
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
connect

“Brothers” by Kenny Loggins
The essence of our purpose is to be alive, and our aliveness is invigorated by the connections we make.
When I begin my day with gratitude, who am I thanking? I’m making a connection with spirit, which is in me and also around me and outside of me. And if I’m willing to feel – not only happiness, but all of it – then I stay even more connected with myself. I feel more honest and am therefore more capable of making an authentic connection. As I go about my day, I’m constantly checking in to see what I’m feeling, to make a connection that’s authentic.
My music is a way of making a connection, because when I connect to my muse, I’m forced to connect to my heart. And if the song is authentic it connects to other people’s hearts and affects their lives, whether it makes them feel happy and liberated or brings up sadness that forces them to take a look at their lives and perhaps notice whether or not they’ve been sleepwalking. Being on stage is one of the important ways I remember who I am. It’s healing for me and is one of the ways I regroup and reconnect. I come as close to experiencing a Zen consciousness on stage as anywhere else, because I completely surrender to the note in the moment.
I also find gratitude and connection through being a dad. I love all aspects of being a dad. As a Type A personality, I need to feel as though I’ve accomplished something in a day and being with my children completely satisfies that for me, even if all I do are the mundane, everyday things, like playing ping-pong and putting dinner on the table.
With each connection I make I experience more gratitude. For instance, I share my creativity with my daughters, who are both singing on a new album I’m in the process of making. I’m writing a song with a friend of mine whose child has become a musician. One of the lines of the song is, “You’ve fallen in love with the love of my life.” The song is about recognizing the love of music taking hold in our children at an early age and how that unites and connects us even more deeply with our children. I’m grateful to share my career with my children and to hear their beautiful voices.
The essence of what keeps me on track is simple: Connect. Live. Be grateful.
– Kenny Loggins


Explore More Meaning
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appreciative son. moment cogitator. lesson learner.
Jeff Semigran is a senior at UC Berkeley studying environmental and civil engineering. He is an alumnus of the Teen Insight Seminars and Leadership series. This piece is part of the Insight University and Life By Me week of giving back. www.givingtuesday.org/insight-university
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