How to Raise Happy Children: The Sacred Mission of a Parent

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 heads or tails and figure out what makes us tick? You may be surprised to learn that around 250 years ago — a century before the birth of modern psychology — a Russian born mystic and sage developed, what we will call, the most comprehensive psychological blueprint for life. With his keen insight into the very nature of the soul, based on thousands of years of esoteric teachings and hard earned experience, The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, laid out an intricate roadmap, an x-ray of the human psych. In doing so he integrated the best of all the psychological schools of thought and offers us a revolutionary new model, relevant today more than ever, one that has the ability to guide us into the future. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this fascinating and illuminating talk to reveal a new way of looking at yourself and your potential. Discover how you are not a product or victim of circumstances or genes, how you control your destiny — how you have the power, power beyond your belief, to navigate every challenge and curve ball life throws at you. How to forge ahead and carve your future to be the best it can possibly be. Learn to not only contain your demons but how to transform them into assets that will make you grow and actualize in ways that you could never have imagined.

15 Joulu 202230min

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.

8 Joulu 202230min

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 journey plumbing the depths of your innermost self, and learn how these two forces are actually twin "souls" competing for your attention. Discover that the ultimate way of fusing your conflicting voices and relieving the tension between matter and spirit is by spiritualizing the material, and harnessing its enormous power toward a higher purpose, which is beyond both body and soul.

1 Joulu 202227min

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.

24 Marras 202230min

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 our eternal legacies?

17 Marras 202229min

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 indeterministic model of the (microscopic) universe, essentially undid the premise of causal determinism. Heisneberg's Uncertainty Principle states that we cannot simultaneously determine both the position and velocity of a particle, not due to lack of data, but due to the fundamental nature of quantum probability. This proves that it's not just a lack of proper data that keeps us from determining our future, but it truly is indeterministic. But there are still many questions swirling around the idea of free will. As creatures of habit, shaped and conditioned by many influences, do we really have free will? How do we know that we aren't like any animal, simply following our natural instincts and predilections? Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this important discussion and discover the roots of this debate and how it reflects the very way we look at ourselves. Are we random creatures, or do our lives have purpose? Are we puppets on a string, or are we free people with control over our choices? Do you and your decisions matter? Is your life headed somewhere? Explore inner dimensions of yourself and learn that you can choose to choose -- that you indeed have the freedom to choose your future, and you have more control over your actions, and power to determine your destiny, then you ever knew!

10 Marras 202229min

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 serves as a springboard to becoming a pioneer. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a life changing class and discover the hidden reservoirs of your true potential. You are a leader. You have an unique and indispensable voice that only you can share with the world. It's time for you to rise to the occasion and realize the mission that only you can pioneer.

3 Marras 202234min

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 defines your life. Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson in this vital discussion on who and what defines your life and learn the secret on how to discover your own voice. Start living YOUR life -- driven by who you are from within. An inside-out life instead of an outside-in one.

27 Loka 202227min