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. big dreamer. lady in red.
Sophie Chiche, lifebyme.com founder and curator, enjoys asking deep questions and living a life of meaning. Today she's launching Shape House, an urban sweat lodge, a place to melt away fears and fat. [www.shapehousela.com]
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
consciousness
Nova Spivack
digital guru. buddhist. wonder seeker.
Nova Spivack is a technology futurist, serial Internet entrepreneur, and one of the leading voices on the next generation of searching, social media, and the Web. [www.novaspivack.com]
All things come from something – except for consciousness. Of all possible things in the universe, it’s the only thing with this particular quality. Consciousness is divine. It’s a mystery, but it doesn’t unravel, we don’t solve it, and there are no answers. It will always remain a mystery, but it’s a mystery we know because we are the mystery. That’s the beauty of it. The significance of life is much vaster, more amazing, and more mysterious than we normally think.
Most people are sleepwalking, unconsciously dreaming through life. We have somewhere between 50 and 100 years on Earth and, strangely, most people will not stop even for a minute to really explore the question of consciousness. If they did, they could get to a deep realization very quickly. Through careful observation, we can separate essence from all the things that obscure it. This is a skill that can be learned in various ways. The Buddha taught many different paths to enlightenment because he observed that different people had different tendencies, minds, and histories.
When we begin to understand and realize consciousness, its qualities start to reveal themselves. The nature of the mind becomes alive and awake. The illusion of self loses some of its whole and has less influence over how we act. We become less anxious about ego-related problems. We display more humility and gain a deeper appreciation for ourselves and others. A second layer of consciousness starts to unfold and we become better people. From this comes the compassion and kindness to do good things, help others, and try to make the world better.
We still live here in the challenges and conditions of this world, but when we realize the path, there’s a little voice inside that won’t let us give up. It’s like a flame has been lit. That flame was always there, it can never go out, but now we’re seeing it. We have a new level of faith. Even in the worst situations, when we just can’t take any more setbacks, we know our essence is that pure light. It becomes our permanent guide. Nothing, not even death, can extinguish it.
Our light gives us a new level of commitment and peace with regard to this whole affair of life and death. All of a sudden, a little crack has been made in our crystallized view of reality. We remember when we were kids and felt a sense of wonder that was lost as we became more cynical. We realize that we were wrong about being cynical. That sense of wonder is correct. The magic is real.
– Nova Spivack
Your Turn
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educator. director of funding + outreach. life changer.
Laurie Grossman co-founded Mindful Schools, a public/private partnership program (one of the largest in the country), sponsored by Park Day School in Oakland, California. [www.mindfulschools.org]
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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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candid author. passionate speaker. peaceful warrior of change.
Nancy Rosenfeld Daly is a speaker, author, facilitator, and former CFO who merges neuroscience, consciousness, tribal wisdom, and business savvy to ignite discovery and change. [www.nancyrdaly.com]
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philosopher. author. integral theorist.
Ken Wilber is a philosopher, mystic, author, and the originator of Integral Theory, in which the insights of mysticism, science, and systems theory come together to form a coherent picture of the Kosmos. [www.kenwilber.com]
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word samurai. story gifter. barrier pusher.
Elyse Glickman is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor with more than two decades of experience in magazine and newspaper journalism, online content production, and public relations collateral production. [www.elyseglickman.com]
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teacher. vibrational catalyst. emissary of love.
Panache Desai is an old friend you asked a long time ago to remind you at this very moment of your brilliance, perfection, and connection to limitless potential. [www.panachedesai.com]
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military daughter. spontaneous adventurer. student of life.
College freshman Maurina Scott is the daughter of an active duty military member. She has moved frequently, lived overseas, and embraced a life of exploration. Her dad recently returned from a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan. [www.twitter.com/Maurina_Scott]
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animal lovers. life respecters. angels.
In 1996, Allen and Linda Anderson founded the Angel Animals Network ("Where Pets Are Family"), using the power of stories to increase love and respect for all life. [www.angelanimals.net]
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