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
great day
Drai
designer. conscious brand manager. wild redhead.
Drai is a priestess, song keeper, mother, wife, and artist. As founder of Wild Redhead Design, she loves to partner with folks who are making a difference. www.myspace.com/wildredheaddesign/blog
Years ago, my dear sister and friend Kelli was diagnosed with cancer. We were all devastated. A three year journey began, one that changed her life, and mine, forever. One day, unexpectedly, things changed. It was like she suddenly knew it was the end. She gave her things away. She laughed. She told her employees how wonderful her experiences with them had been. She quieted. That night, with family and friends by her side, she sighed and announced, “I’ve had a great day!” We tucked her in and began planning for the next day, but out of the clear blue, Kelli died.
“I’ve had a great day!” was the last thing Kelli ever said. That changed my life. Until then, I’d lived a life full of adventure, activity, and success, but also terrible challenges and pains. Life seemed very hard and unfair. Some days, my life felt like an unbearable struggle.
The day Kelli died, I went home and took a giant black marker and wrote on my bedroom wall in great big letters “I’ve had a great day!” I pondered. For weeks, I stared at that statement as I lay in bed, mystified. I couldn’t understand how a dying woman could feel so happy and pleased with such a day, a day when she knew she was leaving the planet, her life cruelly stolen by an unwanted cancerous invader. I couldn’t understand, but I decided she’d given me a gift and it was my duty to unwrap it.
Every day, I made myself write down five things I was grateful for that might constitute a great day. I discovered I mostly had very difficult days, days I had to dig deeply to find five things. To my surprise, I managed to find five things on every kind of day. Often, they were the simplest of things, such as the wonderful smell of my daughter’s hair.
Through that activity, I “got it,” deep in my cells, and everything shifted. I realized that, nested among the messy bits, beauty surrounds me all the time and every day actually IS a great day! Imagine that?! Now, wonder, joy, and delight come to the foreground and I recognize that everything, good and bad, is an integral part of my journey and the making of ME. This life I’ve been given is truly a miracle. I’m grateful and filled and sated. It feels … well, great.
When asked what’s meaningful about my life, I answer: life itself.
Thanks, Kel , you made all the difference in the world!
- Drai
Explore More Meaning
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writer. free mama. weirdness embracer.
Emily Montez is a mama, creator, writer, and the founder of MamaFusion: Merging Mom & Me. She believes in following God with purpose, embracing her own weirdness, and becoming the Foxy Mama she was created to be. www.mamafusion.com
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author. musician. shaman.
Don Jose Ruiz dedicates his life to combining and sharing new insights and ancient Toltec wisdom. He teaches and lectures around the world. www.miguelruiz.com
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enrichment coach. workshop leader. feng shuier.
Anna Cherry is an Enrichment Coach with a background in marketing communications, public relations, and technical writing. She’s also a workshop leader and a qualified feng shui practitioner. www.the9enrichments.com
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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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holistic health counselor. transformational speaker. natural life changer.
Holistic Health Counselor Alisa Vitti specializes in reproductive and hormonal health and helping women connect to and express their feminine energy. She founded the FLO Living Center. www.floliving.com
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university founders. innovators. spiritual pioneers.
Dr. H. Ronald Hulnick and Dr. Mary R. Hulnick are, respectively, President and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Santa Monica. They are pioneers and innovators in the field of Spiritual Psychology. www.universityofsantamonica.edu
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authors. citizens. peacemakers.
Gerda Weissman Klein and Alysa Ullman co-founded Citizenship Counts to promote the importance of multigenerational citizen programs. Alysa is an author and the Executive Director of Citizenship Counts. Gerda is an author, Academy Award winner, Holocaust survivor, and human rights activist. www.citizenshipcounts.org
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playful educator. success redefiner. guy next door.
Philip Maher has travelled to more than 80 countries, working in some of the harshest environments as a communications professional and photographer. He asks one question in his work: How do we get people to care? www.philipmaher.ca
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