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
learning
Mary Anne Radmacher
author. artist. gifter.
Author Mary Anne Radmacher has been writing to make sense of life since she was a child. She’s written in the gift industry for 30 years and her licensed work is distributed around the world. www.maryanneradmacher.net
I was still a tot when I asked my mother the first question she couldn’t answer. She sent me to the library, where I discovered the wonder of independent study and learning.
Years afterwards, when the president of a regional university asked me to articulate what I felt about education, I wrote, “The key to a vital life is an eagerness to learn and a willingness to change.”
Learning is meaningful to me.
Learning ways to do a thing. Learning how not to do a thing.
Learning by observation. Learning by overlay (if it worked on this maybe it will work on that).
Learning by experimentation. Learning by doing. Learning by throwing things into the air and watching where and how they land.
Learning by reading. And reading. And reading.
Learning by watching and listening to others. Strangers. Friends. Neighbors. News. Celebrity. Flowers in the field. Birds in the sky. Voices speaking of long-held cultural knowledge.
Learning by asking: Who? How? When? Why? Why Not?
Learning by sitting still and watching what happens when I do nothing.
Learning by prayer. Praying through paint, poetry, prose, and poses. Learning all the names for holy that I hear.
Learning that I’m my own best source of knowing and learning: I can recognize a void and learn to fill it. I can see abundance and learn how to share it.
Learning by opening my heart and my journal at the same time and seeing what my hand, while holding a pen, wants to teach me.
Learning is representative of the most dynamic elements of my life. When I’m learning, I’m least resistant to change and most open to the “impossible.”
When I’m learning, I’m less caught up in “everything I know” and “doing things right.”
I’ve learned to use the word “yet” as often as possible. As in, “I don’t know how to do that yet.”
Learning is full of wonder, possibility, and opportunity. When I learn something of specific use, I share it with people who might benefit or who have expressed interest. That keeps the learning cycle rolling.
Every day, I intend to know more at the end of the day than when it began. Any failed expectations in a day are balanced by learning.
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Explore More Meaning
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yoga instructor. entrepreneur. latte-lovin’ montana cowgirl.
Margaret Burns Vap is a yoga teacher and entrepreneur in Bozeman, Montana. She’s a former city-girl fashionista transformed by yoga and motherhood into an outdoorsy Montana cowgirl who still loves a latte. www.cowgirlyoga.com
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Writer. Former Political Aide. Identifier.
Roger Wolfson is a television and film writer who’s written for four different hit TV series. A former political aide, he was staff to Senators Lieberman, Kerry, Wellstone, and Kennedy. www.rogerwolfson.com
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spiritual experimenter. youthful heart. vet elevator.
Maryle Malloy is a conscious business leader, consultant, trainer, and motivational speaker who currently works to provide veterinarians with management techniques and marketing tools that support personal and organizational change. www.dvm-marketplace.com
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entrepreneur. visionary. media man.
As a serial entrepreneur and Internet visionary, Richard Rosenblatt co-founded Demand Media and is redefining the next generation of new media companies. www.demandmedia.com
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author. teacher. expressionist.
Author, coach, counselor, teacher, and workshop facilitator for Café Gratitude and Challenge Day, Erin Ross has inspired and empowered thousands to take positive action toward living their lives fully expressed. www.getthatyoumatter.com
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comedian. life by me’er. spaghetti rock star.
Mikey Scott, lifebyme’s resident funny man, knows his bio today is different from yesterday’s and will change by tomorrow. That’s what makes life so fun. www.mikeyscott.com
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non-profit philanthropist. delight seeker. curious cat.
Judi Goldfader is a philanthropy consultant, non-profit strategist, and development advisor with 30 years of professional commitment to social change and social justice. www.goldfader.com
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brand innovator. author. thinktopian.
Founder and CEO of THINKTOPIA, Patrick Hanlon is acknowledged as one of the top brand innovation practitioners in the world. www.thinktopia.com
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Today's Poll
What do you do to expand your consciousness?
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