
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
anchor

A lesson I have learned in recent years is how to stay connected to my inner-self and maintain a deep sense of contentment no matter what is going on externally in my life.
Eighteen months ago I started going through major, stressful life changes involving letting go of a way of life and things I had always felt I needed in order to be happy. Conversely this led me to a place where I could still feel happy, even when feeling sad, fearful and grieving.
This engendered a deep faith in myself, as though I had found an inner-anchor that would hold me fast, no matter what else was going on in my life.
When I find myself drifting from this state, I recall how tough things were just over a year ago and how I then managed to still feel happy.
I also realized that to allow myself to feel happy was a major step forward in my spiritual growth. I had spent a lifetime being unhappy and something clicked which helped me realize that it’s actually a decision I can make myself. I can either be happy or continue to feel miserable and negative. What a breakthrough and what a relief!
Something that I notice getting in the way of feeling happy is the negative tape-loops that often swirl around in my head. The insidious voice that tells me everything is doom and gloom, too hard, not going to work, or that I’m not up to it in some way. I see this dragging me down back into a place of misery. I see others limiting their lives and degree of happiness as a result of similar negative thoughts. It’s an ongoing process of remaining vigilant, which takes commitment, but it is so worth my time.
Life is meant to be happy, despite all the suffering in the world. I trust this now and am grateful to my anchor for keeping me attached to this belief.
– Angela Dunning


Explore More Meaning
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gifts identifier. inner wizard finder. spiritual sunbather.
Mark Harradine is a strategist who creates flourishing commercial value for entrepreneurs by identifying their natural gifts, promoting clarity of purpose, and encouraging inner and professional development to expand and sustain business. [www.markharradine.com]
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