
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
purpose

I want to bring love into everything I do, loving even what’s deemed negative or crazy. Instead of labeling some experiences as bad, I try to realize they all have purpose. By connecting with spirit, I’m learning to appreciate and love it all.
Through technology, we constantly have vast amounts of information available at our fingertips. It’s so easy to get distracted and disconnected. To ground myself, I get out into nature. By hiking and moving my body, I reconnect with my source. While I hike, I pray and ask to be filled with light. I ask that anything negative be lifted. I listen to the inner guidance that directs my path.
Everyone has their own path. We’re each wired for a unique destiny, which we can find if we’re open to seeing the wiring. Deep inside, we know what we want to do. We know our passion, but we’re either afraid to say it or we think it’s crazy and doesn’t make sense.
Often, a traumatic or stressful situation can push us to start really discovering ourselves. Or it could be an experience that’s big, even if not traumatic. For me, it was going through a divorce and moving to a new city. It made me stop and think. “Wait a second, this is big. It’s bigger than me, so how can I handle it?”
Events like those jolt us. We start to listen to ourselves. We begin to ask ourselves what experience we’re looking for in life. Do we want to find more peace? Do we want to help others? Do we want to be more creative?
Once we become clear about what we want, we can start playing around with ideas that express our essence. We discover the value of our spiritual and universal connection. We begin to understand the value of service to others. This new way of life becomes our normal lifestyle. We start to live our purpose.
– Kelley Raleigh
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