? Is it another one of those buzzwords that is cited so often today that it ends up meaning nothing because it is overused to mean everything? And lo...
Jul 04, 2022•31 min
Is Trauma the New Scapegoat? The phrase trauma seems to be everywhere. Statistics show that over 5,500 podcasts have trauma in the title. On TikTok, #trauma has over 6.2 billion views. A recent article title pretty much sums it up: How trauma became the word of the decade. Good question. There is a growing opinion among some that attribute all our problems to trauma. Is that true? Has the word become overused? These days it's common to hear... I was stuck in traffic - it was traumatic! Or... I w...
Jun 22, 2022•40 min
Over the course of your life, are you being taught WHAT to think, or are you learning HOW to think? And what is the difference between the what and the how ? Almost everyone is familiar with one of the most popular best-selling self help books titled, How to Make Friends and Influence People . Let's focus on the word influence. We can influence people, inspire people, teach people and even educate people - but above all we can EMPOWER people. Empowerment is in a league of its own. Empowering is ...
Jun 16, 2022•27 min
How do we maintain inspiration after the "honeymoon"? In life, it is relatively easy to get excited and inspired -- but it is not so easy to keep that initial spark going. We hear a powerful speech that touches us deeply and are determined to change our life and perspective... a few days later the daily grind puts us right back in our original rut. We start a new diet with enthusiasm and a positive attitude, inspired by the "after images" plastered around social media... a few days later the ini...
Jun 09, 2022•28 min
There is no person on earth who does not want to improve their lives. But how do we actually do that? We take on resolutions, make plans and embark on journeys, however they often don’t last very long. Is there a formula for true and sustainable growth? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in a new seven-part series, 7 Weeks to a Better You, and discover a 3334-year-old time-tested plan to evaluate and develop your tremendous emotional potential. In this series you will learn the seven facets of you...
Jun 02, 2022•35 min
There is no person on earth who does not want to improve their lives. But how do we actually do that? We take on resolutions, make plans and embark on journeys, however they often don’t last very long. Is there a formula for true and sustainable growth? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in a new seven-part series, 7 Weeks to a Better You, and discover a 3334-year-old time-tested plan to evaluate and develop your tremendous emotional potential. In this series you will learn the seven facets of you...
May 26, 2022•30 min
7 Weeks To a Better You - Week 5: Humility
May 19, 2022•38 min
There is no person on earth who does not want to improve their lives. But how do we actually do that? We take on resolutions, make plans and embark on journeys, however they often don’t last very long. Is there a formula for true and sustainable growth? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in a new seven-part series, 7 Weeks to a Better You, and discover a 3334-year-old time-tested plan to evaluate and develop your tremendous emotional potential. In this series you will learn the seven facets of you...
May 12, 2022•41 min
There is no person on earth who does not want to improve their lives. But how do we actually do that? We take on resolutions, make plans and embark on journeys, however they often don’t last very long. Is there a formula for true and sustainable growth? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in a new seven-part series, 7 Weeks to a Better You, and discover a 3334-year-old time-tested plan to evaluate and develop your tremendous emotional potential. In this series you will learn the seven facets of you...
May 05, 2022•28 min
There is no person on earth who does not want to improve their lives. But how do we actually do that? We take on resolutions, make plans and embark on journeys, however they often don’t last very long. Is there a formula for true and sustainable growth? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in a new seven-part series, 7 Weeks to a Better You, and discover a 3334-year-old time-tested plan to evaluate and develop your tremendous emotional potential. In this series you will learn the seven facets of you...
Apr 29, 2022•29 min
