Meaningful Life Skills: Weekly Global Class

Do we live in a beautiful world or an ugly one? I will never forget a conversation I had with two individuals. We were talking about life. One of the people began sharing, in a very warm and kind way, the beautiful life she grew up in. Her loving home, a supportive family, a welcoming community; her childhood and journey into adulthood was filled with light, warmth, nobility and dignity. The other person joined the conversation expressing how he grew up in an entirely different universe! His life was one of trauma and pain. A hostile home, angry family, disconnected community; his childhood and journey into adulthood was filled with darkness, backstabbing, narcissism and selfishness. His description brought me to tears. I started to think about this contrast, how every person has a different perspective on life based on their different experiences. To some this world is warm, open, inviting. And to others it's cold, hostile and isolating. No doubt, over the course of our lives most of us experience both beaut

Life is replete with change. Processes, transitions, maturation, growth and setbacks -- life is synonymous with movement, and movement is all about change. The journey of life with all its twists and turns, and ups and downs. Why then are we afraid of change? And if you fear change it's inevitable that it will play a major role and impact every juncture of your life (whether you know it or not). Every transition from one state to another -- every new unknown -- will trigger fear and impede your progress. It will compromise your choices and commitments (how can I commit when I'm afraid of what will be?). And being that nothing in life ever stays the same, this inertia would be quite often! Going even further, all growth by definition is a form of change; it's going out of one state, one paradigm and growing into another paradigm. If one is overwhelmed by change - this is preventing all growth in life. We all have to thus ask ourselves the critical question. Do I fear change? And what can I do about it? Beca

As the curtain comes down on the year 2022 and we prepare for the new year of 2023, we all wish for each other and for our loved ones a very blessed new year. A year filled with joy, happiness, inner peace and world peace; a year of serenity, success and the fulfillment of all our hearts desires, all in good health and in a very obvious and revealed way. The intentions for an amazing, transformative and accomplishing year are there. We all want it, dream it, long for it and aim for it. But the big question is how? How do we make our dreams a reality? How do we ensure that we indeed have a great year? We all know that new year comes and goes; previous years have proven that we can make resolutions with great intentions and positive goals but then we see them dissipate... they can often last one day, two days, or even a full week! But slowly the inspiration begins to wane and we find ourselves right back where we started. Many new years have come and gone and we haven't necessarily expe

What is the single most important ingredient for a healthy and successful life? Many answers have been offered and discussed. Is it love; wholesome relationships and healthy attachments? Is it religion; faith in a higher power that we answer to and a code of laws to follow? Or conversely, is it simply the pursuit of pleasure; enjoying the moments and living it up? While all of these are certainly options people follow, and they may also be valid approaches, with each one playing a vital role in our lives, there is still a bedrock that lies beneath all other forces, which is absolutely necessary to living a truly wholesome and productive life. This single most important ingredient is meaning and purpose. When you have a unique calling and distinct mission, that in turn drives everything else in your life. If you don't have a raison d'etre, everything you do will be lacking a sense of direction and urgency. Meaning -- that your life matters and all your choices matter, now and forever -- is the foundation up

Psychology is a force that impacts every one of us. We are all in some way dealing with struggles of the human condition. Being alive means we are dealing with the vicissitudes — ups and downs, twists and turns — and many complexities of life’s journey.  Hence, the trillion dollar therapy and medicinal industries, serving us for good or for bad. But what exactly is psychology? The actual definition of psychology is: the study of the soul. Yet, what exactly is a soul? Did you know that there are over 45 different psychological schools of thoughts? from Fraud, to Watson, to Adler, Jung, Frankl, from the cognitive to the behavioral, and everything in between, over and under. New opinions and novel approaches are continuously being introduced. Clearly, the true nature of the human psyche remains shrouded in mystery and continues to elude us mortals. So how are we to make sense of all the different — and often opposing — opinions about something so critical: the understanding of who we are? How can we make

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 four conventional approaches that most people take when dealing with the different obstacles that life throws at them. And believe it or not, while all four might serve a purpose in specific moments, they are all limiting and holding you back from truly facing your challenges. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson to discover a revolutionary fifth approach to dealing with adversity - which will not only help you overcome the obstacles but will help you grow from them to become the best you can be.

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 of the above ways or in other ways -- welcome to the "club." Know that you are not alone. Every one of us has an inherent clash within our souls, two forces wrestling for control over our choices. The voice of survival and the voice of transcendence. The physical drive and the spiritual drive. Most of us either choose one or the other, or we compartmentalize. Can we make peace between these two drives? Can we experience inner harmony? Or are we doomed to a perpetual war? Please join Rabbi Jacobson on a fascinating jou

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 negativity. But what is the deeper reason behind gratitude's healing powers? Why is gratitude such a powerful force of life? What lies at the root of its strength? Please join Rabbi Jacobson on a journey into the inner recesses of the soul and of the cosmos, and discover how the integral unity of all existence is triggered and accessed through gratitude. Learn how the simple act of appreciating those that have helped you unleashes tremendous reservoirs of energy that will transform your life and your relationships.

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 other way around: Where did the soul come from originally? Did its journey begin in your present life?  Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a very critical and personal discussion on the very nature of who we are. Discover new dimensions within yourself that may surprise you. Learn answers to these important questions: Do we ever die? Is there a part of us that lives on? Is there a part of us that was here before? And most importantly how does that affect our lives today, our relationship, our destinies - and

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 intellect (coined Laplace's Demon) that was able to know all the data of the past and present, he would be able to predict everything in the future because at the end of the day everything is a process of cause and effect, action and reaction. The only problem is that we don't have all the data. This theory would seem to negate the concept of free will - everything is predetermined, we just don't have all the information to see the results. The discovery of quantum mechanics in the 20th century, which presented an in

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 may not be aware of it yet, but it's there. Every single person has the potential to be a pioneer. The question is, how do you access it? How do you not allow outside force and influences to obfuscate and cover up this power within you? The first and greatest pioneer of them all was Abraham. He faced ten challenges that catapulted him to greatness -- a greatness that impacts the world till this very day. Learn how these ten steps manifest in your life, as ten challenges you will experience, and how overcoming them se

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 through all these distractions to form decisions on your own? And now ask yourself, how many of the things you do are driven, generated and initiated from within you? Do your thoughts and actions reflect your inner self? This is a critical question every single person must ask themselves because this defines our lives, this defines who we are and what we do. So many times when we struggle and go searching for something more in life, when we look within and dig to the root of the issue, it comes down to who and what de

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 do so you don't need a pill or other external means and substances to achieve rejuvenation? Please join Rabbi Jacobson on a journey into the recesses of your soul and find a hidden treasure -- a vibrant and dynamic reservoir brimming with renewable energy. Beneath the surface of your seemingly ostensibly static world,  lay fountains upon fountains of perpetual creation.  Learn how to access and release these formidable flowing forces -- and experience continual rebirth. What better time to do as as we enter

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 the Hebrew New Year, this is the perfect opportunity to begin anew. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this special program. Discover how to use your past as a stepping stone into your future; to reflect on the year we are leaving behind - all the good and all the challenges that came along with it - and use the energy to propel you forward into new and unprecedented horizons.

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 high IQ and be emotionally immature. Intelligence is not just brain power and it's not simply data processing. True intelligence is also the wisdom of life -- the wisdom of interactions, the understanding of relationships. It goes far beyond the brain and its limited parameters and capabilities. It's more than a science; it's an art. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a fascinating discussion on the true nature of human intelligence and discover dimensions within yourself that you may not have been aware of or full

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? We who have grown up with work as a cultural norm may think that this is how it always was. That is not the case at all. Work, as we know it is a relatively recent development. For much of ancient and medieval history, work has been hard and degrading. Indeed, according to the Bible, work-labor is a curse: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.” The Greeks and later the Romans believed that manual labor was for slaves. The Greek word for work was ponos, taken from the Latin poena, which meant sorrow. So as w

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 mountains, but it has also destroyed nations. The best and the worst of people have emerged in the name of love. So what is this love? Is it biological or spiritual? Is it real or imagined? Love to the human spirit is like water to a flower. Everybody needs it and yet we find it so elusive. It lies at the heart and foundation of all of life and yet it's so difficult to find healthy, nurturing love. What would life be like without love? Can a child grow up healthy without love? Is there such a thing as dysfunctional love?

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 have the courage and fortitude to not just please and conform to  others, but to be ourselves, and tap into our own powerful and life-changing value. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson and discover how YOU can become a visionary. Explore how to discover your true self, and how you can employ certain methods, a formula to use in your life to widen your horizons. Instead of looking at things with myopic vision, begin to see the panorama -- and that in turn will inform and e

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.  Great advice! And yet, life goes on, often at a 90 mph pace, not leaving us much room to pause and breathe. Every morning we wake up bombarded with our to-do lists, details necessary to get through the daily rat race, but overwhelming and often anxiety inducing at the same time.  How can we actually -- and responsibility -- take care of all the details in an effective way, but (and here's the million dollar question!) instead of the details controlling us, we control them? Is that even possible? Does my life

"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 that your response to life's cracks will be what defines who you are. How will you deal with loss and betrayal; with broken promises and shattered dreams? What will you do when your love is violated? When you are in pain and suffering? How will you navigate the uncharted and crashing waves of setbacks and trauma? Will you break down or will you become stronger in the process? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this fundamental workshop as he shares with us a time tested proven formula - almost 2500 years old! - and