Author Archive for Simon

The secret to beautiful, creative and high quality work

Published by Simon July 10th, 2007 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Smear charcoal onto your nose, six year olds on your back and crawl around in muddy stream-water with your clothes on. Pretend to be a crocodile. Use your arms for jaws, make water slides out of muddy banks, let children decorate your body with clay and mud, disappear under the murky water and rise up roaring. Do this every other day.

More Productivity + More Quality
Split your remaining free-time three ways. 1) Socialize with other closet crocodiles by waterfalls, muddy stream banks and campfires. 2) Crawl through local streams on your hands. Be silent. Stalk birds, fish and turtles. Get to know your local flora and fauna. 3) Do your work.

Spend less time at your computer
If you’re limiting the time you spend on your computer you will skip over the tasks you don’t actually need to do and you’ll focus more (and move more quickly) through the tasks you do need to do.

Spend more time with children
Smile, laugh, play! Be energized, be graceful, be silly, be yourself. Be creative, take risks. Time with kids is great because it’s also time in your heart, time in your body, and time in your mind.

When I’m with kids I’m running around, picking things (often children) up, I’m engaging my body. I’m also opening my heart, expressing and receiving love and affection, and being put into states of awe and appreciation.

Do the activities that make you feel alive, in your purpose and happy

Listen to the still, small voice inside you. Trust yourself. Experiment with your time in this life. Do things you haven’t done before. Allow your child-passion to reign free.

Enjoy the company of others who share your passions
Spend time with other people who also enjoy what you do.

Spend time in beautiful places

Express your passion

get more done in less time.

Spend your evenings and parts of your off-days on web design. Spend time by waterfalls with other adults who are also

The quality of your work will increase. Your time will be spent more productively and you’re client relationships will improve.

If you’re happy everything you do will be better.

Apparently I do my best work with grey-stream-clay still caked to my calves, black charcoal marks left on my nose and forehead and a gritty, salty mix of sweat, dirt and dried stream water covering the rest of my body.

dirt beneath my fingertips

Taking Jewish meditation to the screens

Published by Simon May 30th, 2007 in Project News. 1 Comment

With legs crossed and spine erect, I sat; silently witnessing breath, sensations, thoughts and emotions. Or at least that was the goal which I returned myself to again and again as I was swept away by fantasies of leaving the retreat, returning to sleep or walking amongst the oak trees and black raspberries just outside the meditation hall.

Thank G-d I kept myself participating in the final retreat of the two year Elat Chayyim Advanced Meditation Program, gaining insight, discipline, stillness and the planting of an unexpected seed.

Unforeseen sparks

When the final retreat ended several of us spoke of the need for a Jewish meditation website. A year later, just after receiving the Torah on Shavuot, that Jewish meditation website was made public.

The site, AwakenedHeartProject.org, serves experienced Jewish meditators who are trying to keep up their practice, as well as the newbie interested in exploring or beginning Jewish meditation. Visitors can listen to podcast recordings of meditation talks, contemplative chants and practice instructions or read articles about the practice and its relationship to Judaism.

The site’s event calendar also makes it easier than ever to keep up with Jewish meditation retreats and other related programming. And the site offers a comprehensive list of Jewish meditation resources, on the web and in print.

The site will continue to grow and expand. New podcasts are added regularly. The site currently offers contemplative Jewish prayer practice instructions as well as contemplative Jewish chants.

Jewish poet online

Published by Simon May 17th, 2007 in Project News. 0 Comments

RichardChess.com

RichardChess.com features a Jewish poet who’s work ‘invites us to rise and tremble in the presence of the new day and to make of our midnight wrestling and restlessness a psalm.‘ The site features Richard’s books -include his latest, Third Temple, as well as links to all of the author’s other arisings on the web.

Categories