author. speaker. motivator.
Affectionately known as "America's #1 Success Coach," Jack Canfield is the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and a leading authority in the areas of self-esteem, achievement motivation, and peak performance. [www.jackcanfield.com]
political powerhouse. media mogul. author.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]
author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
yogi. philanthropist. dynamic teacher.
Krishna Kaur is the founder of YOGA for Youth, a program that takes yoga, meditation, and stimulating discussions on the philosophy of yoga to urban youth. [www.yogaforyouth.org]
producer. philanthropist. tv legend.
Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]
race car driver. activist. carbon free girl.
Leilani Münter is a professional race car driver and an environmental activist who uses her voice in the number one spectator sport in America as a catalyst for change. [www.leilanimunter.com]
Freedom Fighter. Philanthropist. Game Changer.
By going undercover to meet slaves and slaveholders, Kevin Bales exposed modern slavery's penetration into the global economy. He co-founded Free the Slaves, which has helped to liberate thousands of slaves. [www.freetheslaves.net]
mom. big dreamer. lady in red.
Sophie Chiche, lifebyme.com founder and curator, enjoys asking deep questions and living a life of meaning. Today she's launching Shape House, an urban sweat lodge, a place to melt away fears and fat. [www.shapehousela.com]
Writer. Entrepreneur. Daily Lover.
Entrepreneur and writer Mastin Kipp founded TheDailyLove.com, which merges pop culture with inspiration, and co-founded The Love Yourself Company, an apparel company that has started a global self-esteem movement. [www.TheDailyLove.com]
singer. musician. crier.
Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]
archbishop. author. peaceful leader.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is Chairman of The Elders, a group of world leaders who address some of the world's most pressing problems. He works energetically for human-rights and in his ministry. [www.tutu.org]
author. ceo. humanitarian.
Zainab Salbi is the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, a group dedicated to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. [www.womenforwomen.org]
speaker. psychotherapist. life embracer.
Despite his physical challenges, Sean Stephenson has taken a stand for a quality of life that has inspired millions of people around the world. He's a professional speaker, psychotherapist, and author. [www.timetostand.com]
yogi. meditator. teacher.
Kia Miller teaches Yoga at Yoga Works in Los Angeles, leads teacher trainings, and runs retreats and workshops on meditation, chakras, pranayam, and mantras, and other practices. [www.kiamiller.com]
creator. writer. idea geek.
Simon Mainwaring is an ex-Nike/Wieden creative, former Worldwide Creative Director at Motorola/Ogilvy, branding/advertising writer, author/speaker/blogger, Australian, idea geek. [www.simonmainwaring.com]
Strategist. Writer. Life Coach.
Shannon Bindler is a style editor, life coach, and the co-founder of Get Up Girl, an empowerment company that inspires women to shine. [www.getupgirl.com]
Designer. Art Director. Passionate Creator.
Grammy-nominated art director/designer/photographer Mathieu Bitton has designed over 450 CDs and movie posters. He's a renowned collector of and authority on black films and their soundtracks. [www.candytangerine.com]
Agent. Producer. Photography Enthusiast.
Opus Reps founder and agent-producer Jorge Perez travels the world producing photo shoots with great photographers and celebrities. He's also very involved with Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles. www.opusreps.com
out of box
Ayn Carrillo Gailey
author. columnist. creative strategist.
Ayn Carrillo Gailey is a published author and creative strategist who uses words to power ideas, companies, and movements. [www.ayngailey.com]
When I look back on my life, it seems I spent the first half of it trying very hard to be like everybody else or lamenting the fact that I wasn’t like them. In the second half of my life, I became wise enough to reject such notions. I gained confidence, shed peer pressure, and embraced the things that made me different. Suddenly, standing alone outside the smothering cliques felt empowering and I could see that the very things kids made fun of, like my ethnicity, were the things that made me special. It was about more than merely embracing my flatter nose and darker skin. It was about so much more than looks. My non-white, non-majority, multi-cultural heritage shaped the way I think. And the way I think – the way anyone thinks – is what gives us the potential not only to be different or special, but to be extraordinary. It’s a gift. I became proud to use my alternate point of view to stop thinking inside the box and start thinking outside the box. Especially during my college years, I reveled in forming unorthodox, provocative thoughts and stirring things up with my peers and professors.
But something still wasn’t quite right. Thinking and acting outside the box gave new meaning to my life, but the box was still there. By ignoring it, I was still reacting to it. Then it hit me. There was an alternative to thinking either inside the box or outside the box. Maybe there didn’t even have to be a box. At that moment, the box evaporated, along with all the things it represented: my prejudices about myself and others, my dispassionate expectations, and my insecurity.
Ignoring your box is not enough. You must get rid of it. But before you do, pack it with every ounce of anything that has ever weighed you down rather than helped you to soar. Load in old resentments, new frustrations, and especially all those limiting beliefs – not only the limiting beliefs that nag at you, but also the limiting beliefs you lay on those you love. Pack the box with everything but the things that bring your life joy and meaning, then send it on its way. Drop it off at the landfill or vaporize the damn thing … just do whatever it takes to rid it from your life. Throw out the box.
– Ayn Carrillo Gailey
Explore More Meaning
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compassionate producer. loving daughter. wisdom seeker.
Maia Monasterios is an award-winning director, producer, and writer of such projects as PBS History Detectives stories including: Vietnam Diary, Titanic Luxury Liner Picture Frame, Clint Black's Rogue Book and The Beatles Autographs. [http://www.indiegogo.com/Vietnam-Veterans-Forgive-and-Heal]
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coach. inner travel adventurer. tribal truster.
Jesse Gros, a unique outdoor adventure guide, is just as passionate about the inner journey as he is about the outer adventure. [www.insightadventures.com]
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consultant. facilitator. life enhancer.
For two decades, Leslie Harradine, a partner and Managing Director of Exhact GmbH, has traveled the globe to help individuals, teams, and business leaders enhance their personal and professional lives. [www.exhact.com]
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people watcher. public connector. everyday life inhaler.
P. Frank Williams has won Emmy and Image awards. He produces entertaining and inspirational TV, film, and web content, including the BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and a music bio series. [www.prophetfromit.com]
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writer. teacher. former list-maker.
Pat Verducci is a writer and a teacher of screenwriting at UCLA Extension. She's worked as a story consultant for Disney/Pixar, and recently co-produced the documentary Somewhere Between. [www.patverducciscreenwriting.blogspot.com]
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paradigm shifter. motivational pundit. serenity finder.
George Resch loves seeing light bulbs illuminate over people's heads. He uses what he's learned about life to spark paradigm shifts that help people feel better. [www.happyisthenewrich.wordpress.com]
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writer. creator. game maker.
Lynn Zavaro guides others to know themselves and create the life they want. She's a writer, painter, teacher, and the creator of The Game of You. [www.gameofyou.com]
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bridge builder. unity advocate. what-if visionary.
As an advocate for quality, person-centered care across all settings, Joseph DeMattos serves as president and CEO of Maryland's oldest and largest provider association of skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. [www.hfam.org]
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