
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
i don’t know

In learning how to do a number of different creative things, I’ve noticed that the process of learning a skill is similar, no matter what the skill is:
Stage One – I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
I don’t know what I’m doing but I know I want to do it. Wanting to be a guitar player, strumming badly. Out on the tennis court, having fun hitting a ball and being outside with a friend. Watching the boss make a deal and wanting to make one, too. Watching someone on stage and desperately wanting to do that … but really having no idea how it’s done. Being full of curiosity and passion, loving doing it, but really needing to learn how. So pushing onward to …
Stage Two – I Know What I’m Doing
Taking lessons, watching instructional videos online, or perhaps going to a full-fledged art school – that’s what I did. There I began to understand what the masters did. I discovered the depth of the craft and just how bad I really was. There’s so much to learn. A world of possibility opens up. Stage Two is full of intellect, technique, judgement, theory, and, often, it’s empty of emotion. Stage Two is where many people stay. With a little knowledge and not enough practice, they remain professional amateurs who’ve been talked out of liking what they love. But the real goal should be to press on, to put in the time and reach …
Stage Three – I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
This is the goal. Don’t think about holding the racquet, think about where to send the ball. Don’t think about musical scales, think about expressing emotion. In fact, don’t think at all – only do and be. Stage Three is where experience and intuition mix to become instinct. Choices are made without thought, but are backed up by practiced skills, delivering emotion back into the process. The things that drove the process in Stage One now drive the process again: curiosity, passion, and loving it.
Shoot for Stage Three and the educated bliss of not knowing what you’re doing.
– Peter Hastings


Explore More Meaning
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gifts identifier. inner wizard finder. spiritual sunbather.
Mark Harradine is a strategist who creates flourishing commercial value for entrepreneurs by identifying their natural gifts, promoting clarity of purpose, and encouraging inner and professional development to expand and sustain business. [www.markharradine.com]
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