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
risk
Jake Ducey
Jake Ducey, is the author of Into the Wind: My Six-Month Journey Wandering the World for Life's Purpose, about his life changing journey dropping out of college and leaving behind a drug fueled life and in search of deeper meaning. [www.jakeducey.com]
Everything is a risk. It’s a risk to stay where we are in our life just as much as it’s a risk to step into unfamiliar territory. The question is not, “Which decision is a risk and which isn’t?” The question is, “Which decision reaps the highest reward?”
This is the principle of the calculated risks that govern our lives. Take a step into the unknown and life will reward you for your courage. Yes, it may be scary, but fear is an innate part of the human experience. It can become the chain and ball that locks us in the ordinary, or the wind that blows us into the extraordinary. We choose how to use it. The choice is always ours.
The paradox is that the choices most of us make aren’t for ourselves. Instead they are to please others and fit in, so that we may live the path of least resistance, which is of lesser reward.
If we do choose to step outside of the norms, it’s not “us” to have every little thing planned out, to know exactly how everything will work out. All we have to know is that it will work out perfectly.
When we can put our trust in life like this, we open ourselves to the miracles that are everywhere. Most of us just never experience them because we are so closed in our view, there is so much mental and physical tension in our life that there’s no open space for life to flow through us. This, in essence, is when we are not living true to ourselves.
There is no twelve step process to knowing if we are living true to ourselves or not. It’s simple. When we ask ourselves this question and we are not moving toward it, then we most likely aren’t living our most authentic path:
“What would have to happen one year from now in order to look back and say it was the most fulfilling and successful year to date?”
It’s easy to live for other people, yet it’s much more of a challenge to live for ourselves. True strength isn’t the ability to bench press 400 pounds; it’s the ability to be ourselves in a world that’s trying its best to make us something else.
– Jake Ducey
Explore More Meaning
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etsy seller education manager. artist support system. independent motivator.
Danielle Maveal, Etsy's Seller Education Manager, works to help artists, crafters, and makers make a creative living selling their work. Her focus is to encourage, motivate, and educate. [www.etsy.com]
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architectural designer. philanthropist. soul spacer.
Xorin Balbes is an author, philanthropist, and an award-winning architectural conservator and designer. He founded and co-owns the interior and architectural design firm TempleHome. [www.SoulSpaceHome.com]
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rapper. screenwriter. devotee.
Georgia Gwynne-Gruber was a rapper/singer in the rock band Weapons before arriving in Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. Her science fiction trilogy Darklight is presently in development.
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big picturer. former linebacker. current give-backer.
Ryan Nece's community influence has lasted long after he finished his career as an National Football League player. He created The Ryan Nece Foundation, which provides physical, financial, and spiritual assistance to those in need. [www.ryannece.com]
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meaning sharers. next-step seekers. creative scribblers.
We’re a diverse group of coaches, journalists, idea-developers, artists, bloggers, strategists, moms, and dads. We love the idea of being in a world where you are living a meaningful life. Your way. Every day.
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publisher. contributor. FOUNDer.
Davy Rothbart, creator of Found Magazine, is an author, frequent contributor to the radio program This American Life, and the subject of a documentary released in 2011. [www.foundmagazine.com]
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tv diva. parenting coach. re-energizer.
Susan Segal has mastered the art of reinventing herself. She appeared on numerous television shows as an actress and as a lifestyle and fashion reporter. She runs her own parenting classes and combines various methods of child education.
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author. nagual. wisdom sharer.
Combining new insights with old wisdom, don Miguel Ruiz has dedicated his life to sharing the ancient Toltec wisdom by translating it into practical concepts that promote transformation through truth and common sense. [www.miguelruiz.com]
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