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
learn love
Mary Jane Ryan
Author. Speaker. Professional Thinker.
Mary Jane Ryan is one of the creators of the bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series. She specializes in coaching high-performance entrepreneurs and leadership teams around the world. www.mj-ryan.com
One of the greatest inspirational writers of the 19th century was a man named Henry Drummond. He wrote a best-selling little book called The Greatest Thing In the World. In it, he said, “The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal question for us all is how better can we love.”
Learning and teaching in that schoolroom of love is what inspires me in my personal life and in my work. For me and for many of us, learning to love better begins with the self. Loving ourselves is no small thing. We are each called upon to love ourselves in all our brokenness and beauty, when we stumble as well as when we soar. If we expect perfection from ourselves, we’re rigid, inflexible, judgmental – any mistake is unacceptable, so we push it away and pretend it never happened. We don’t learn from our errors and we are, therefore, condemned to repeat them. If, however, we treat ourselves in a tender, patient manner, as a loving mother would treat her newborn child, it’s possible to acknowledge our mistakes and make wiser choices in the future.
As we cultivate true love for ourselves, we deserve our own mercy. Mercy is an old-fashioned word. You don’t hear it much these days. I love the word mercy because one of its meanings is compassionate treatment of those in distress. When we show ourselves mercy, we cradle our distress, our irritation, and our anger. We hold it close, allow it to touch us and, therefore, transform it. Even if we haven’t lived up to our own standards, we love and care for ourselves anyway – in our woundedness, with our strength. And the more love and mercy we shower on ourselves, the more will flow over onto the rest of the imperfect people who populate this less than perfect world.
The desire to grow in love allows me to listen when I’d rather speak, to serve when I’d rather sleep. It calls me to be my best self more often, and to develop my love in many forms – as a friend, a spouse, a parent, a colleague, a guide.
If life is a schoolroom of love, what are you here to learn? What are you here to teach?
- Mary Jane Ryan
Explore More Meaning
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writer. mom. soul reporter.
Nikki Di Virgilio is a writer, mom, and wife who’s interested in the soul-exploring journey we’re all on. She’s working on a memoir of her search for home. www.nikkisacredspace.com
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mentor. future brightener. serial optimist.
Dan Bassill connects youth to a brighter future. He’s the founder and CEO of Cabrini Connections, a one-on-one tutoring and mentoring program serving students living in Chicago’s public housing. www.cabriniconnections.net
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philosopher. scholar. visionaire.
Dr. Jean Houston, scholar, philosopher, and researcher in human capacities, is one of the foremost visionary thinkers and doers of our time, and one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement. www.jeanhouston.org
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Coach. Leader. Truth Teller.
Pioneering seminar leader and life coach Breck Costin encourages people to realize their personal, career, and spiritual aspirations. His couples-counseling practice, BCC Associates, is based in Los Angeles. www.bccfreedom.com
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author. script consultant. wild imaginer.
Tinker Lindsay is an author, screenwriter, script consultant, and conceptual editor who’s written screenplays for major Hollywood studios and co-written a “mindful mystery” with Gay Hendricks. www.dharmadetective.com
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higher self guide. spiritual integrator. dolphin whisperer.
Matthew Joyce is a spirit guide. He founded Higher Self Guides to remind people that divine spirituality isn’t just for mystics. It’s for you, too. www.higherselfguides.com
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phd candidate. lecturer. flyer.
PhD candidate and lecturer Magdalena Gilewicz is currently training to be a certified transformative coach. She’s also conquering her fear of heights by becoming a helicopter pilot. www.maggiegilewicz.com
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entrepreneur. author. philosophical adventurer.
Mike Dooley, a former PriceWaterhouseCoopers international tax consultant, is an entrepreneur, inspirational author, and founder of a philosophical Internet Adventurer’s Club with more than 350,000 members. www.tut.com
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