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. TED-talker. no-bullsh**er.
Sophie Chiche, founder of lifebyme.com, is the single mom of an amazing 16-year-old, Leah, and wicked step-mom of 22-year-old, Sarah. They all live in LA. You can find them boxing, cooking, collaging, hosting brunches, laughing their head off or bickering over who’s washing and who’s drying the dishes.
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
reinvention
Darrell W. Gurney
Coach. Strategist. Career Changer.
Darrell W. Gurney has served as a career strategist to individuals for over 20 years, with a driving commitment to everyone’s purposeful Back Forty. www.thebackforty.com
My personal quest – what motivates me to keep moving forward – is fuller and greater degrees of self-expression. Perhaps self-expression wasn’t encouraged enough while I was a kid and that put me onto this path. Even so, I have no complaints. We’re all born into this world having chosen (at some level) certain cultural and familial influences that mold us: our parents, our location, our culture, our income strata, etc. Rather than view our upbringing and life experiences as random, I see them as part of our grand “research project.” In other words, we chose our experiences so that we could accumulate enough data to form particular conclusions about the unique individuals that we are – who we came here to BE.
My own childhood self-esteem issues directed my life onto certain paths. Not unlike many people, I grew up with the message that I wasn’t good enough. So I went out into the world to try to prove my worthiness in order to fill that hole … and ended up pursuing personal development and spirituality. I’ve applied what I’ve learned to the field of career development, for both myself and others.
We all have the choice of viewing ourselves in our past and/or current challenges as either 1) the victim of something outside of ourselves, or 2) responsible and causal in the matter. A layoff or breakup, being born on the “wrong side of the tracks”… there’s no end to what we could fall victim to. However, only by taking personal responsibility do we have any possibility of powering up for experiential upleveling. Rather than starting our reason-stories with “Because…,” a fuller life story starts with “Be CAUSE.” When we can choose what we have (at some level) already chosen, when we can find a way to own it and what it gave/taught us, then the fulfillment of our personal divine destiny can begin. We become vested authorities and have a say about where life goes from here.
Whether regarding the directions of my work life, my evolving relationship with my son, my expansion as a messenger, or my capacity to give and receive love in my life – the possibility of ever-evolving reinvention of myself is what keeps my juices flowing.
What if the first half of our lives was R & D – research and development – so we could learn and grow to become the purposefully directed fulfillments of our promise in the second half? That certainly gives us something to live for.
- Darrell Gurney
Explore More Meaning
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groupon sales gal. brand ambassador. shaper.
Renee Woodruff is a Groupon Sales Gal, a blogger for a magazine, a LOFT Girl Brand Ambassador, and a CrossFitter, yogi, food lover, and travel enthusiast. www.shape.com/blogs/girl-go
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author. speaker. productivity guru.
David Allen is a consultant, international lecturer, bestselling author, and the founder of the David Allen Company. www.davidco.com
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interactive marketer. pr strategist. awareness harnesser.
Interactive marketing and online PR strategist Jennifer Sall works with companies of all sizes to leverage the immediacy of the Web to build brand awareness and revenue. www.unionxunion.com
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web advisor. experience shaper. digital telepath.
Chuck Longanecker founded Digital Telepathy, which builds products that make the web easier to use. He’s advised web entrepreneurs and companies like Hard Rock, Mozilla, and MySpace. www.dtelepathy.com
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unbinder. love giver. greek goddess.
Inspiring teacher and published author Agapi Stassinpoulos conducts seminars worldwide for men and women, empowering them to recognize their individual gifts and create the lives they want. www.unbindingtheheart.com
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writer. explorer. risk-taker.
Eric Hiss navigates the world in search of unexpected, entertaining, off-the-beaten-path stories. He’s written about everything from spas to pop bands. Eric also co-founded wandermelon.com. www.wandermelon.com
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philosopher. scholar. visionaire.
Dr. Jean Houston, scholar, philosopher, and researcher in human capacities, is one of the foremost visionary thinkers and doers of our time, and one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement. www.jeanhouston.org
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musician. songwriter. joy sharer.
Singer and songwriter Jason Mraz uses his voice to raise our spirits and his fame to raise awareness for charities, including the Free the Slaves organization. www.JasonMraz.com
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Today's Poll
What do you do to expand your consciousness?
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