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, 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.
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
alignment

When I’m considering doing anything in business, I make my decision by asking myself, Is this in alignment with my purpose? If it is, great. Then it’s a clear yes. If it isn’t, then no. That makes decisions really easy.
Before I switched to work that was in alignment with my purpose, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I was working in the high technology industry and was lost in some ways, although I was doing well and it was enjoyable to some degree. But it wasn’t fulfilling. It didn’t feel meaningful.
Things definitely became easier as I got older and started having more clarity about what makes me tick and what I really love, and as I gave myself permission to do what I love. My purpose became much more evident as I started to offer services. I got out there and delivered. I added value and looked for a response. In the late ‘90s I found clarity about my purpose, which is to make a positive contribution to the lives of millions of others.
Someone asked me today, “How do I know whether the world really wants what I have to offer?” I told her that sometimes we don’t know how people are going to respond to what we’re bringing into the world. What I’ve found is that if I keep my attention on the pulse of what I think and feel the world needs, and make my decisions from that place, it helps. So I pay attention. I try to be aware of what the pain is for people. What are the challenges? What’s going on in the world and in different parts of the world? Where is healing required? I ask myself what I can do to help.
I think we’re all making a difference, but sometimes we need an outside response – some kind of feedback mechanism – to tell us we’re doing a great job and we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. Feedback indicators are not just about reaching an increasing number of people. They’re about tuning what we do so it’s meaningful. When someone is deeply touched by what we offer from a place of being in alignment with our purpose, it’s like a nod of the head.
- Peggy McColl
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Are you doing more of what you want to do or what you “should” do?

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