
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
focus

I’ve always been involved in learning, but around 1993 I decided I wanted to become a high school teacher. By the time I became a teacher, I was no longer concerned about whether students could memorize history or conjugate verbs. What had become much more interesting was whether students flipping through TV channels would pause at the History channel, or whether students in a Spanish literature class would think to themselves that they might like to go to Mexico sometime.
For almost 20 years, I’ve been thinking about the connection between what people are interested in and what they do. What if, instead of making to-do lists, we made What’s taking my focus? lists.
For more than a year now, I’ve been doing an experiment. Every day since the first day of 2011, I’ve written one word in my journal at the end of the day. Before I fall asleep, I think to myself, What meant something to me today and what word represents that? What was today’s word? It’s been an exciting experiment.
This year, on January 1st, I typed out all the words for each day of 2011. The most fascinating thing to me is that there were only about 90 words. I wrote the word friend on more than 20 days. Now I’m asking myself, What’s important about friendship for me and how am I tapping into that meaning?
One of the things I do these days to step into a more meaningful life is invite a good friend out to dinner, tell them I’ll pay, and then at the dinner ask them, “When did you see me the happiest last year?” Asking this question of others and of ourselves forces us to stop, step back, pause, and reflect. Was I happiest when I was on vacation? When I had that important discussion with my spouse? When I watched my kid graduate? When was I happy?
Then I take a look at the qualities of that happiness. What led up to it? What was I doing during that happiness? What did I do afterwards? Do I want to flip forward to now and experience again those same qualities that were involved in bringing me that happiness then?
My next level of learning is knowing that what I’m doing is the right thing and is enough. If I had a fortune cookie for myself, it would say “You are enough. Keep doing you.”
– Jason Womack


Explore More Meaning
-
runner. country crosser. first stepper.
Katie Visco created Pave Your Lane, a campaign to enliven our world through connection to ourselves and each other. The second-youngest person and the 13th woman to run across America, Katie is now running her message across all 50 states. [www.paveyourlane.com]
- More
Comments