
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

What if the thing that lights you up when you talk about it (yes! THAT thing!), is actually the reason you are here? What if the pursuit of your deepest desires is the essential purpose of your life?
Most of us learned as young children to disregard the messages of our in-born internal compass, in favor of the path the well-intentioned elders insisted would be safer for us. Considering this fact in light of the current state of the planet, I see a direct correlation. Getting clear about our life purpose is actually a moral imperative.
Testing this theory with my clients, I found that when encouraged to explore our deepest desires for fulfillment, it always comes back to contribution. Of course, there are exceptions, but the argument that following the inner guidance of our deeply held desires means neglecting our responsibilities or depriving others, simply doesn’t hold up. In fact, the opposite is true.
At the end of my 49th year, having accomplished what I thought I was supposed to: marriage, family, children, and a successful career, I began asking questions like, “What else?” “What matters?” “What is significant?”
This led me to my work as a life coach to serve as midwife to the dreams and aspirations of my clients. So on my 50th birthday I packed only what fit in two suitcases and bought a one-way ticket to Central America to explore other cultures and other ways of living and to test my theory: living the life of my dreams and serving as an example of what is possible is the very reason I am here.
What is your essential purpose? It is vital to the rest of us that you discover and pursue it. What do you secretly dream of doing with your life? What if you were assured that you were meant to do it? How important would it be then to pursue? What assumptions do you make about why it’s not possible now? What if those assumptions are false? What is possible for your life then?
Here’s the tricky part: stay out of the HOW. Any focus on “how is this going to work?” at this early stage, will derail you. Once you are clear on why you are here, the next steps become apparent. But it is essential to start with the dream.
– Deborah Barron
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