As the Spirit Moves Me

As the Spirit Moves Me

Nina Amir's Thoughts on Spirituality, Judaism, Human Potential, Personal Growth, and Living Fully

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Archive for how to be happy

It’s Possible to Do Good While Doing Wrong on a Soul Level

Have you ever felt like you’ve been trying your hardest to do the “right thing” or to perform a “mitzvah” (good deed), but you sense that something just isn’t right? Have you ever been focused on doing good but found that something about your actions felt so wrong?
Maybe you weren’t fulfilling your soul’s purpose. Maybe [...]

There’s Always Something for which to be Thankful

Today I’m feeling grumpy and depressed. I’m angry, too. These are not emotions I usually like to dwell in, and I don’t recommend that others do so either. They don’t lend themselves to helping us consciously create what we want in our lives. In fact deliberate creation becomes difficult when we get stuck in negative [...]

Stepping into the Future

It’s been a wild 10 days or so. My daughter and I discovered that her early decision application required that she show up in NYC for a portfolio review at New York University. She sent in her application on October 31. We called the university on November 2 and found out we had to be [...]

Eaten from the Inside Out

We just had our house painted. As soon as the siding and deck were finished, I noticed something…something I really didn’t want to see: evidence of termites. Not only that, recently I’d seen some little black bugs running around my house, and I had sneaky suspicion they were, dare I say it?, beetles.
We live in [...]

In the Downward Flow of Depression

I often teach the wisdom of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. And I always say I teach what I need most to learn — as I think he might have said when it came to the subject of being happy. Many experts on Rebbe Nachman claim he lived most of his life in a struggle with [...]

In Preparation for Shabbat: Laugh So You Can Move Into Joy

Feeling joyous on Shabbat constitutes a great mitzvah (commandment or good deed) in Judaism. No matter your circumstances, you must be joyous on Shabbat. Plus, according to Rebbe Nachman, it’s impossible to feel a connection to God unless you can experience joy. Indeed, mitzvot, or commandments, are supposed to connect us to the Divine, and, we [...]

When You Run Out of Energy, How Do You Recharg?

Today when I went to take my two children to school, I couldn’t get my car to start. The car’s batter was dead.
I remembered that my husband had mentioned that a light had been left on in the car, and that he had turned the light switch for the car off. He hadn’t checked the [...]

It’s not “Just” Anything – It’s “Ta-Keh” Everything

Last week when I was in Westport, CT, speaking about how to move through fear, I said that we all have to realize that its a miracle that we exist day to day on what Rebbe Nachman of Breslov called the “very narrow bridge.” That bridge represents our lives. Every day we walk on that [...]

When the Holiday Season Doesn’t Feel So Jolly, Be Happy Once a Week on Shabbat

I’ve been feeling a bit melancholy lately, as well as grateful for my children despite the fact that they are driving me absolutely crazy. In the last month, three children have died in Los Gatos, the town where I live. A middle school boy took his own life, possibly because his girlfriend broke up with [...]

Season of Our Fear

Not everyone knows that Sukkot is known as the “Season of our Joy.” This year, given the unstable economic situation in the United States, as well as around the world, however, I think many people are experiencing it as the season of our fear. However, the fact that this Jewish holiday is characterized by joyous [...]

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