From My Notebook

  Success is not only measured by how much we achieve but by how hard we try. 

We never know the influence that a simple act of kindness will have on someone else's world.  One good deed really can change the world. 

The common response when someone thanks you for doing them a favour is "don't mention it."  Why don't we want them to mention it?  Is there a deeper way of connecting with someone that is above 'mentioning it?" 

The zoo is an exciting place filled with exotic animals, live shows, and new experiences.  Why is it more exciting to see a grizzly bear at the zoo than seeing a grey squirrel on your front lawn?  What we experience infrequently is often exciting and what we engage in regularly we view as mundane. How do we infuse excitement into our everyday life?

Cellphones can now do so much more than just make phone calls; and yet they still need to be charged in order to be used.  We are no different.  In order for us to maximize our potential and actualize our abilities we need to recharge.  So how do we do this?

Why was the Torah first given to the women and then to the men?  Women are the support system of the family and it is only with their guidance and motivation that men succeed.  Women aren't afraid to do what needs to be done. 

While changing our clothes might assist in our transformation, in order to have a long last change it must come from within.  

Explores the importance of expressing your feelings of love to those that are close to you and how G-d wants and needs our love. 

Explores stepping into ourselves and becoming the person we need to be to face the challenges before us. 

Explores doing our best to maintain our own values while actively doing our best to positively influence others. 

Explores being the best that you can be and to work towards fulfilling the unique mission in life that only you can accomplish. 

Explores the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash (Temple), going through struggles, and how G-d gives us the obstacles is just the right proportions. 

Explores the last day of Chanukah and having total commitment to actualize our potential.

Explores what it means to be truly beautiful. 

Explores the confrontation between Yaakov and Eisav, the wrestling match between Yaakov and an angel, and our own wrestling match with life's challenges. 

Explores the usefulness of ladders in our daily lives and the role of a spiritual ladder to reach greater spiritual heights. 

Explores the relationship between ourselves and others and the influence we can have on someone. 

Explores how we choose to face life's challenges and how that impacts our view on life. 

Explores daylight savings time, our attempt to manipulate time, and the ability to go back in time and correct our mistakes. 

Explores how you can bring your home with you where ever you go. 

Explores how each person can accomplish great feats by starting with first working on himself.  By working on ourselves one can change the world.

Explores what we can learn from  brining our car to the mechanic and the importance of staying balanced and maximizing our potential. 

Explores our intimate relationship with G-d and why it is so special. 

Explores how each person on their contributes to the greater good.  A symphony can only be complete if each person plays their part. 

Explores how children are not afraid to try new things and how we should embrace our lives by not being afraid to be ourselves.