
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]

Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

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]

Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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
purpose

I have the ability to see meaning in life’s challenges. The more I’m able to yield to the tough stuff in life and know it has purpose, the easier it becomes to accept and manage my way through it.
When I was 4 months old, my mom wrote me a letter to describe her experience of my birth. I was born with VACTERL Association, a condition that required ten surgeries before I was two and resulted in lifelong chronic disease. Mom ended the letter by saying, “Danea, I will never understand fully why you chose to come to this life in this manner. I am very hopeful that someday you will tell me more about it. I know that I will never stop being thankful for the time I have had with you and for your choosing to come to us.” Her letter assigned purpose to my challenges and showed me that I could be grateful in spite of difficulties. I learned that I was not cursed, burdened, or unlucky – just on a journey that had the potential to become a catalyst for growth.
At age 24, I learned that kidney disease would prevent me from carrying a pregnancy successfully. The health challenges I’d had before were inconveniences, but they’d never prevented me from doing anything. I had to come back to my foundation of knowing that there is meaning behind life’s challenges. That allowed me to grieve and accept the loss of my fertility, out of which a deep passion for adoption grew.
Occasionally, I’ve been known to worry. I try to pretend then that I have a magic wand that allows me to control my life. If I figure out this or prepare for that, I get to choose my life’s outcomes. I return to the present moment and remind myself of what’s true now, not what I fear will be true in the future.
People try to control every detail of life to prevent pain. This keeps us from leading meaningful lives. You, as the narrator of your life, get to determine the purpose behind what got you to where you are and what you’re going to do with it. Write your story with meaning.
A new frontier I’m trying to reach inside myself is learning to trust that life is a moment-by-moment practice of remembering that I am right where I should be.
– Danea Horn
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