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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
everything

I was raised Mormon. This is just another way of saying, “Trust me, I have more siblings than you.” Whatever we did as a family had to also be well suited for large groups. Because of this, we often went to the movies.
One October night in 1997, my family set out on yet another movie night. It was my father’s turn to select a movie. Never good at these sorts of things, usually he chose films based on how he felt about the title. This weekend he selected a film that seemed like a musical, possibly a dance film, called “Boogie Nights.”
We took our row in the theater. I sat next to my mother. I had heard things about the film, that there might be nudity, but for Mormons my parents were fairly liberal, so I wasn’t concerned about a butt shot or possibly a boob (maybe two).
Things were fine through out the first half of the film. Sure, it’s totally not a musical (but there is dancing!). The sex is graphic, there’s drug use, but my family seems to be handling it just fine. They might be (bite my Mormon tongue) enjoying it.
Then Julianne Moore tells Mark Wahlberg exactly where (on her) he should, um, you know… finish. This is when I leaned over to my mother and whispered, “We should go.”
“No,” she said. “We paid for this, we’re getting our money’s worth. How much worse can it get?
We all know how much worse it got. (A full nine inches of worse, if you know what I mean).
But my mother likes to frame things in life lessons. As we were exiting the theater, she says to my me and my brothers, “Boys, look at it this way, having a large penis only leads to a life in pornography and drug use. You should be proud of your small penises.”
I am proud, but not for why you’re thinking. Only my Mormon family would actually sit through a film like “Boogie Nights” AND find meaning in it. I mean, it’s totally bonkers. Which is why I’m proud, because it taught me that even the most ridiculous (and don’t forget awkward) situations can be made into something to learn from, or find joy in, or possibly laugh at.
As a writer and comedian, there’s no greater lesson (or source material).
And I am proud of my small penis. Well, metaphorically small, in the context of the story I mean. I’m going to stop now.
– H. Alan Scott


Explore More Meaning
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joyous author. inspiring speaker. dream accomplisher.
Dr. Jin Robertson has been a factory laborer, an immigrant housemaid, a battered wife, and a U.S. army major. Jin received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. She is an international inspirational speaker and bestselling author. [www.drjinrobertson.com]
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