
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
today

I went through a fairly trying time last year. I had to learn to deal with stress and try to adapt and respond in a healthy way. I reconsidered my motivations for doing things, asking myself if the reasons I had before are the same reasons I have now, and I’ve noticed a shift in my motivation. I’ve put a renewed focus on taking care of myself, on getting down to the basics of being healthy in every way – physically, emotionally, spiritually – and that’s helped a lot. I feel calmer and more peaceful than I have in quite a while.
For a long time, I didn’t understand my own reasons for doing things. I was motivated by ego and the programming I grew up with. Then I finally started to shed some of those external driving factors and do things for my own reasons, reasons that are a lot more positive and sustainable.
Different people find their outlets in different ways. My outlets are writing and running, which tend to help me get out of my conscious mind and access something deeper. Give yourself permission to go do whatever works for you.
We tend to over-focus on the big, hot moments, the big breakthroughs, and yet we go through a process to get to them. When we’re searching desperately for something and getting frustrated and almost giving up, it can help to stop trying so hard, to take away the pressure and do something else. Then a solution comes. It’s almost like we have to get out of our own way. Those big breakthroughs, the big wins, are usually the result of lots of little wins, so appreciate the little wins along the way.
My current definition of a successful day is one I’m present for. Most days, I don’t know what day it is. Is it Thursday? Are we into July yet? Who cares? When I’m living one day at a time, being totally present with whatever I’m doing or whoever I’m with, what day it is doesn’t matter. All that matters is this, right here, right now.
Did I learn, love, and create today? If I do those three things in any given day, it’s a pretty good day. If I string together enough pretty good days, that turns into a pretty good life. But I don’t think about tomorrow. I focus 100 percent on today.
– Andrew Skotzko


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17 cents dreamer. adversity ignorer. julie's daddy.
Daniel Milstein recently chronicled his rise from cleaning bathrooms while enduring hunger and relentless bullying to becoming the #1 loan officer in the U.S. and head of one of America's fastest-growing finance companies. [http://danmilstein.com/book/]
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