
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]

Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

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]

Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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
divine

Something happened to me ten years ago that forever shifted the way I see myself, how I perceive life, and the way I see every person on this planet. I had a direct encounter of the Divine. It wasn’t the result of a near death experience, a head injury or a drug-induced hallucination. I was awake, clear-headed and present throughout the entire experience.
I had been told my entire life that I was here to facilitate a change in human consciousness, a heavy burden to place upon anyone let alone a young adolescent who was trying to find their place in the world. A perpetual misfit, I couldn’t imagine a role as one of God’s point people. In my skepticism I called God out. “If I’m here to do something like everyone keeps telling me then you must show me that you’re real.”
So it happened. In a moment of quiet, I experienced God.
The Divine exists as an infinite ocean of energy, an expanse of pure golden light so brilliant that it almost appears white. The love that was emanating and pulsating was so encompassing that language cannot adequately describe it. In fact my mind was too limited to understand. Yet my heart was infinitely expansive enough to feel it all. This energy is free of judgment and expectation, fully encompassing and embracing of all that is, and unconditional in its expression. There are no checklists, rules, or criteria to which one must conform. My life, my perceived mistakes, misfires and shortfalls were enough. I was enough. In fact, I was perfect.
And so are you.
I was shown that you, just as you are right now, are a part of this energy and this energy infuses you. You are not broken. You don’t need healing. No part of you requires fixing. The Divine was not having an off day when you were created.
Now I am humbly committed to reminding you of your true essential nature. If God is not judging you, then why are you judging yourself? The acceptance of you and your life just as it is in this moment allows you to experience a peace that transcends all things. Peace is the undercurrent of your life and is accessed through the simple awareness that you are already Divine. With each breath, God is renewing your lease. You are being gifted with another moment to unconditionally love yourself and all that is unfolding just as your creator does.
– Panache Desai


Explore More Meaning
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authors. citizens. peacemakers.
Gerda Weissman Klein and Alysa Ullman co-founded Citizenship Counts to promote the importance of multigenerational citizen programs. Alysa is an author and the Executive Director of Citizenship Counts. Gerda is an author, Academy Award winner, Holocaust survivor, and human rights activist. [www.citizenshipcounts.org]
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