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]
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]
author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
singer. musician. crier.
Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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
patterns
Rizwan Virk
Rizwan Virk wrote Zen Entrepreneurship, and produced Thrive, a documentary viewed over 10 million times. [www.zenentrepreneur.com]
We all should pay more attention to the importance of patterns in our lives. What kinds of patterns?
For one, I believe that all events in our lives form an underlying, hidden pattern, connecting in ways that we can’t immediately see.
A famous example of this comes from Steve Jobs, who quit all his college classes and ended up falling in love with calligraphy instead. If he hadn’t done that, years later, he would never have insisted on multiple typefaces (“fonts”) in the first Macintosh computer. And if he hadn’t done that, I might be writing this (and you might be reading it) in courier font on a green-screen!
An even more immediate type of pattern is one that repeats in our work and relationships, without our awareness. I give the example of my own pattern of abandoning each of my interests too quickly, in order to get on to the “next big thing”.
As a Silicon Valley investor, I see entrepreneurs repeat the same mistakes, unaware that they’re caught in a pattern whose broad outlines remain the same, only with different people or products.
I know one entrepreneur who attracts a new investor, has a honeymoon period where the investor can do no wrong, and then the relationship inevitably sours. He then blames that new investor for everything that’s going wrong with his company. Then it happens again, with a new investor. We all know a certain young woman or young man who repeatedly ends up in the same kind of relationship again and again.
Often, a little self-awareness is enough to recognize, break, and transcend these kinds of repetitive patterns.
There’s an old Chinese saying about dragons: “If you ignore the dragon, it will eat you. If you try to confront the dragon it will overpower you.. If you ride the dragon, you will take advantage of its might and power.”
Patterns are our inner dragons, they can propel us to greater happiness and success, or they can overpower and literally eat us. With greater awareness, you can examine the “clues” in your life and find the patterns. This will lead you to reveal the larger hidden magnificent tapestry that represents your life and work.
– Rizwan Virk
Explore More Meaning
-
speaker. life balance coach. affection spiller.
Renée Peterson Trudeau is the author of the book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. Thousands of women participate in Personal Renewal Groups based on her first book, the award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal. [www.ReneeTrudeau.com]
-
full-time monk. compassionate mentor. instrument of growth.
Rasanath Dasa went from being an investment banker on Wall Street to being a monk of the Bhakti tradition. He draws his spiritual wisdom from a wide range of personal experiences. [www.gitanyc.com]
-
psychotherapist. author. life balancer.
Abby Seixas is a psychotherapist, author, speaker, mother, calligrapher, gardener, life-long spiritual seeker, and work-in-progress. [www.deepriverwithin.com]
-
coaches. consultants. co-creators.
Dr. David Paul and Dr. Bonnie Paul coach people to co-create conscious, loving relationships and meaningful lives. David has a mind-body consulting practice. Bonnie specializes in creativity and self-expression. [www.davidpaulmd.com] and [www.bonniepaul.com]
-
champion of insights. strategist. scribbler.
Strategist and champion of insights, Julie Stuart combines the right questions with well-placed scribbles to envision what's possible for her clients and map out how to make what matters happen. [www.makingideasvisible.com]
-
early riser. mystic identifier. self opener.
Bob Walter is an editor and executive with several not-for-profit organizations, including the Joseph Campbell Foundation, an organization that preserves, protects, and perpetuates the work of influential American mythologist Joseph Campbell. [www.jcf.org]
-
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]
-
author. coach. acceptance sustainer.
Mike Robbins, author of two best-selling books, is also a highly sought-after speaker and coach, and a regular contributor to Oprah.com and the Huffington Post. [www.mike-robbins.com]
- More
Comments