In Meaningful Work, A Quest to do Great Business, Find Your Calling and Feed Your Soul, entrepreneur Shawn Askinosie tells us how he left a soul-killing job as a lawyer and found his true calling, starting Askinosie Chocolate. No ordinary chocolatier, the company sources 100% of its cocoa beans directly from farmers around the globe. (I sampled a bar of chocolate sourced from Tanzania and it was heavenly.) While Shawn offers valuable lessons in starting a Fair Trade business, and… Read more
My wise 86-year old friend passed away. Here are his final words
June 7, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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This month marks the two-year anniversary of the passing of my friend John Gray, and two years since this story was first published. I am rerunning this column again because I believe his wise words, and his unique take on life, are worth repeating. I first met John Gray in early-2014. He was a reader of this column and we began a regular exchange of ideas via e-mail. I soon found myself collecting some of his choicest sayings and, to his… Read more
Where are You in the 7 Stages of Life?
May 31, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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When we look at our lives, we often tend to view them as broken into 3 distinct phases: School, Work and Retirement. But these days, when our jobs have become more fluid, when the delineation line between work and retirement is often hazy, these terms seem to come up short. That’s why when I saw the following list in Thomas Moore’s recent book Ageless Soul, I thought, finally—here’s a guide that more accurately describes the phases of life as it… Read more
A 4-step guide to the prayer that’s “better than meditation”
May 24, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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It’s called centering prayer and it’s a method of prayer that comes out of an ancient Christian contemplative tradition. It dates all the way back to a 14th century text titled The Prayer of Unknowing. And for over 500 years, it fell out of favor with the Roman Catholic church, until it resurfaced thanks to one Father Thomas Keating. In the 1970s, Keating (still alive and praying at age 95) saw that the church was losing vast amounts of young members… Read more
The Royal Wedding Sermon: The Power of Love (Abridged)
May 20, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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Whether or not you watched the Royal Wedding, you may have heard about the powerful sermon delivered by the Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the African-American head of the Episcopal Church. In an impassioned homily, Curry reminded us that there is no more powerful force than love—because, put simply, God is love. While Curry’s sermon received wide praise, a few naysayers complained it went on for too long. I would beg to differ, but if you’re of that ilk, or if… Read more
People will remember how you made them feel
May 16, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel. ~Maya Angelou I start most mornings with some spirituality-based reading and over the past several years this has included the works of the late-John Templeton. Better known for the investment fund that bears his name, after his retirement Templeton wrote several philosophy and religion books overflowing with spiritual wisdom. What’s compelling about Templeton’s work is that his spiritual… Read more
The Case Against Gurus
May 9, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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Why do you need a guru? If you fall down, then pick yourself up and continue to walk. ~Krishnamurti I first published a version of this story titled “Guru? You Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Guru.” in early-2013 while writing for Elephant Journal. Recently, a reader at that publication stumbled upon the original piece and wrote a long opposition piece that he shared with me, as he has a guru who has done wonders for him. It was well written—but it… Read more
The cure for loneliness. (It’s not what you think)
May 1, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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You might think the cure for loneliness is a simple one: just get out of the house and spend time with other people. But there’s a contrary point-of-view, and it comes from the man who may know more about our collective inner world than anyone around today: Thomas Moore. Moore has made his name by writing over a dozen books that deal with the deepest, most complex part of our selves, the soul. In his most recent book, Ageless Soul,… Read more
7 nuggets of wisdom from one of the last Renaissance men
April 25, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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Professional photographer. Museum curator. Author. Composer and musician. College professor. Brian H. Peterson may be one of the last creative Renaissance men, a person seen as having vast talents and knowledge or, as the Urban Dictionary defines it, “a man who does everything, and does it well.” In his new book I Give My Eyes, Stories + Conversations + Dreams, Peterson has brought together a sprawling compendium of art, essays, photography, conversations, letters, and even a sermon or two, that… Read more
Napoleon Hill on why you should spend less time at work
April 18, 2018 By Tom Rapsas
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Do you like your job? If you’re like me, this question gives you pause to think. Because as much as you may enjoy what you do, for most of us work is ultimately a means to an end—the end being the weekly or biweekly deposit that appears in our checking account. Given the choice, you’d probably prefer to spend your time in more leisurely or rewarding pursuits. But since most of us don’t have the option of devoting our lives… Read more
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