Wake Up Call - Page 4 of 26 - Insights & Musings to Stir Your Soul

The 10 Keys to Happier Aging

November 17, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

A few days ago, I wrote about some of the major themes in Ageless Soul, Thomas Moore’s wonderful new book on how to age with meaning and purpose. Now, I’d like to take a look at what this means in practical terms, and highlight the pursuits and activities that separate aging from simply growing old. Moore points out that for those of us who have had a long career, our priorities may have been focused on things like meeting/exceeding the… Read more

Are you just growing old—or are you aging with purpose?

November 13, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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Are you becoming more and more aware of your advancing age? Do you wonder if you’re making the most of your life—or fear that the best years of your life may be behind you? If you can relate to these questions, then Thomas Moore’s new book Ageless Soul is required reading. As you may know, Moore has written for decades on various facets of the soul and has now turned his attention to how aging impacts this deepest part of… Read more

The Surrender Experiment: Saying “Yes” to Everything in Life.

November 5, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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I first published this story a little over two years ago—but it has stayed with me and I am again contemplating this unique approach to life. It’s based on a simple premise: “What if you trusted the flow of life enough that you said ‘yes’ to everything that life brings you.” What would happen if you totally and completely let go? What if you stopped making decisions and began saying yes to whatever came your way? Would life unfold the… Read more

Seven Tips for Getting Centered & Being Fully Present.

November 1, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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I just wrote about the importance of being fully present in your life and tuned in to each moment of each day. But I realize that for those of us with kids, a stressful job or even an easily distracted mind, that may be easier said than done. The good news: there are a few easy ways to calm your mind and stay centered and present throughout the day. The key, like anything else you want to be good at… Read more

Are you giving life your full attention? Or cheating it?

October 25, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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Do you live your life preoccupied? Are you constantly distracted by a life that’s too busy, too full of activities? Or are you fully present, a participant in each moment of each day? I was listening to a podcast the other day and Ariana Huffington was talking about the crazy life she once led as a business executive. She was heading up one of the fastest growing media companies in the world and by most societal measures she was wildly… Read more

Is Your Inner Critic Holding You Back?

October 18, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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What keeps you from doing the things you want to do in life? Are you penned in by the expectations of others? Or is it your own doubting self that keeps you from fully expressing who you are and what you were meant to do in this life? Seth Godin tells us that the culprit is often within us and labels it our inner critic, a voice inside us that “comes from the shadows.” We’re not talking about the voice… Read more

Five Ways to Stay Spiritually Vibrant After Age 50.

October 11, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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Here in the US, once you hit the age of 50, you begin receiving mailings inviting you to join an organization called the AARP. Otherwise known as the American Association of Retired Persons. I was reminded of this the other day by Connie Bowman, as well as the initial negative reaction most of us have to these mailings. We toss them immediately in the trash—but every few weeks they keep on coming, constant reminders that we are no longer as… Read more

Finding God in Las Vegas.

October 4, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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I first wrote a version of this story after 9/11, rewrote it after the Newtown shootings, and again after the Boston Marathon bombing. With heavy heart, I write it again in response to the Las Vegas massacre. It is my attempt to make sense of an event that makes no sense, to try and reconcile what this horror means in a spiritual context. Everyone is looking for the motivation of the gunman, the reason this happened. At this writing,… Read more

Did God stop talking? Or did we stop listening?

September 27, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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From the story of Moses to passages found in the gospels of John and Luke, the Bible is ripe with stories of those hearing the voice of God. Yet today, most of us would be suspicious of anyone who claimed God had talked to them. We might believe they were lying, maybe even nuts. Which got me thinking: Does God still talk to us? If yes, how do we hear God’s voice? Now if you’re like me, you have felt… Read more

“Why are you here?” Oprah and Paulo Coelho have an answer.

September 20, 2017 By Tom Rapsas

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There’s a new podcast out called “Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations,” that recently released a conversation between two of the leading spirituality figures of our time: Oprah, the famous inspirational talk-show host, and Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, the biggest selling spirituality book since, well, I don’t know when. Over the course of an hour discussion, Oprah asks Coelho about some of the spiritual principles and passages found in The Alchemist, and then often adds her own interpretation. Their thoughts… Read more