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
simplified
Rob Wensing
strategist. apple expert. simplifier.
Rob Wensing co-founded Strategy Day, a one-day strategy process for leaders and their core teams that produces team alignment. He's appeared in various media outlets as an expert on Apple. [http://about.me/robwensing]
I place a lot of emphasis and importance on simplicity. The world around us has gotten pretty complex. Every time I’m presented with something, I tend to think about how it could be better or how it could be improved. Usually, I look at it in terms of how it could be simplified.
The improving side has always been part of me. While growing up, I always liked to tear things apart, especially electronics or anything mechanical. I think the people around me thought I did it because I wanted to see how things worked, which was maybe a little bit of it, but usually I did it because I thought I could rebuild it better – even though it didn’t always work out that way.
In my world, when I look at things and they’re too complex or don’t make sense, or if I’m communicating something in a way that’s too complex and unclear, that really annoys me. I know that about myself. But the other side of that tendency to be annoyed is that I have a really strong value of simplicity.
I know when I’m off track or out of simplicity because I sense it. Sometimes I feel it as a rising stress level or an uneasiness about life getting too complicated. I’m the type of person who actually likes quite a bit of time by myself. I like to think. So the best way for me to refocus is to spend time alone thinking.
There’s a mentality in our society that more is better, which has people hoping to achieve some sort of happiness through accumulation. Peeling things back instead, not just for the sake of stripping things away, but to really identify what’s important and what’s not, is the key to happiness.
We tend to attach ourselves to the people who have the same beliefs we do. People are drawn to our purpose or our why. A way I know of to simplify or get closer to what you’re passionate about is to write a list on one side of a piece of paper of the companies or people that really inspire you. Then, on the other side, write down the things that really annoy you. That can trigger insight about your passions.
– Rob Wensing
Explore More Meaning
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hope vocalizer. musician with a cause. purpose liver.
Bekah Eden is a singer, songwriter, musician and Cause Artist based out of Virginia Beach. In the fall she took home the Upcoming Female Artist Award at the Malibu Music Awards. [www.bekaheden.com]
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mobile magician. recoverer. possibility seeker.
David James, Vice President of Possibility at Medl Mobile, strives for a spirit of experience, integrity, knowledge, and success. He believes in the power of being of service wherever he goes. [www.medlmobile.com]
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educator. author. discoverer.
Author and producer Shajen Joy Aziz is a founding member of the Southern California Association of Transformational Leaders. [www.discoverthegift.com]
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silent protesters. photographers. NOH8ers.
Celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley founded the NOH8 Campaign, a photographic silent protest in direct response to the passage of Proposition 8 in California. [www.noh8campaign.com]
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mindful midwife. inner peace seeker. be-er.
Nancy Bardacke is the founding director and leader of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting program, and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. [www.mindfulbirthing.org]
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campbell resurrector. storyteller. hero inspirer.
Pat Solomon is the producer and director of Finding Joe, an exploration of famed mythologist Joseph Campbell's studies and how they provide a narrative for living a fully realized life. [www.findingjoethemovie.com]
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moment savorer. recoverer. brave heart.
Once an overachieving executive, Noch Noch's life was turned upside down by depression. Recovering, she writes about living with depression and self-awareness, and is also developing Bearapy, a creative therapy project. [www.nochnoch.com]
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celluloid visionary. abandoner of ordinary. awe seeker.
Television personality, filmmaker and philosopher, Jason Silva has been described as "part Timothy Leary, part Ray Kurzweil, and part Neo from The Matrix." He recently launched a series of non-commercial micro documentaries exploring the co-evolution of human and technology.
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