some formats of C.V

How to write a successful CV

What is a CV?
Curriculum Vitae: an outline of a person's educational and professional history, usually prepared for job applications (L, lit.: the course of one's life). Another name for a CV is a résumé.

A CV is the most flexible and convenient way to make applications. It conveys your personal details in the way that presents you in the best possible light. A CV is a marketing document in which you are marketing something: yourself! You need to "sell" your skills, abilities, qualifications and experience to employers. It can be used to make multiple applications to employers in a specific career area. For this reason, many large graduate recruiters will not accept CVs and instead use their own application form.

An application form is designed to bring out the essential information and personal qualities that the employer requires and does not allow you to gloss over your weaker points as a CV does. In addition, the time needed to fill out these forms is seen as a reflection of your commitment to the career.

There is no "one best way" to construct a CV; it is your document and can be structured as you wish within the basic framework below. It can be on paper or on-line or even on a T-shirt (a gimmicky approach that might work for "creative" jobs but not generally advised!).


When should a CV be used?
When an employer asks for applications to be received in this format
When an employer simply states "apply to ..." without specifying the format
When making speculative applications (when writing to an employer who has not advertised a vacancy but who you hope my have one)

What information should a CV include?


Personal details
Normally these would be your name, address, date of birth (although with age discrimination laws now in force this isn't essential), telephone number and email.

Education and qualifications
Your degree subject and university, plus A levels and GCSEs or equivalents. Mention grades unless poor!

Work experience

Use action words such as developed, planned and organised.
Even work in a shop, bar or restaurant will involve working in a team, providing a quality service to customers, and dealing tactfully with complaints. Don't mention the routine, non-people tasks (cleaning the tables) unless you are applying for a casual summer job in a restaurant or similar.
Try to relate the skills to the job. A finance job will involve numeracy, analytical and problem solving skills so focus on these whereas for a marketing role you would place a bit more more emphasis on persuading and negotiating skills.
"All of my work experiences have involved working within a team-based culture. This involved planning, organisation, co-ordination and commitment e.g., in retail, this ensured daily sales targets were met, a fair distribution of tasks and effective communication amongst all staff members."

Interests and achievements

Keep this section short and to the point. As you grow older, your employment record will take precedence and interests will typically diminish greatly in length and importance.
Bullets can be used to separate interests into different types: sporting, creative etc.
Don't use the old boring cliches here: "socialising with friends".
Don't put many passive, solitary hobbies (reading, watching TV, stamp collecting) or you may be perceived as lacking people skills. If you do put these, than say what you read or watch: "I particularly enjoy Dickens, for the vivid insights you get into life in Victorian times".
Show a range of interests to avoid coming across as narrow : if everything centres around sport they may wonder if you could hold a conversation with a client who wasn't interested in sport.
Hobbies that are a little out of the ordinary can help you to stand out from the crowd: skydiving or mountaineering can show a sense of wanting to stretch yourself and an ability to rely on yourself in demanding situations
Any interests relevant to the job are worth mentioning: current affairs if you wish to be a journalist; a fantasy share portfolio such as Bullbearings if you want to work in finance.
Any evidence of leadership is important to mention: captain or coach of a sports team, course representative, chair of a student society, scout leader: "As captain of the school cricket team, I had to set a positive example, motivate and coach players and think on my feet when making bowling and field position changes, often in tense situations"
Anything showing evidence of employability skills such as teamworking, organising, planning, persuading, negotiating etc.

Skills

The usual ones to mention are languages (good conversational French, basic Spanish), computing (e.g. "good working knowledge of MS Access and Excel, plus basic web page design skills" and driving ("full current clean driving licence").
If you are a mature candidate or have lots of relevant skills to offer, a skills-based CV may work for you

References
Normally two referees are sufficient: one academic (perhaps your tutor or a project supervisor) and one from an employer (perhaps your last part-time or summer job). See our page on Choosing and Using Referees for more help with this.


What makes a good CV?
There is no single "correct" way to write and present a CV but the following general rules apply:
It is targeted on the specific job or career area for which you are applying and brings out the relevant skills you have to offer
It is carefully and clearly laid out: logically ordered, easy to read and not cramped
It is informative but concise
It is accurate in content, spelling and grammar. If you mention attention to detail as a skill, make sure your spelling and grammar is perfect!


How long should a CV be?
There are no absolute rules but, in general, a new graduate's CV should cover no more than two sides of A4 paper.

If you can summarise your career history comfortably on a single side, this is fine and has advantages when you are making speculative applications and need to put yourself across concisely. However, you should not leave out important items, or crowd your text too closely together in order to fit it onto that single side. Academic and technical CVs may be much longer: up to 4 or 5 sides.


Tips on presentation
Your CV should be carefully and clearly laid out - not too cramped but not with large empty spaces either. Use bold and italic typefaces for headings and important information
Never back a CV - each page should be on a separate sheet of paper. It's a good idea to put your name in the footer area so that it appears on each sheet.
Be concise: a CV is an appetiser and should not give the reader indigestion. Don't feel that you have to list every exam you have ever taken, or every activity you have ever been involved in - consider which are the most relevant and/or impressive. The best CVs tend to be fairly economical with words, selecting the most important information and leaving a little something for the interview: they are an appetiser rather than the main course. Good business communications tend to be short and to the point, focusing on key facts and your CV should to some extent emulate this.
Be positive - put yourself over confidently and highlight your strong points. For example, when listing your A-levels, put your highest grade first.

Be honest: although a CV does allow you to omit details (such as exam resits) which you would prefer the employer not to know about, you should never give inaccurate or misleading information. CVs are not legal documents and you can't be held liable for anything within, but if a recruiter picks up a suggestion of falsehoods you will be rapidly rejected. An application form which you have signed to confirm that the contents are true is however a legal document and forms part of your contract of employment if you are recruited.
The sweet spot of a CV is the area selectors tend to pay most attention to: this is typically around the upper middle of the first page, so make sure that this area contains essential information.
If you are posting your CV, don't fold it - put it in a full-size A4 envelope so that it doesn't arrive creased.

Fonts

TIMES NEW ROMAN is the standard windows "serif" font. A safe bet - law firms seem to like it!
A more interesting serif font might be GEORGIA.
ARIAL is the standard windows "sans" font.
Sans fonts don't have the curly bits on letters. As you can see they're cleaner and more modern than Times or Georgia and also looks larger in the same "point" size (the point size is simply how big the letters are on the page.) However Arial and Times Roman are so common that they're a little boring to the eye.
A more classy choice might be VERDANA which has wider letters than most fonts.
or GENEVA - these are both common sans fonts. Don't use Comic Sans!
FONT SIZE is normally 12 points for the normal font with larger sizes for subheadings and headings.
or 10 points. My favourite CV body text font is 10 point Verdana or Lucida Sans with 12 or 14 points for sub headings.

14 points is too big for the normal body font - wastes space and looks crude.
and 8 or 9 points too small to be easily readable by everyone, especially in Times New Roman which should not be used in sizes less than 11 points
Although many people use 12 points, some research on this suggested that smaller point size CVs (within reason) were perceived as more intellectual!

Most CVs are now read on screen rather than on paper. It's no coincidence that Serif fonts are rarely used on the web - they are much less readable on screen (Times Roman was first used on Trajan's column, 2,000 years ago!), and some fonts, such as Verdana, were designed with screen readability in mind. This web site is set in Verdana which, as you can see, is clear and easy to read.
If you find fonts interesting see this BBC article and this "Periodic Table" of Typefaces

Step by step guide to write C.V

The style and layout of a curriculum vitae (CV) in English is often different to in other languages. These steps explain how to write an English CV.

Step 1: make notes

Make notes on your work experience, both paid, unpaid, full-time and part-time. Write down your responsibilities, job title and company information. Include everything!


Step 2: make notes

Make notes on your education. Include your degree or any certificates, names of major courses, school names and courses relevant to the job you are applying for.

Step 3: more notes

Make notes on other achievements. Include membership of organizations, military service and any other special accomplishments.

Step 4: relevant skills

From your notes, choose which skills are relevant (skills that are similar) to the job which you are applying for. 

These are the most important points for your CV.

Step 5: personal details

Begin your CV. Write your full name, address, telephone number, email, date of birth, marital status and nationality at the top of the CV.

Step 6: objective

Write an objective. The objective is a short sentence describing the job you hope to get. This is common only in an American-style CV (called a resumé).

Step 7: education/qualifications

Summarize your education, including important facts (type of degree, specific courses you have studied) that are relevant to the job you are applying for.

Step 8: experience

List all your work experience, job by job. Start with the your most recent job and progress backwards in time. Again, focus on skills that are relevant. Include details of companies and your job title and responsibilities at that company.

Step 9: skills

Include other relevant information such as languages spoken, computer skills, etc.

Step 10: interests

Very briefly include your hobbies and main interests.

Step 11: references

Finish with the line: References available upon request.

More tips

Ideally your CV in English should not be longer than one page. Two pages are only acceptable if you have had many different jobs and a variety of experience.

Spacing, aligning and layout are very important when you write your CV, in order to create a positive and professional impression.

Use 'dynamic' and 'action' verbs such as: attained, accomplished, conducted, established, facilitated, founded, managed, etc.

Do not use the personal pronoun 'I' in your CV, use tenses in the past, e.g. Established and managed a new sales force for the region.

An important day?

Although both Tamasin and Henry have both said sorry to Jesus for their sins before, tonight was slightly different. I asked Tamasin what you had to do to become a Christian. She answered that you had to thank Jesus for taking the blame for us, and say sorry to him for all your lies. I said that it wasn’t just lies, but all naughty things, and she agreed. I then said you needed to ask Jesus to be the boss of your life- to be in charge. She said, but I haven’t done that and immediately she and Henry prayed in unison ‘Jesus please be my boss when I grow up’ When I asked if they meant now too, they agreed.

She also said she wanted to be baptised. We shall see if this desire continues.

Henry said in a sure sign of a great theological future, ‘But Dad, if God has all those powers he must already know if we are going to say sorry, so you don’t have to!’

How do you explain Divine sovereignty and human responsibility to a 4 year old? Actually I just said that yes he does know who is going to say sorry, but that we still have to say it anyway. That satisfied him. If only it satisfied older would be theologians who prefer to try and deny one truth or other!

What are the most important things in life?

Its the end of a busy week of giving oneself to work. I hope thats the kind of week you have had- its certainly the kind I have! I really do believe that work is important to us, its just not the most important thing in life.

This morning I asked my eldest, Tamasin what is most important in life. We agreed very quickly on a simple set of priorities: God, family, church. Work is definitely a poor 4th

As a veteran bridesmaid (2 weddings and counting, requests for more gratefully received!) she did have weddings as one of them for a while. Preety soon we agreed the wedding was probably one of the most important demonstrations of family. Whilst we all want our friends at our wedding, a wedding is about the coming together of two families to witness a new one being born.

Sadly, this month a few days after our family wedding on 9/11 my uncle died. He wasnt old, and is survived by a wife, three kids and two grandchildren. The family will gather again for the funeral. Somehow it is poignant that my brother and his wife will still be on their honeymoon at the time.

Of course there is rarely such a thing as a secular funeral. The ‘hatch match and dispatch’ interactions with the church are often now limited solely to ‘dispatch’. Sad to think that for many families the only time they go to church is for a funeral. I am glad that our family will come together at church not as strangers but as those for whom church is part of our life. Church becomes family for those who don’t have any and to us it is an extension of our own family. Yes, it comes after my own family, but I am thrilled that even for my seven year old girl we go to a church which makes Sunday her favorite day of the week.

No one ever dies wishing they had spent more time at the office. If the events of the last few weeks have reminded me of anything it is the need to be grateful and keep our worries in perspective. My broken toe now seems so insignificant as it gradually continues to heal.

I am alive, have a great church a great family and am fortunate to still stubbonly believe in God despite what the world around me tells me.

The Definitive Guide to Organize Your Life And Get Rid of Clutter

“The things you own end up owning you.”

-Tyler Durden, Fight Club

Did you know that the average home size in the US has more than doubled in recent years?  According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average  new home was only 983 square feet in 1950 – compared with 2,349 square feet in 2004!  And yet we *still* often have trouble stuffing everything we own into our houses.  With all that extra space, it’s getting harder than ever to organize everything we own as well.  Our culture has embraced bigger is better, more is better.

Recently though, there’s been a backlash.  I’ve noticed more authors talking about simplifying away from the inconsequential many – and getting back to the important few, such as Leo Babauta’s recent book The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. Have you also felt the need to get back to what really matters?  Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the task of organizing – and decluttering – all the stuff you own?

Imagine working in a clean, organized work environment where you can find things easily – and have clear space to get what you need done.  I’ve found that knowing where everything is, and keeping my home and work space free from clutter helps me concentrate better and be more productive.

How To Organize Your Life and Declutter – A Step By Step Guide to Organizing Your Home

Begin With The Goal In Mind.  What do you want to accomplish? Down to 100 things? Use every thing at least once every month? Every six months?  I recommend you start off with the goal of only keeping things you are committed to using this year.  Also set limits on how much seasonal clothing, etc you’re willing to keep.  The easiest way to do this is to see how much storage space you already have (or are willing to have).  Have an overflowing closet? Perhaps commit to only keeping what fits in the closet – or purchase some drawers.   You don’t have to get rid of items – but I recommend having a place to store everything.  Unsurprisingly, if you pick up a copy of my free personal development course, personal development 101, we similarly start by determining what it is you want in life.

Set The Ground Rules. Before you come across an item, decide on the criteria you’ll use to decide whether it stays or goes.  How many “backup” items do you need? What’s the plan – will you donate, or try to sell the excess clutter? I recommend picking a donation area and just taking clutter immediately there.  Too often if we say we’ll try to find a good home for it, the clutter ends up in a no man’s land tucked away in a corner.  We’ll rationalize we’re not “keeping it” – we’re just trying to find someone to give it to.  Life is too short, and there’s more organizing to be done – so just donate it, get the tax write off if you want, and move on.

Pick a Single Point of Focus.  Don’t try to organize your whole house at once: pick a single location.  I like to start with the bathroom.  It’s easy for me to pick out what is going to be used and what isn’t – and (for me) there usually isn’t very much excess to get rid of except for wayward travel supplies and the like.

If It’s Overwhelming, Schedule It In – and Set a Timer.  If you have a few hours and a small amount of organizing, you can try to finish it all at once.   Sometimes though, if it’s a large amount of work, it can overwhelm us. We look at the the scale of the task and think to ourselves “I’ll never be able to do that!” – so we don’t even start. Don’t fall into that trap. As I talked about in my recent article about keeping your dreams alive, even spending just a few minutes a day makes a difference. Schedule a regular decluttering block of time, and then set a timer and perhaps declutter for 15 or 30 minutes.   You’ll be amazed how much you can clear in a short amount of time, and organizing every day will also help make it a habit.

Get Boxes or Garbage Bags.  Don’t just sort the piles into more piles.  Physically take the clutter you are going to donate (or otherwise remove) and place it in garbage bags. I recommend starting with three bags:  trash, donations, and “other room.”  Trash is items you don’t need and can’t be reused,  donations are items that are in working order but that you no longer use.  Sometimes I’ll find something that’s not really clutter – but it doesn’t belong in the room it’s in. If it is fragile you can immediately relocate it to another room, but in general I recommend not breaking your flow – take the excess items and place them in the “other room” bag to be sorted post organizing and decluttering.

Designate an “Out of Place” Area. If you can, designate an area in the room where you can put items you find in the room, that need to stay in the room to be organized.  For example, you might be organizing your office and come across a stack of paperwork. You don’t want that to derail you, so place that in a pile to get to later – hopefully once you’ve cleared some desk space so you CAN deal with it!  I typically reserve a box for this.  As I’m organizing, if I find something that I need to deal with, but is going to take a long time to organize (for relatively little space cleared) I don’t break my flow for it – I just put it in my box and continue on in the section I was working on.

Go In One Direction.  Some people may disagree, but I like to have a very thorough, systematic approach to organizing and declutterring.  So for example, I’ll start by the door and work all along one wall – and that may be all I do for the day. I’ll completely organize everything that’s over there, and if something doesn’t belong there, I relocate it to either my “other room” trash bag, or I move it to my designated area in the room for items to organize.

Finish Up – Clear The Trash and Donation Bags. That’s it – just repeat Steps 3-7 until your timer goes off.  Then deal with the donation and trash bags – and if you want, deal with the items in the “other room”  and “out of place” pile.    Remember, those items were clutter to begin with – so having them in separate boxes and bags for a little while doesn’t hurt.

Once Cleared, Designate as DCZ: DeClutterized Zones.  Once an area has  been cleared, make sure you don’t add clutter to it.   For example, I might clear off a counter in the kitchen one day, and designate that as an area where no mess can be left. Slowly as I keep organizing and decluttering, this zone expands until the whole room is clear and organized.

How To Declutter Individual Items – Common Reasons We Hold On To Stuff

“Stuff has gotten a lot cheaper, but our attitudes toward it haven’t changed correspondingly. We overvalue stuff.”

– Paul Graham

So while you’re decluttering, how can you decide what stays or goes? Here’s some advice on specific objections and reasons you may be holding onto clutter:

I Might Need It. I’ll let you in on a secret – I’ve given away literally hundreds of items that I thought I might need someday. In over ten years of ruthlessly clearing out items, so far the only item I missed was a small toolbox, because I moved and needed a wrench to unscrew a light fixture.  I’ve never missed any of the clothes that were taking up space in my closet, the random kitchen things I never used, or all those books I was holding onto to read “someday.”

It Has Sentimental Value. This is the area I struggle with the most. I have a very difficult time getting rid of sentimental reminders. In the end, if I’m not displaying it, and I’m not using it – I give it away.  Rather than keep lots of items, I try to display sentimental items for a year or (in cases of small items) even a few years. After that, I only hold onto a select few.  People have suggested taking pictures and removing the item once it becomes clutter. This is difficult for me to do, but so far not only have I not missed the items – I rarely even look at the digital pictures of them.

But They’re Pictures – My Memories! I only have a small number of physical photos - but if you have many, consider archiving them digitally, and keeping only select ones in albums or on display.  They’re not doing anyone any good sitting upstairs in the attic or crammed in a corner, hidden away from people.

I’m Going To Fix It.  Before we even talk about whether it’s worth fixing something, consider this:   ask yourself – if it was fixed, would I really need it? Very often the answer is no – something has been broken for months, and you haven’t missed it. You’ve just been weighed down by the commitment you’ve made to yourself to fix it. Let go of the commitment – and let go of your broken items. If you insist you will fix it, give yourself a deadline. Write an exact date and time on a post it note and stick it to the item. Stick to your deadline – and get rid of the items if they aren’t fixed by then.

It Was a Present.  Sometimes we get gifts that don’t have sentimental value – but we just feel guilty getting rid of.  If you are holding onto something because someone gave it to you and you would feel guilty tossing it, realize that it’s not the physical items you are holding on to – but rather the feelings and friendship.  Once you accept that, you can just get rid of it (donation or otherwise) – I’ve never had a friend ask me where their gift went.  If you have a hard time doing that, you could try and find a friend or family member who would enjoy and use the item – but I recommend really accepting that you don’t need the physical gift and just letting it go.  This lesson took me a long time to accept, but I have been much happier since.

These Are Important Documents.  This is a really difficult one for me as well. I personally have tried to move all my important paperwork online, but there are some items that I keep physical backups of. My approach has been to designate a storage area in my bookshelf and purchase a number of 3 ring binders for some of these must-haves. However, I do regularly clear out other paperwork – invitations, Christmas cards, business cards, magazines, etc.  Non “official documents” should be treated like any other clutter, no matter how small it is.

It’s not MY Clutter.  Got a messy roommate, significant other, etc?  That’s a tough situation – and is more in the realm of house politics than dealing with organizing items. The strategy that has always worked for me is I’ve had my own room in shared apartments – and the agreement has been, keep your mess in your room.  Perhaps a similar agreement will work for you.  Another way to compromise is pick a few activities that really bother you – for me, leaving dishes out and not taking out the trash are the worst offenders, so I insist on those while not picking fights with roommates over other less egregious offenses. I don’t mind the newspapers, magazines and books left out.

I’m Holding on to it For Someone.  The first step here is – stop doing that! Your home is not someone else’s storage. As for items already in your home, just contact people and ask them to take the items. Often you’ll find they’ll tell you they no longer want it, or have even forgotten they left it in the first place. If they insist they can’t take it, and you must store it for them – again, that’s an issue that is more interpersonal relations than it is clutter.  I suggest perhaps giving them a reasonable deadline by which to pick it up, or it goes to charity.

A Philosophical Discussion – Why Do You Have Clutter?

“In a sense, clutter is the end result of procrastination”

– Jeff Campbell

As we close, I’d like to give you some thoughts on keeping clutter out of your house – and talk a bit about my mindset and the reasons we collect things in the first place.  Very often, clutter doesn’t come just because we like stuff. We collect things because they represent aspects of our lives – extensions of our personality, physical reminders of places we’ve been, dreams we wish to achieve. For example, I have a guitar,  weight training equipment and my laptop because these are all items that I use in my life and they represent the person I am today.

I recently organized some of my things, and came across some of my old textbooks.  Textbooks (and books in general) are hard for me to get rid of.  They were so expensive to buy in college, and I always thought I would refer to them and use them in my work.  I finally gave them away, but I wondered:  Why was I keeping them?

I think the fundamental reason was this:  it represented some of the possibility in my life.  We all love dreaming of what might be, of things we might use, of experiences we might have with loved ones.  Even those business cards and unread books on the bookshelf – all possibilities, adventures we may one day embark on.

I’d like to suggest to you that clutter loses its value, and its possibilities very quickly over time. If you haven’t used something for a week, you are unlikely to use it next week.  If you haven’t used it in a few months, it’s not likely you’ll use or need it in the months that follow (excepting seasonal items).  And items that we haven’t used in years – what are the chances we’ll actually use them in the coming years?

I suggest clearing out the excess, and organizing the essential that you will regularly use.  Either start using the items regularly – or declutter them.  In doing so, you’ll once again enjoy some of the items that have been sitting gathering dust – and also feel a great weight lifted off your shoulders as you let go of some of the things you no longer use, to make space for new items to come into your life, as you find new dreams, passions and hobbies.

Life's Most Important Thing

Every person has one thing that he is living for. Let's call it a "personal bottom line." For some it is money, for others prestige, for others pursuit of pleasure. Now let's imagine that you're faced with a situation where you are about to lose everything – your job, your house, your car, even your health and your family (God forbid). But ... you are given the choice to hold onto one thing, only one thing. What would it be?

Future Funding

This week we begin the month of Elul. In many respects, this is the most important time of the Jewish year. As the month which immediately precedes the High Holidays, Elul is a crucial period of preparation.

To get started, let's first ask the question: What is Rosh Hashana all about anyway?

Imagine that you are a scientific researcher who is funded through a philanthropic foundation. Each year, you are required to appear before the Board of Directors and present a summation of your achievements during the past year. How much money the board grants you for the coming year will be based on how well you utilized last year's grant – and how solid is your plan for the coming year. Of course, if you've squandered past resources and are unprepared for the future, your chance of receiving additional grant money is slim.

So, too, on Rosh Hashana. Ever since the creation of Adam and Eve, Rosh Hashana has been the day when every human being (so to speak) is created anew. We stand before our Creator and say: "This is how I have utilized my resources, and this is my plan for the future."

Appreciating the Gift

This is indeed serious business. Life is not to be taken for granted. Life is a precious gift from Above. It is delicate and tenuous and can be taken away at any moment.

The story is told of a sculptor who was commissioned to design a bronze statue of a horse for the town square. After many months of work, he produced a sculpture with perfect detail – showing every sinew and hair follicle. It was truly a masterpiece! However, when the statue was proudly placed in the town square, everyone walked by and completely ignored it! The sculptor was very disappointed to find all his hard work going unappreciated. Finally a friend said: "I think the problem is that the horse is so perfect that people think it's real! But if you would make a crack, then people will notice it as a work of art."

The point of this story, explains the Chasan Sofer, is that our lives are full of blessings. Our eyes alone are worth many millions of dollars! But we mustn't take our "funding" for granted!

A person's relationship with God is similar to that of a parent to a child. For example, what happens when a child asks for a cookie? The parent is glad to give one. But if the child would show a lack of appreciation (like refusing to say "thank you," or throwing the food on the floor), do you think the parent will give the child another cookie? No way!

Now imagine that the child takes the cookie, and says something to the effect of: "Thank you so much. This cookie is sweet and fresh and delicious. I really appreciate your efforts to get me this cookie." What will the parent say when the child looks up gingerly and asks for a second cookie? "It's my pleasure!"

This Rosh Hashana, will we be able to stand before God with confidence? Only if we have first done significant soul searching – who we are and where we are headed. Because if we don't have such clarity, then how can we expect God (the Board of Directors) to grant us another year of life?!

Personal Bottom Line

There are a few special customs that Jews perform during Elul, to help awaken us to the task ahead. One is the daily recitation of Psalm 27. There, King David exclaims:

"One thing I ask ... is to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life."

King David tells us a tremendous insight: If I was stripped bare and could only choose one thing, it would be You, God. That's the bottom line. A relationship with God supercedes all else, for He is the source of everything. No if's, and's, or but's.

Coming to this realization is what Elul is all about.

Not long ago I was sitting and learning Torah in a synagogue near my home. This synagogue is located in the basement of a large apartment building. (In Israel, the basement of every building is a bomb shelter.)

So I'm sitting in this bomb-shelter-turned-synagogue, and I'm thinking that if ever (God forbid) there should be a war, this bomb shelter would be a good place to be stranded. There's Torah books, scholarly rabbis and holiness permeating the walls. I could gladly spend weeks here!

Then I recalled a time in my life when I was keeping less mitzvot. I had gone out one evening with some friends to hear music at a local tavern. As we were leaving to go home, we discovered that the winds were howling at 100 kilometers an hour and a meter of snow had just fallen. It was a full-fledged blizzard! The streets were shut down and the entire city had come to a grinding halt. Nobody was going anywhere. We were stranded. Snowbound.

I spent the next 48 hours in the tavern with a group of strangers, and I recall at the time considering myself fortunate to be stranded there and not elsewhere. There was so much to keep us entertained: Video games, a pool table, a superb sound system, etc. How grateful I was not to have been stranded in the dentist's office or a gas station!

So recently, when I imagined being stranded in my synagogue bomb shelter, that snowstorm came to mind. Tavern versus Synagogue. The qualitative difference is astounding. Could there be any question? King David's words rang like a bell: "One thing I ask is to dwell in the house of God..."

Policing the Gates

Another special custom for the month of Elul is to blow the Shofar every morning in the synagogue. The Shofar sound is literally an alarm clock designed to arouse us from our spiritual slumber. The Shofar brings clarity, alertness, and focus.

The reason we lose touch and make mistakes is that we don't take the time every day to reconnect with our deepest desires and essence. Therefore, the solution is obvious: Spend time alone everyday to ask: "Am I on track? Am I focused? Am I pursuing goals which will make the greatest overall difference in my life and in the world?"

This week's Parsha begins:

"You shall appoint judges and police for yourself in all your gates." (Deut. 16:18)

The commentators explain this verse metaphorically: You should set guards at "your gates" – i.e. at the openings of your body. Guard your ears from gossip. Guard you mouth from falsehood. Guard your eyes from straying after frivolity.

Elul is the time to construct a sincere, realistic model of where we've fallen short in the past and how we expect to change in the future. May this be a meaningful time of growth for us all.

In one lifetime, what can be accomplished?

If there were neither barriers nor obstacles from birth until death, what could one person truly do in his or her time on Earth?

Over one person’s lifespan, he could build understanding between countries, generating bonds among millions. Should he choose the healing arts, one soul could cure millions on multiple continents, elevating especially the elderly and the young. One man, or one woman, could raise populations from poverty, or tutor multiple generations to read, enlarging possibilities well beyond his days. In one lifecycle, great inventions will be created, political movements will be forged, wars might be averted, and peacecould take root. One person, one lifetime, with so much possibility…

Yet, what if there was but one decade? In ten short years, what could one person do?

In that period, a parent can raise a child from healthy adolescent to well-adjusted, successful adult; or guide her from a “spark in her daddy’s eye” to a happy buoyant, bouncy, smiling, joyful young girl. In 3,600 days, one being can decide what matters, embark on an educational voyage, advance to premier heights, become recognized for accomplishments, and utilize those skills to develop her life — and those of all she touches. She could construct miraculous vaccines, produce rousing movies, pen prodigious literature, or travel the globe and advance deeper understanding of vastly unalike cultures. Should one person choose, even without education, he could opt to support the unfortunate, instruct the uneducated, or comfort the afflicted. In the next ten rotations about our Sun, history could — and most probably will — be affected by one person many times over.

Should you only have one year, what might be altered?

Between now and this date next time, you could reconnect with far-flung family with whom you have lost touch, bringing back a sense of closeness too easily forgotten. In 365 days, you could learn to play an instrument, acquire a language, donate regularly to a cause, or enhance your relationships. In one brief year, you could help mend your neighborhood, volunteer at a school, understand another culture, read great novels, plant a garden, or lose that extra weight and become more fit. One year, a blink of an eye, is loaded with potential. One person, one year, with so much possibility…

In one month, how could things change?

Before you turn the calendar, you could choose what matters most and devote time each day in its pursuit. Should you fancy, you could learn yoga, kick-boxing, watercolor painting, or cooking. In that time, you could go berry picking, finish painting the house, read several novels, make a movie on your computer, enroll for classes, get caught up on your filing, pay some bills, clean the “junk drawer,” donate 30 hours to the homeless, learn CPR, stack wood, plan the best vacation ever, take daily walks; and still have time left over to hold your wife and call your kids (or vice versa). There is so much that can be done in four short weeks.

In one day, what could be changed?

Before tomorrow rises in the east, you could sit in the sun, call a friend, take a walk, write your congressperson, start a journal, go to the library, wish well every stranger you see, stop putting off a doctor’s appointment, give a few bucks to the guy with the cardboard sign (realizing it could have been you), or leave a happy-face note for your wife.

If you only had “right now,” what would you do?

One person, one moment, with so much possibility…

5 Steps to a More Meaningful Life

Every day as I’m walking holding my baby, without fail, somebody either I know or don’t know, no matter their race, class, or creed says to me “it all goes by so fast.” In my entire life, I have never heard a more consistent message. This message seems to arise again around mid-life when people begin to evaluate what they have done and the outlook on life is no longer how many years have I lived, but is now, how many years do I have left? Then, if we live long enough to where we’re looking back toward the end of life, lying on our deathbeds we again say, “wow, it all went by so fast, savor the moments.” When there is a phrase that is said this ubiquitously, it lets me know that this is a fairly universal experience and it’s time to listen.

Why do we lose sight that life is so temporary? Some might say that we have a fear of death so we block it out of our minds and without the awareness of death we lose sight of the preciousness of life. Others might say we just get caught up in our daily routines and stop seeing or pondering this miracle of life. Whatever the reason, we know it happens and it may take a death or a birth to remind us of the preciousness of life.  Here is a process I created and did a national research study around to help us cultivate more of these meaningful moments.

Object – Find a tangible or intangible object that has deep meaning to you. This could be a family heirloom, a spiritual object, a piece of nature, or even a memory of sometime passed.

Making Meaning – As you choose this object, remind yourself of the meaning it holds for you.

Mindful Check-in – Sit, stand, or lie down and bring your attention to your body and just see if you can be aware of how you’re feeling physically and emotionally in this moment. Then bring your attention to your breath, just noticing how this body breathes itself.

Connecting - Turn your attention to this object and begin to engage your senses with it. Notice how it feels, how it makes you feel, see it with your eyes, hear it if there are sounds. Spending some moments with it.

Thank yourself for taking the time-out of all your daily busy-ness to do this.

Doing a practice like this for 5 minutes a day, may also help you notice moments such as this in your daily life and change your relationship to the moment from a routine moment to a more meaningful moment. Author Stephen Levine said, “”If you had a year to live what would you do, who would you call, what would you say and why are you waiting?” You can also change this to an hour.

As always, please don’t take my word for engaging in this practice, try it out for yourself. Notice any pre-judgments such as “this is silly, this can’t work for me.” Try and set them aside and then re-engage with the practice. See what comes up for you.

Share your comments, stories, and questions below. Your interaction here provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

The most important thing in life

The most important thing in life.

Probably the most significant question we can ask ourselves is what is the most important thing in life. The question has far reaching implications in that the answers (or lack of them) that we arrive at can determine the course of the rest of our lives.

Many would consider money or financial success as the most important factor in life.The high rate of suicide amongst lottery winners would contradict this. Others would search for fame, yet the list of famous people who have committed suicide or died from an overdose of drugs continues to grow.

Good health would be high on anyones priorities, and the presence of love in ones life is also of major importance.

I would propose that wisdom is the most important thing in life.The best definition of wisdom that I have read is “ the best means to achieve the best ends”.Wisdom is needed to achieve the best results in the myriad decisions we all need to make daily in our personal,financial,family,work,community lives.

Each one of us has a unique mindset or set of beliefs which is continuously changing and which we use to make decisions, each of which has significant roll on effect on how the rest of our lives turn out.These mindsets are determined by the unique environments we have grown up in, our age, our education and the cumulative impact that each life experience has had on us.

Our unique mindset is either working in our favour or working against us in each and every situation that we face.One way that we can test how online our thinking is in a particular situation is to look at the results we achieve as a result of the actions we took. Good results means our governing beliefs were online, bad results means that we need to re-evaluate our beliefs to determine what caused the negative outcome.

I would propose that life is very much like a game and that a comparison between the two is very enlightening.In any game, you need to be fit, possess certain skills and have a good knowledge of the rules in order to participate.In life, we need to have a good knowledge of the rules that apply and to use this knowledge continuously in order to assess and make decisions in every situation that we face.The more intensely we play the game of life,the better our knowledge and application of the rules, the better the results we will achieve, much like a football player who is skilled, trains hard and knows the rules.

During the course of our lives we progress from being dependent on our parents for food and shelter and emotional support, to being independent as we become young adults.We learn to make decisions for ourselves, and as we see the results of our decisions we get feedback and the resultant experience adds wisdom to subsequent decisions.

The next stage is to develop relationships with others,or interdependence, and it is through these relationships that significant personal growth can occur.Many of us however have a low sense of self esteem which holds us back in relating to others.

How then do we make significant progress in our lives, as evidenced by personal growth or an increase in wisdom? We look at the results we have and are achieving in our lives.If our results are unsatisfactory, we reassess our beliefs and make adjustments to our actions.Additional important feedback is our emotions (fear, anger,unhappiness,disappointment etc) which acts as warning signs and which leads us to evaluate either our rules or beliefs, or our actions. Our target is to lead a joy-filled, intense yet balanced life, leading to good life results and continually increasing wisdom.

What is Most Important in Life? A Lesson from Tolstoy

There is a story by Leo Tolstoy of a king who had everything he needed, but he had three questions that nagged at him.

What is the right time to do any one thing?

Who are the right people to listen to and work with?

What is the most important thing to do at all times?

He figured that if he knew the answers to these questions, he would be free of any anxiety and never have any issues.

He called upon all his countrymen to a contest to see if anyone had the answers. Hundreds of people came in.

For the first question there were a variety of answers. Some people told him he needed to fill out a calendar and follow it to the tee and then he would know what the right thing to do was. Others had other theories.

For the second question, again, some people listed religious leaders; others said he needed a wise counsel to rely on, while others said the military is who he should surround himself with.

The third answer brought similar responses from science to religion to the military.

Underwhelmed by all these responses, the king dressed in peasant clothing and walked up to visit a wise hermit on top of the mountain, for he may have the answer.

The hermit was busy plowing a garden and the king said, “Excuse me, wise hermit, you do not know me, but I have come to ask you three questions.”

After asking the questions the hermit smiled, patted him on the back, and continued on. The king soon saw that the hermit looked tired and offered to help and began plowing himself. After some time, the king asked the questions again and was interrupted by the sight of a naked man running through the hills with blood spilling from his stomach.

The bleeding man made his way to the hermit and king and the king swept into action and began tearing his own shirt to dress this man’s wound. The hermit and king went to lay the man down to rest in the cave where the hermit stayed and the king’s eyes began to close from exhaustion.

When he awoke he saw the man lying next to him and the man said, “Please forgive me.”

“What have you done that needs forgiveness my son,” said the king.

He continued, “You do not know me, but I was your enemy and after the last war you took my house and killed my brother. I came here for revenge to kill you, and had been waiting for you down the hill for quite some time. But after you didn’t show up, I decided to run out from where I was, but your men found me and gave me this wound. If it wasn’t for you, I would have died out there, so please forgive me and I will be in your debt forever. The king was surprised how easy it was to reconcile with a former enemy and pledged to give the man his house and land back. The man then went on his way.

The hermit came back in the cave and the king once again asked him these three questions to which the hermit replied, “You already know the answer.”

The king gave him a confused look.

 The hermit said, “Don’t you see, if you didn’t take pity on me yesterday and help me plow the garden, you would have been attacked by that man and likely died. So the most important time was with me helping me plow those gardens and I was the most important man to be with and to do this good deed was the most important thing to do at the time. After this, the most important time was dressing the wound of that man, for if you had not done that he would have died and you would have never made peace with him. So he was the most important person to be with and what you did for him was the most important thing to do.

So what can you take away from Tolstoy’s story today? We are all looking for the next best thing or the most important thing to be doing and what we often don’t realize is that maybe what we’re doing RIGHT NOW is actually the most important time and who we’re with is the most important person and what we’re doing in the moment is the most important thing to do.

How does this story apply to your life? Please share your thoughts, stories, and questions below. Your interactions provide a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.