"You see, but you do not observe." Such a famous quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. What does that mean for someone who is trying to grow themselves? In the original story, Holmes is chastising Watson for being unable to remember how many steps there are in a flight of stairs he … Continue reading #BlogElul 9: Observe
Tag: High Holy Days
#BlogElul 8: Hear
I love listening to podcasts, and just recently I heard a great one by Jeffery Combs, on becoming a master listener. What is a master listener? According to Jeffery, it is someone who can hear what is meant rather than what is said, someone who is fully present when the other person is speaking. I … Continue reading #BlogElul 8: Hear
#BlogElul 7: Choose
The abundance of choice is both the blessing and the curse of the self-employed life. When we are employees, we dream of being the masters of our own time; when we are answerable to no one but ourselves, we realise how hard that really is. As the great Jim Rohn said, what is easy to … Continue reading #BlogElul 7: Choose
#BlogElul 5: Accept
Accept - now that is a hard one. We don't want to accept things. We want to be the masters of our fate, we want to have the illusion of control. The truth of the matter is, we have much less control than we think we do. We live in our little bubble, driving around … Continue reading #BlogElul 5: Accept
#BlogElul 4: Understand
Understanding is the Holy Grail for us personal development junkies. We might call it wisdom or enlightenment or whatever, but in the end, what we really want is to create a human pattern that makes sense to us. Understanding doesn't come out of nowhere - first we have to acquire some knowledge, or at least … Continue reading #BlogElul 4: Understand
#BlogElul 3: Search
The word "search" implies intentionality. A searcher is not merely wandering through life, marvelling at the serendipity of things. A searcher is on a mission, trying to find something specific. The searcher may not know what she is looking for, but she knows that something is missing in her life. Or she may know exactly … Continue reading #BlogElul 3: Search
#BlogElul 2: Act
Action is a very odd concept. We take action every day of our lives (at least, if we get out of bed), and yet it is something we often struggle with. Committing to a course of action can be both exhilarating and terrifying. Google "action" and "fear" together and you'll find countless pages teaching you … Continue reading #BlogElul 2: Act
#BlogElul 1: Prepare
It's here! It's here! Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, and once again, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer has generously provided us with a template for reflection and growth. The High Holy Days are just a month away, and there is lots of spiritual work to be done. This is my fourth … Continue reading #BlogElul 1: Prepare
#BlogElul 28 – Give
Today I had the immense pleasure of reading a book called "The Art of Possibility", by Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander. I was stunned to discover that the book is 15 years old - where have these people been all my life? Ben is a world-renowned conductor and teacher, and Roz is a family … Continue reading #BlogElul 28 – Give
#BlogElul 25 – Intend
Well, it's not hard to figure out how my intentions for this blog post series have not been working out very well. But today I will follow through on my good intention and post! One might say it was inevitable. As the days became steadily busier, approaching school and the actual holidays, my posting frequency … Continue reading #BlogElul 25 – Intend