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
play
Mark Simmons
author. entrepreneur. playful brit.
Mark Simmons is an author, branding expert, and entrepreneur who believes in the power of ideas to change the world. He founded the social enterprise useless.org. www.useless.org
Being British taught me never to take things too seriously, including myself. Otherwise, how could we Brits cope with our weather, the poor services, and the huge number of people crammed together on such a small island? Oh yes, right, there’s always the pub. We’re known for our pubs, but also for our sense of humor – it’s our coping mechanism for getting through life without going mad.
There’s a spirit of playfulness about most of the Brits I know. We’re quick to find the humor in any situation, however dark or depressing the situation might be. We love to prod and poke at conventions and we rarely accept things at face value. In many cases, this playfulness is a precursor to creativity, and over the years it’s led to innovation in the arts, fashion, music, and more.
Play helps us look at familiar situations in a new light and deal with unexpected problems that are thrown at us. Having too rigid a view of the world leads to inflexible thinking. It makes us do what’s been done before, regardless of changes in circumstances. Then we’re in danger of repeating the same mistakes, unable to break away from the familiar pattern.
While working in creative industries and dealing with some very talented artists and creative thinkers, I’ve learned that an ability to switch perspective, to take another point of view, leads to important creative breakthroughs.
It pays to act like children sometimes – to act your shoe-size, not your age – because children rarely take things for granted. They haven’t learned the rules yet and so are always asking why, which forces us to consider questions we might have otherwise simply left unasked. The only stupid question is the one not asked. When Einstein was a schoolboy arriving home from school, his mother didn’t ask him how well he did on tests, but whether he had asked any good questions.
I rarely profess to know the answers to anything (I often don’t even know where I left my shoes), but I do try to ask questions that point me in the right direction. I believe that the answer to a problem is often buried just beneath the surface and if we only ask the right question it will pop right out and reveal itself. Remaining playful has kept my mind open to new possibilities.
Now, how about a quick drink at the pub?
- Mark Simmons
Explore More Meaning
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photographer. connecter. meditator.
Barbara Gluck is an award-winning photographer. She co-founded The Light Institute of Galisteo, which puts people in touch with their Divine Higher Self and multidimensional levels of consciousness. www.BarbaraGluck.com
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songwriter. artist. full potentialist.
Josh Smith is an author, singer, songwriter, actor, and artist who dedicates his work and life to good causes. His writing is heavily influenced by his belief in the power of voice as a tool for increasing global awareness. www.MusicofJoshSmith.com
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melodic explorer. structured whirlwind. continuous grower.
The musical genius of Tbird Luv is about taking risks and creating beauty. She hopes to inspire all of us to take whatever we find beautiful and stand behind it, support it, and proliferate it. [www.tbirdluvmusic.com]
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organizational consultant. internal change agent. conversation starter.
Brad Rassler is the founder and Chief Catalyst of A Sustainable Way, an organizational development consultancy. www.asustainableway.com
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award-winning journalist. mommy. limit-defying potentialist.
Catt Sadler is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. She founded and is president of the Hollywood chapter of Women Like Us, a foundation started by her mother to enhance the lives of women in need around the globe. www.womenlikeusfoundation.org/hollywood
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writer. coach. social entrepreneur.
Frank Gjata is a writer, coach, and social entrepreneur dedicated to creating fun, unique, and effective tools that guide people toward a joyfully conscious life. www.FrankGjata.com
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actress. singer. sexy environmentalist.
Actress, singer and environmentalist, Izabella Miko, founded The EkoMiko Foundation, a non-profit that takes an innovative and super sexy approach in educating about caring for our environment. www.ekomiko.com
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writer. list maker. self challenger.
Elizabeth Jayne Liu gives herself a weekly challenge every Monday. She fails a lot, but has a great time doing it. www.flourishinprogress.com
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