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
the lesson
Guy Finley
spiritual teacher. truth finder. peace achiever.
Guy Finley is the best-selling author of more than 40 books and audio albums on self-realization. He is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a non-profit center for self-study. [www.guyfinley.org]
Each of us has been given an immeasurable gift, a specific role to play in the celestial story, so great and so vast, it can hardly be seen. As our eyes open, and we realize the truth of this invisible prize, not only do we reclaim our own grand possibilities, but we also help everyone else to do the same.
My own path to discovering life’s true meaning began at a very young age. As a small child, nothing made sense to me. I constantly wondered: why are people who have so much, so unhappy, so angry and so afraid? Years later, I realized that happiness and contentment have little to do with visible accomplishments and more to do with spiritual understanding. That’s when I not only found some real peace, but also my true purpose in life.
Then I had the good fortune of working closely with an enlightened individual, Vernon Howard. He taught me that for those willing to discover the truth of themselves, real life offers a way to realize a completely different order of reality rooted in a higher level of being. At that point, my search for meaning ended, and the work of living in a meaningful way began.
When one gets disconnected from what is truly meaningful in life, it’s good to remember that whatever happens to us, no matter what its nature seems to be, happens for the good of us. Every experience can be used for our higher transformation. As I now teach my students, this is why all things good come to those for whom the good is all things.
Right now, this very present moment is God’s life expressed. Everything that ever was, or will be, the totality of possibilities – light and dark – all the essential elements and energies one needs to change, are in this presence moment. We cannot know our true nature apart from being present to and fully aware of each moment. As long as we live outside of this living now, we have no choice but to wander through an imagined world, isolated from what is real, captives of the limitations inherent in thought. Yes, the lesson is a hard one, but in the end – if we persist – we come to realize what the saints, sages, and masters have been telling us all along: within each of us already dwells the meaning of life, and who we are in reality is its living, never-ending expression.
– Guy Finley
Explore More Meaning
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writer. teacher. expert relocator.
Susan Pohlman is a freelance writer based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She's an award-winning author, published essayist, and short film wordsmith. [www.susanpohlman.com]
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musician. activist. artistic mentor.
John March is a musician, teacher, producer, writer, activist, Buddhist facilitator in training, and single dad. He mentors artists and develops modern rites of passage for fathers and sons. [www.zenguitarguy.com]
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non-conformist. courageous author. extraordinary seeker.
Janet Poole is the award-winning author of How to Get Anything You Want Just Like That!, a book that dares people to live an extraordinary life that matters. [www.janetpoole.com]
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agent. brand builder. in-tune daddy.
Todd Shemarya is the owner and CEO of Todd Shemarya Artists Inc, a boutique talent agency specializing in celebrity endorsements and lifestyle brand building. [www.shemarya.com]
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life coach. physician. light source.
Author and life coach Sarah Seidelmann, MD, is a Board-Certified physician who left her practice to live out her destiny. In her work, she loves to ask, "How good are you willing to let it get?" [http://whatthewalrusknows.com]
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present daddy. balanced businessman. noise reducer.
Tyler Merrick grew up in a family pet food business based in Texas. He now lives in California with his wife and 3 daughters where he owns Project 7, a social enterprise brand of consumer products. [www.project7.com]
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laughter inducer. animal lover. good wife.
Bridget McManus is recognized for her provocative and uninhibited style. She's toured the world as a stand-up comic and appeared in a number of television specials. [www.bridgetmcmanus.com]
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musician. producer. curious quester.
Max Lugavere is a co-founding host and producer of Al Gore's TV network. He's also a celebrity ambassador for Causecast.org, a singer-songwriter, and founder of the non-profit concert series Rockdrive. [http://twitter.com/#!/maxlugavere]
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