This week in the Jewish calendar, we read the story of Noah and my son came home from school with a great piece about lessons that we can learn from Noah’s ark.
I’m going to share them with you and give you some of my insights for each one.
Everything we need to know about life, we learned from Noah’s Ark…

 1. Don’t miss the boat.  Sometimes we are so afraid of being left behind that we never take the bold steps that are necessary to take risks and just go for it.  Your “boat” may be very different from somebody else’s “boat” because everybody has their own goals and aspirations – don’t miss your own boat – that would cause you to have regrets later on in life, saying “I wish that I had…”

2. Remember that we are all in the same boat. No matter how bad you think that your life is, everybody has problems.  That doesn’t mean that your problems are not worthy of moaning about, it just means that you are not the only one who is going through this battle.  Others have been there before you and survived – you will too!

3. Plan ahead! It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. Don’t think that things will just work out on their own.  You need to actively participate in creating your own future.

4. Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. And exercise is one of the best ways to burn off stress, anxiety and frustration.  You don’t need to be Olympic standard, you just need to get your body moving.

5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. The number one reason that people don’t achieve their goals is that they listen to other’s negative criticism.  Know this: people will always criticise you if they feel threatened by you – take it as a compliment that you are doing great and they are afraid that you are going to do amazing things that they are too scared to do themselves.

6. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. Well it doesn’t have to be pairs… but find somebody who will be on your side and who will listen to you.  Don’t be afraid to say “help me” or “I am scared” or “I don’t know what to do”

7. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. As we learned from the fable of the story of the hare and the tortoise, the fastest people don’t always win.  You often get further by taking it step by step at a comfortable pace than by rushing into something only to burn out before you reach the end.

8.  When you’re stressed, float a while. Be kind to yourself and take time out to relax while you are stressed instead of pushing yourself harder. You’ll thank yourself later.

9. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Enough said! Don’t ever be intimidated by people who think that they are better than you or who say that they know more than you.  Your way is best for you.

10. No matter how big the storm is, there’s always a rainbow waiting. And you may not see it now, but you will get over this!