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
one love
Marc Gafni
public intellectual. social activist. provocative spiritual artist.
Center for World Spirituality co-founder Marc Gafni is a gentle and provocative spiritual artist and teacher, public intellectual, bestselling author, television personality, social activist and lover of people. www.ievolve.org
What’s exciting and compelling for me right now is participating in the reconstruction of meaning in a global context. The ancients used to say you can’t understand anything until you understand everything. “Understanding everything” doesn’t mean there’s not uncertainty – it means living in a context of meaning, even when there is uncertainty. Uncertainty is a place we can dance in.
Our beliefs matter. My world view matters. Your world view matters. These particular gorgeous, unique views, these gifts, give us the experience of being needed by the cosmos. When we connect with that, we connect with the spirit inside, with the whole. That sense of spirit liberates and unites us.
If a connection with spirit liberates me from a constricted sense of self into a larger self, a unique expression of God having an experience of being Marc, what can I do on a day when it doesn’t feel like God is having a Marc experience, but Marc is just having a bad day?
On such days, I do a series of practices, starting with first-person practice. I spend quiet time inside – through meditation, prayer, or in nature – opening to the vast interior of the infinite cosmos that lives in me. Somehow, I reach inside beyond myself.
In second-person practice, I ask who in the world needs my hand? There’s always someone who needs me, even if I only reach out and say hello. In reaching out, I’m strengthened and raised up. My consciousness expands beyond the grasping of my small self.
In third-person practice, I study the big picture. I practice making sense of patterns that connect. There’s uncertainty, but there’s also a lot I know. I know there’s meaning. I know love matters. I know transformation is a genuine possibility. I practice reclaiming that larger context of meaning.
The context of the world is hugely different than it was a hundred years ago. We used to have individual problems, or live in nations with their own problems. Today, what happens all over the world affects the whole world. Our response to that shift needs to be global. We’ve got to be one world, with one love. A way to begin is by articulating a world spirituality that includes, integrates, and transcends traditions, building on them to support our shared memory of the future.
As we do this, as we reweave ourselves into the great story, it helps to remember that the most meaningful moment is this one, but the next most meaningful moment is the next one.
- Marc Gafni
Explore More Meaning
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mom. idea activista. no-bullsh**er.
Sophie Chiche, lifebyme.com founder and curator, enjoys asking game-changers deep questions, wallpapering her stairway, dancing with her staff, reading The Little Prince, and ... oh, you know … living a life of meaning. www.lifebyme.com
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children’s author. conscious parent. blue sky thinker.
Nick Kettles’ twin passions – storytelling and the quest for self-realization – have guided his career as a writer, spiritual teacher, coach, and, more recently, his experiences as a parent. www.blueskyofhappiness.com
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Life Coach. Authentic Relationship Builder.
Alexis Shepperd, Ph.D., is a life coach and co-founder of the Authentic Woman Experience, dedicated to passionate romantic relationships, sisterhood, and every woman’s birthright to adore her life. www.authenticwomanexperience.com
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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
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character enthusiast. rollerblader. applause inducer.
Hayley Holmes has turned her love for entertaining into a dream come true in Hollywood. She’s a small-town girl who looks for new adventures every day and is enjoying the ride. www.hayleyholmes.com
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master storyteller. mythology scholar. mosaicist.
Michael Meade is a master storyteller, a scholar of mythology, and an author. He founded the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a network of artists, teachers, and activists fostering community. www.mosaicvoices.org
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adventurer. guide. life-lover.
Jen Whalen is an enthusiastic life-lover, guide, and the founder of True North Adventures – a soul-centered business with an experiential approach to fully engaging in the adventure of life. www.seektruenorth.com
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big picturer. former linebacker. current give-backer.
Ryan Nece’s community influence has lasted long after he finished his career as an National Football League player. He created The Ryan Nece Foundation, which provides physical, financial, and spiritual assistance to those in need. www.ryannece.com
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