Jack Canfield Jack Canfield 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]

 
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington 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]

 
Seth Godin Seth Godin author. speaker. linchpin.

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

 
Krishna Kaur Krishna Kaur 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]

 
Norman Lear Norman Lear 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]

 
Leilani Münter Leilani Münter 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]

 
Kevin Bales Kevin Bales 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]

 
Sophie Chiche Sophie Chiche 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]

 
Mastin Kipp Mastin Kipp 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]

 
Liz Phair Liz Phair singer. musician. crier.

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

 
Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu 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]

 
Zainab Salbi Zainab Salbi 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]

 
Sean Stephenson Sean Stephenson 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]

 
Kia Miller Kia Miller 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]

 
Simon Mainwaring Simon Mainwaring 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]

 
Shannon Bindler Shannon Bindler 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]

 
Mathieu Bitton Mathieu Bitton 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]

 
Jorge Perez Jorge Perez 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

 

heart

Kaleigh Somers Kaleigh Somers budding author. life rewriter. scribble lover.

Kaleigh Somers studies Media Arts & Design and Creative Writing at James Madison University. She wants to publish a young adult novel and work for a non-profit dedicated to empowering young women. [www.kaleighsomers.wordpress.com]

I believe love grows into an action, into a way of being.

This is what’s meaningful to me: using my hands, my skills, to create love out of thin air.

For me, what’s good used to be easy to spot. The summer after high school, I fell blindly and accidentally for The Boy All The Girls Wanted, and he picked me. I spent late nights playing road races on the highway with boys I’d never met and I ended my evenings at the local diner, slurping a thick milkshake through a straw.

Then college rocked my world and, somewhere along the line, that Boy fell out of love with me and in love with the rest of the world, as if the two were mutually exclusive.

I turned to two vices to get through that long winter: controlling everything I ate and fumbling through classes in a hazy depression. I hit rock bottom and wanted to stay there. By mid-January, I ended up in therapy. In two years, I’d lost nearly 25 pounds.

I’m five feet tall on a good day and I’ve always been skinny, so when the weight fell off me in buckets, I looked like a walking dead girl from an infirmary in one of those low-budget horror films.

None of my friends at home understood and my roommates watched me like hawks, ready to see me start living my life again.

That summer, my family reminded me how much I loved Italian food and freedom. By August, I’d started a blog about little life moments and loving yourself.

When the emails and messages stacked my inbox, I realized that girls fell out of love with themselves all too often. Their words of hopelessness and despair keep me writing, wanting to help.

That was the first thing I was good at, and it’s the thing I remind myself of whenever I feel ready to hang my head and walk away.

My favorite novel, The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen, keeps bringing me back to an image: a heart in an open palm.

Heart in hand. Doing something out of love.

That I can understand.

I’ve fallen in love with the girls who write to me and their stories. I write to remind them that love is an action and they deserve someone who loves hard every day.

We are defined by the actions we take – not by the people who stopped loving us.

– Kaleigh Somers

Comments

Explore More Meaning

  • Jean Fain
    Jean Fain Jean Fain psychotherapist. hypnotherapist. veteran journalist.

    Author and psychotherapist Jean Fain uses hypnosis and mindfulness to treat everyday eating issues. She has dedicated her work to helping others keep physically, emotionally, and mentally fit. [www.jeanfain.com]

     
  • Spencer Tweedy
    Spencer Tweedy Spencer Tweedy Musician. Photographer. Fan-tastical Writer.

    Spencer Miller Tweedy, 14-year-old musician, photographer, and blogger of fan-tastical exploits, performs regularly with his band The Blisters and has played the drums at Madison Square Garden. [www.spencertweedy.com]

     
  • Deborah Lloyd
    Deborah Lloyd Deborah Lloyd design overseer. president and cco. solver.

    As President and Chief Creative Officer for Kate Spade New York, Deborah Lloyd oversees all creative aspects of the Kate and Jack Spade brands, from design to public relations. [www.katespade.com]

     
  • Guy Finley
    Guy Finley 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]

     
  • Leona Mizrahi
    Leona Mizrahi Leona Mizrahi revolutionary. miracle seeker. divine opportunist.

    Leona is a spiritual gangster by birth, radical mentor by default, and evolving entrepreneur by surprise. She ardently believes that life is lived best with faith, gratitude, love, and courage. [www.leonamizrahi.com]

     
  • Rahi Chun
    Rahi Chun Rahi Chun all ears. conscious counselor. avid traveler.

    As a life coach to creative executives, actor Rahi Chun facilitates alignment between core values and authentic self-expression through entertainment properties. [www.beingtruelifecoaching.com]

     
  • Karly Randolph Pitman
    Karly Randolph Pitman Karly Randolph Pitman teacher. connector. embracer.

    Karly Randolph Pitman is the creator of a therapy – growing human(kind)ness – that fosters healing from eating disorders, overeating, food addictions, and suffering from weight and body image. [www.karlyrandolphpitman.com]

     
  • Louis G. Herman
    Louis G. Herman Louis G. Herman professor. big medicine seeker. mystery inviter.

    Louis G. Herman is the author of Future Primal: How Our Wilderness Origins Show Us the Way Forward, as well as a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii–West Oahu. [www.futureprimalbook.com]

     
  • More

Contributors

  • Allen and Linda Anderson
    Allen and Linda Anderson Allen and Linda Anderson animal lovers. life respecters. angels.

    In 1996, Allen and Linda Anderson founded the Angel Animals Network ("Where Pets Are Family"), using the power of stories to increase love and respect for all life. [www.angelanimals.net]

     
  • Samantha Reynolds
    Samantha Reynolds Samantha Reynolds poet. entrepreneur. relentless life-observer.

    Samantha Reynolds is the founder of a popular blog that has sparked a growing movement of people around the world to write a poem a day as a way to slow down and savor their lives. [www.bentlily.com]

     
  • Antonio Neves
    Antonio Neves Antonio Neves storyteller. question asker. catalyst.

    Antonio Neves is an award-winning broadcast journalist and the founder of THINQACTION, where he coaches young professionals to transform potential into performance. [www.thinqaction.com]

     
  • Alison Levine
    Alison Levine Alison Levine high climber. responsible risker. philanthropist.

    Alison Levine is a mountaineer, explorer, teacher, and founder of the Climb High Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of African women by training them to be local guides and porters. [www.alisonlevine.com]

     
  • Michael Sandler
    Michael Sandler Michael Sandler author. speaker. barefoot runner.

    Through his books, lectures, and worldwide coaching, bestselling co-author Michael Sandler helps people reconnect with the earth, their inner child, and the joy and health of being alive. [www.RunBare.com]

     
  • Cynthia Litman
    Cynthia Litman Cynthia Litman spiritual parent. entertainment lawyer. kin connector.

    Cynthia Litman is an entertainment lawyer. She founded the spiritual parenting brand Momma's Pearls, providing depth and support to busy families via blog, talk radio show, newsletter, and coaching. [www.mommaspearls.com]

     
  • Jaclyn Welsh
    Jaclyn Welsh Jaclyn Welsh blogger. photographer. joyful spirit.

    Jaclyn Welsh is a blogger, photographer, and marketer who strives to walk through life with kindness in her words, joy in her spirit, and peace in her heart. [http://polkadotteapot.wordpress.com]

     
  • Benjamin Roman
    Benjamin Roman Benjamin Roman pop star. mentor embracer. dream pursuer.

    After surviving in L.A. doing everything from being a celebrity personal assistant to dancing on a box for tips, recording artist Ben Roman is also the Special Events Manager of the world-famous Magic Castle. [www.benromanonline.com]

     
  • Laura Day
    Laura Day Laura Day bestselling author. speaker. intuition integrator.

    Best-selling author Laura Day teaches people how to integrate intuition into their personal and corporate lives to achieve greater success and community. [www.howtoruletheworldfromyourcouch.com]

     
  • Mike Dooley
    Mike Dooley Mike Dooley entrepreneur. author. philosophical adventurer.

    Mike Dooley, a former PriceWaterhouseCoopers international tax consultant, is an entrepreneur, inspirational author, and founder of a philosophical Internet Adventurer's Club with more than 350,000 members. [www.tut.com]

     
  • Heide Banks
    Heide Banks Heide Banks relationship expert. author. partnership rep.

    Heide Banks is a nationally recognized relationship expert, a bestselling author, and a TV personality. She's the official representative to the United Nations for The Center for Partnership Studies. [www.heidebanks.com]

     
  • Dave Kellett
    Dave Kellett Dave Kellett cartoonist. creator. funny guy.

    Cartoonist Dave Kellett previously worked as a writer and toy designer at Mattel Toys. He founded Sheldon Comics and is the creator of Sheldon cartoons. [www.sheldoncomics.com]

     
  • Brenton Gieser
    Brenton Gieser Brenton Gieser social change creator. ego battler. heart follower.

    Brenton Gieser is an entrepreneur who forgot about success a while back and is now focusing on creating value. He's currently building the community organization Be Social Change. [www.brentongieser.com]

     
  • Marlo Scott
    Marlo Scott Marlo Scott experience creator. dream believer. ex-hamster wheeler.

    After a long, twisted trip through the corporate jungle, Marlo Scott transformed her passion for cupcakes and adventure into Sweet Revenge, an artisanal cupcake, beer, and wine bar in New York City's West Village. [www.sweetrevengenyc.com]

     
  • Sam Freedman
    Sam Freedman Sam Freedman athlete marketer. avid sports fan. family man.

    Sam Freedman has a passion for sports. He works in Athlete Marketing at Fritz Martin Management, a boutique sports marketing agency. At 22, he has his dream job. And, yes, his family is very proud. [http://fritzmartin.com/]

     
  • Kelley Raleigh
    Kelley Raleigh Kelley Raleigh leader. education producer. essence expresser.

    Kelley Raleigh founded Leading by Example, a multi-media company that showcases young people who are doing good – through local and international service projects, comedy web series, coaching, and workshops around the country. [www.leadingbyexample.co]

     
  • William Gladstone
    William Gladstone William Gladstone publishing pioneer. novelist. dot aficionado.

    William Gladstone is a bestselling novelist, a literary agent for exceptional authors, and a publishing pioneer. He contributed to the creation of the first print-on-demand book publishing company and the first eBook publishing company. [http://12thebook.com]

     
  • Queena Lee-Chua
    Queena Lee-Chua Queena Lee-Chua empowering prof. student advisor. community inspirer.

    Queena Lee-Chua is a professor of math and psychology at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and a daily newspaper columnist. She also works with government and civic groups to improve math, science, and education in the country.

     
  • Kris Wittenberg
    Kris Wittenberg Kris Wittenberg promotional product developer. veteran entrepreneur. be gooder.

    Kris Wittenberg, founder of Be Good to People, is a veteran entrepreneur whose company, SayNoMore! Promotions, is the go-to resource for promotional products. [www.begoodtopeople.com]

     
  • Andrew Skotzko
    Andrew Skotzko Andrew Skotzko truth digger. motivated shifter. calendar ignorer.

    Andrew Skotzko is a curious entrepreneur who's passionate about creating peak experiences and elegant products. He also enjoys finding bits of truth hidden in plain sight ... and going for long bike rides. [www.noticings.com]

     
  • Joan Shulman
    Joan Shulman Joan Shulman coach. empowered introvert. green thumb.

    A coach with a passion for introverts, Joan Shulman supports heart-centered professionals who love what they do but struggle to self-promote. She believes everyone possesses the innate wisdom needed to create fulfillment. [www.fullcirclelifecoach.com]

     
  • Moleen Madziva
    Moleen Madziva Moleen Madziva shona tribe member. rooted achiever. happiness chooser.

    Moleen Madziva was raised in Zimbabwe, in the village community of Macheke. Having witnessed her community sink further into poverty, she founded the Macheke Sustainability Project. She is studying for a PhD in Sustainability Education. [www.machekeproject.org]

     
  • Rory Freedman
    Rory Freedman Rory Freedman Author. Activist. "Skinny Bitch".

    Rory Freedman is a vegan, animal rights activist, Skinny Bitch, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. [www.roryfreedman.com]

     
  • Douglas Campbell
    Douglas Campbell Douglas Campbell social cross pollinator. tuxedo adventurer. mindsharer.

    Doug Campbell, co-founder of Mindshare LA and Syyn Labs, is a community builder, experience engineer, and charitable adventurer who uses the power of technology to augment social interaction. [www.projectfresh.com]

     
  • Stan Slap
    Stan Slap Stan Slap international consultant. bestselling author. mr. fabulous.

    Bestselling author Stan Slap is President of the international consulting company slap, specializing in achieving maximum commitment in business cultures and making the business case for humanity. [www.slapcompany.com]

     
  • Seane Corn
    Seane Corn Seane Corn yoga teacher. humanitarian. voice for social change.

    Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher and humanitarian, the National Yoga Ambassador for YouthAIDS, and cofounder of Off The Mat, Into the World, a leadership-training program. [www.seanecorn.com]

     
  • Dave Smiley
    Dave Smiley Dave Smiley filmmaker. former prison psychologist. transformationalist.

    Dr. Dave Smiley, a former prison psychologist, had an awakening at age 52. Retiring early, he went on to create the first transformational film about spirituality, the mind, and weight loss. [http://TheInnerWeigh.com]

     
  • Carrie Cunnington
    Carrie Cunnington Carrie Cunnington shifter. post-it promoter. should stomper.

    Dedicated to empowering high-achieving women to find greater meaning and fulfillment, Carrie Cunnington's coaching has helped hundreds of individuals and teams redefine success, reconnect to their passions, and rejuvenate their personal and professional lives. [www.cunningtonshift.com]

     
  • Robert Kiraz
    Robert Kiraz Robert Kiraz broadcaster. event magician. communicator.

    Robert Kiraz is the founder and CEO of Vokle, a revolutionary live broadcasting platform for hosting interactive events. [www.vokle.com]

     
  • More

Connection


© 2010-2023 lifebyme.com. All rights reserved. (design by nodethirtythree)