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
realize
Ben LaBrot
floating doctor. kindness promoter. life grasper.
Dr. Benjamin LaBrot from California, USA is the founder and director of the non-profit Floating Doctors medical relief team. [www.floatingdoctors.com]
As I get older, I find the things that give me most meaning get simpler and simpler. Just knowing that I was loving and kind today — the only thing in the world I have any real control over — is more fulfilling than anything else I’ve tried. Though it’s an impossible ideal to achieve all the time, I get the most satisfaction from aiming in that direction.
While growing up, I watched my dad make house calls across Los Angeles. I accompanied him to his patient’s homes and got to know them as friends whose health was important to us personally. I didn’t realize until much later that this kind of dedication was not normal among physicians. When I entered medicine and frequently noticed its absence, I saw how much influence over a patient’s health is lost when the commitment to basic human kindness is forgotten.
The moment I set foot in any hospital, I’m likely to meet any number of people who would take my place and all my problems (that seem so large to me at the time) in a heartbeat. In medicine, I’m reminded everyday what real problems are. This helps give me perspective. I try to remember that I’m not being kind just for others, but for myself — for it is in serving others that we make ourselves free.
When we’re young, we’re told that basic kindness is one of the most important things in life, but we really don’t understand just how meaningful it can be until we’ve been on the receiving end of kindnesses during a time when the lightest touch could wither or heal us forever. Gradually as we give or receive it, we have the opportunity to learn the value of service to others.
The ‘secret’ to a meaningful life is not necessarily in the grandiose plan or the world-shaking invention. It is in the small things. Meaningful life happens in the moments between the big happenings.
All of life is a series of leaps of faith into the unknowable future. It’s always easier to stay with what we know or expect…but the path to making our dreams real usually lies through undiscovered country for which there is no map. We have one chance in life, just one opportunity to live. In geriatrics, I’ve never heard a patient say, “I wish I’d taken fewer risks.”
– Ben LaBrot
Explore More Meaning
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life coach. radio show host. truthteller.
Life coach Laurie Gerber, President of Handel Group Life Coaching, is passionate about personal development. She leads large groups, blogs regularly, and hosts a radio show. [www.handelgroup.com]
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avid creator. free time scheduler. man of action.
Richard Arthur is a Navy commander, filmmaker, and self-described "opinionated bastard." He has worked on NCIS, Commander in Chief, Hawaii Five-O, several features and he has just returned from a humanitarian mission to Southeast Asia aboard the hospital ship, MERCY. [www.ricarthur.com]
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educator. director of funding + outreach. life changer.
Laurie Grossman co-founded Mindful Schools, a public/private partnership program (one of the largest in the country), sponsored by Park Day School in Oakland, California. [www.mindfulschools.org]
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Over the past seven years, this service project has taught the basics of Spiritual Psychology to over 1,400 inmates at the Valley State Prison for Women.
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devout writer. outdoor meditator. lover of life.
As an adopted person, Susan Chapman believes anyone can be her family. She explores and communicates this dynamic philosophy through her personal relationships and her work as a writer and Primordial Sound Meditation instructor. [www.themagicproject.com]
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surfer. survivor. patience practicer.
After a life changing accident left him a quadriplegic, Jesse Billauer founded the non-profit foundation Life Rolls On. Jesse's passion is to inspire people to look at their lives in a more thoughtful and thankful way. [www.jessebillauer.com]
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doodler. filmmaker. globetrotter.
Gabi Ury, an eighth grader at the Alexander Dawson School, lives in Colorado. She's a world traveler with passports from three countries. She loves dogs and other animals.
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pop star. mentor embracer. dream pursuer.
After surviving in L.A. doing everything from being a celebrity personal assistant to dancing on a box for tips, recording artist Ben Roman is also the Special Events Manager of the world-famous Magic Castle. [www.benromanonline.com]
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