Posts by Asher Gottesman

This week, I ask all of you to help me find clarity on an important question, something that has long impacted my life and is causing me to pause and reflect more than ever. What is the threshold of self-sacrifice? It is incredibly important to give back to one’s community. To help those in need.…

The opportunity for connection and purpose is all around; important moments happen every day. It’s just not every day that we notice them. Last week I did. I go to Israel every year to visit my father’s gravesite on the day he passed. During this trip, I visited a drop-in community center, called Zulu, for…

Most of us wait until our mortality is imminent to challenge our beliefs. To make the hard changes. To disregard our material wants for that which fulfills our basic needs. I had the honor of officiating the funeral of a truly remarkable woman this week. In guiding the crowd to reflect on her life, I…

For me, clarity is equal to peace. Peace of mind. When the heart and soul cease their worrying. Though, to arrive at a place of clarity requires intention and action. This week, I was reminded that while I can have faith in my belief that the universe will grant me what I need and that…

How often do we say this to ourselves: if only “this” then “that”. If only I was richer, smarter, prettier, etc, then my life would be so much easier, better, happier, etc. Too often I think that if I only had more [insert x], then I wouldn’t struggle with my greatest ills – addiction, depression,…

Difficult conversations. We avoid them like the plague. Rarely does the avoidance approach ever serve us well. So how can we turn difficult conversations into an opportunity rather than a burden? Current trends in politics, business, religion, etc would have us believe that we must subscribe to one truth and one truth only – our…

Acceptance. If you’ve ever given or received it, you likely understand the power of this seemingly simple act. Acceptance is one of the most powerful expressions of love. I recently had a candid conversation with a longtime friend of mine. He is an Orthodox Jew and has eight children. A mutual friend asked him how…

Life boils down to a series of decisions. Decisions that, in both major and minor ways, drive the end result. While we do our best to control each one, we can not always predict their impact. Last night, my daughter got engaged (yes, I’m far too young to have a married daughter but here we…

I write a gratitude list each morning to recognize all the positive in my life. It is the first act of my day; a foundational part of my practice to live well. One of the items on my list is that I’m grateful for the struggles and obstacles as they have inspired me to grow…

I had a huge breakthrough this week and it happened in a seemingly subtle way. For much of my life, I’ve struggled with people-pleasing. The incessant need to be liked has led to dishonesty, over-promising, denial of my feelings and often, resentment of others. After years of focus, reflection, and the guidance of others, I’ve…