40 Legends Sharing their BEST with the World

Chris Barba and I (James Carter) went out into the world to find 40 everyday, ‘normal’ legends creating a positive impact upon the world. We wanted to ask two very simple questions:

  1. How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
  2. Why are you doing it?

What we found was incredibly humbling and motivating. Be prepared to to be inspired but also to take action. Whether challenging the status quo, sharing their story or making something old new again, each of these people will make you want to get up off the couch and go do something!

These people are sharing their best with the world. They come from every walk of life and life history.

I hope you find them as inspirational and motivational as I have!

Everywhere I can, I am blatantly promoting them, including links and want to provide you opportunities to engage with these people. I make no apologies for my obvious promotion – these people are seriously awesome and deserve more than we could ever give!

Everyone below has been placed in no particular order of ‘Legendariness’. Enjoy!


Benny Hsubenny hsu

Get Busy Living
Helping and inspiring you to live an epic life.

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m creating positive action in the world through leading by example for others. Showing that life doesn’t have to be the way it is right now. No matter their situation, they can change their life.

Before I looked happy on the outside. I always walked around with a friendly smile. You wouldn’t even know anything was wrong with me. Not even my closest friends knew how I truly felt inside.

Inside I felt stuck in life. I had no sense of direction. I wanted a better life filled with freedom and doing exciting work. I just had no idea what I wanted to do. I couldn’t just follow my passion because I didn’t know what it was! I dug myself so far into a hole with self doubt that I didn’t have the energy to do anything about it.

Since I decided to make my life the way I wanted to and not wait, I wake up feeling excited. I’ve found what I’m passionate about. In less than a year, I’ve achieved goals beyond what I imagined. I develop iPhone apps. I have a thriving blog. I went from not knowing what I wanted to do, to having so many ideas in my head.

I don’t just try and tell people what they should do. I make sure I am doing those things as well and share my experience with them so they can do the same too.

Why am I doing it?
I’m doing it because I believe that everyone deserves to life their ideal life. There are some happy with what they are doing and that’s great. However, there are many that want to do more. They want a life of meaning and excitement. They just don’t know how. They feel it’s impossible.

I want to share my excitement for life with others.


Charlie ToddCharlie Todd

Improv Everywhere

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Improv Everywhere seeks to cause scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Our aim is to stage pranks that give random people a positive experience and a great story to tell. Rather than seeking to embarrass or anger someone, we try to make a public space a little bit more fun, if only for a brief moment. Our High Five Escalator video is a great example of us doing what we do best.

Why are you doing it?
Although the answer is not enough for some people, the truth is we are doing it for fun. Our projects are fun to participate in, fun for the people that experience them, and fun for people around the world to watch on YouTube.


Brad Clementbrad-ice_sm

Spindrift Films

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
That seemingly simple question has caused me to reflect deeply on almost two decades of living and working in the high mountains of the world.

When I first began working professionally as both a mountaineering guide and high altitude filmmaker, I wanted every experience to be about more than just me. Maybe that was rationalization for being involved in activities and a lifestyle that could arguably be defined as selfish. Maybe not. At any rate, taking people out of their comfort zones on big mountains and exotic expeditions often – if not always – proves to be inspiring, eye opening, and positively moving to all involved. Sharing those same stories of amazing adventure and incredible people through film and video, and being able to reach a wide audience of people from all walks of life through the vehicle of broadcast media is also a wonderful (and hopefully positive and inspiring) thing.

Most recently, I have been giving back to the mountain communities that have been so important to me through direct involvement with endangered species and environmental conservation efforts. Linked to mountaineering, but decidedly different in many regards, working in the field with local mountain villages in efforts to help conservation and communities has been incredible…with positive, tangible, short and long term results to all the people and places involved in the programs.

Why are you doing it?
This question, too, has opened up deep reflection and forced some excellent honesty within myself as to why I enjoy my life and creating a positive impact in what I do.

I believe there are many facets to “why”.  I am very fortunate to be able to do what I do, personally and professionally, and it is truly wonderful to be able to give back, to inspire, and to help others experience amazing life events.

Helping someone reach the top of a mountain for the first time – and seeing the smile and recognition of accomplishment on their face; producing a film about a mountain adventure that may even inspire non climbers to go after their goals and dreams – whatever they may be; and to directly help people, communities, and the environment are all wonderful things that hopefully create in positive results.

And in all of that lies an interesting truth:  There is a selfish component to what I do.  I gain such inspiration and positive energy doing what I do….maybe more than the other participants.  I love what I do, and like to believe I live passionately…and one of the main reasons the passion continues is that in creating positive impacts in life, I gain tremendous positive energy and inspiration in return.  Maybe that can be defined as a win/win situation?  Who knows…but I am lucky for the life I have and look forward to continued passion and purpose…and positive impact.


Peter G. James SinclairPeter Sinclair

Motivational Memo

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
One of the key ways that I am creating positive action in my world is through the gift of writing. Some people ask me why I write motivational material. The truth of it is that there was a time in my life, many years ago, when I was desperately in need of motivation myself – and the more I read personal development books, the more I felt that I had a message to share. Daily I sharpen my writing gift through practice, and through the power of my books, my blog, my online newsletter and online courses – lives are being transformed all over the world.

Why are you doing it?
Before I share this with you – let me tell you a story…

A tear welled up in the corner of my eyes when I received a four word email from my eldest daughter. It simply said, ‘You inspire me dad!’

To me, personally, those four words are one of the highest forms of praise I could ever receive from her. The only one that tops it is ‘I love you!’

As her father, mentor, coach, and business associate, I am proud of her beyond words.

Why?

Because she’s my daughter. I was there the very moment her eyes were opened to see this big world. And I am extremely proud of my other two children.

But what inspired me was when I got such an email that I never anticipated – it touched my heart.

For it is my deepest desire that my children, and my grandchildren when they join us, stand upon my shoulders and start where both my wife and I have come to – to this point in our lives. That they build upon the lessons that we have learnt. That they succeed far beyond their wildest dreams in every area of their lives – socially, mentally, physically, spiritually and financially.

And as I continue to write articles such as this, it is my prayer that those who read my words will experience their children saying to them the words, ‘You inspire me!’

So now for my why…

It is my mission in life to equip my readers to dream bigger, to achieve more, and to experience the best they can – in this lifetime and forever more. I live to inspire!


Joel RunyonImpossible HQ

Impossible HQ

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m pushing my physical limits and challenging myself and others to do the impossible.

Why are you doing it?
Challenging impossible things is tough – that’s why a lot of people consider them impossible. But, they’re also the things that are worth doing and the ones that push you to your limits, experience conflict and ultimately tell a great story with your life.

 


Wendy IreneWendy Irene

Give Love Create Happiness

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Teaching love is how I strive to create positive action in the world. As a teenager the calling to teach love was a whisper I heard from within. At the time I didn’t understand it or fully know what it meant. I assumed it meant I would one day have a family, children who I would teach love to by example.

One morning about a year after having my second child I had a sudden and strong urge to start a website and name it Give Love Create Happiness. I said yes to my intuition and here I am today teaching love by inspiring others to live consciously. I teach love by first and foremost striving to live consciously in my own life and doing my best to set an example of love within my home. It dawned on me that sharing my story, my personal experience with trying to live consciously had value and I needed to do what I could to get that message out. That is why my blog was created.

I believe our divine selves are creative beings looking for an outlet- a way to let love into the world. I share my journey publicly on my blog so that others can learn with me, or be inspired to search within for their own answers. I believe we all have great purpose in life and that sharing our story is one significant way to let our light shine in the world. Whenever we release the authentic light of our soul from the inside out we create positivity in the world. I aim to create positive action by living and acting in line with my heart.

Why are you doing it?
I am trying to make a difference and create positive action in the world because it is the only way I know how to live a life that feels fulfilled. In my heart I feel strongly about what I believe is truly important in life, and giving love is everything. It is who I am. Love is what we all are. Loving one another is the most worthwhile use of our energy. It also makes us the happiest and in turn benefits our planet. In its pure form love is simple and profound, and all that really matters. All I am trying to do is be who I am, love.


Josh LipovetskyJosh Lipovetsky

Optimistic Wellness

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I aim to create positive action through my own personal transformation and evolution. It’s my personal initiative, because we can help others up to the capacity that we can help ourselves. My ultimate ideal is to have every action I take embody love. There are many obstacles that get in the way, one of them being my own psychology.

Through my website, Optimistic Wellness, I aim to address some of these psychological obstacles that get in the way of living a courageous and loving existence. Optimism is a lens through which I view my world. It’s not a starry-eyed ideal, trying to shape the world to be more positive than it actually is. Rather, it’s a mindset of: “I will dedicate my life to being part of the solution, not the problem.”

Another way that I create positive action in the world is through my dancing. I know that dancing won’t directly solve many of the world’s biggest ills. However, dancing always ups my energy for life! I am a big believer that it will do the same for you. I’ve been practicing ballet for the past few years, and the fact that I can dance has been nothing short of a miracle. I’ll talk more about this miracle in the “Why” section.

Finally, my latest project is called “Lit For Brains,” and it’s all about making Literature exciting and accessible to teens. Let’s face it: Sometimes the books we’re given to read in school aren’t presented in the most engaging manner. I’m here to help fix that problem. I create Youtube Videos HERE. The videos are based on the plot/analysis of cool books/stories. My first project is on Don Quixote, and it’s been quite a journey.

Like I mentioned at the start, everything I do is aimed at bringing the world closer to love. I want to bring love to every single thing that I do. I can’t tell you what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life, because my interests are always changing. But Education is a BIG one.

Why are you doing it?
Simply put: Life has given me quite an incredible hand in life, and I want to give back.

When I was 15 years old, something interesting happened in my life. I ended up being diagnosed with UC/Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that affects the immune and digestive system.

I was ready to handle whatever the illness threw at me. Had I known how severe things would get, I probably would’ve thrown in the towel. One of the coolest things about life is that we only have to live it one day at a time (one moment at a time, if you want to break it down). Thank God for that!

All being said and done, I spent about 135+ days in the hospital between 2008-2009. I had a major surgery, which ended up making the illness worse. I also had some of the coolest experiences of my life while inpatient at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the best hospital in the world. These days, I get to present my medical story to new staff members at the Employee Orientation!

If it hadn’t been for the illness, I definitely wouldn’t be sitting in front of the computer and typing this right now. Having Crohn’s Disease led me to develop an interest in personal development and spirituality. I began reading blogs, I started reading books from people like Dale Carnegie and The Dalai Lama. I read many books while in the hospital, looking for strategies to deal with the physical pain.

I got a better deal than I bargained for. Not only did I learn how to handle physical pain better; I learned how to live life better. I learned how to begin meditating. I learned how to see life as a canvas that could actually be changed. I didn’t have to accept everything I was given. I could pick and choose different jigsaw pieces to fit together in my own life.

Eventually, the constant cycle of hospitalizations stopped. I went back to school, I started my blog, I got into Ballet Dance! Funny story: My old ballet teacher saw my daily stretching video, and invited me to dance at her studio. It had never crossed my mind before she invited me. The influence that other people have on us is tremendous.

So I dance. And I write. And I record youtube videos on awesome books. I do it for love.


Kelly Gurnett aka CordeliaKelly Gurnett

Cordelia Calls It Quits

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
My blog, Cordelia Calls It Quits, documents my attempts to free myself from the usual 9-5, go-go-go, lather-rinse-repeat lifestyle. In addition to working to launch my freelance writing business so I can one day quit my day job, I’m also working to make my here and now more intentional and positive. I’ve quit everything from watching too much TV to resenting my circumstances, and I’ve been pleased to spotlight a large number of “Reader Quits” from readers who’ve decided to take charge of their own lives. I hope that by sharing my own story as someone “in the trenches” (as opposed to the A-list gurus who’ve already “made it”), I can inspire and encourage other people to take a good, hard look at their lives and resolve to make them what they want (and deserve) them to be.

Too many people fall into step with the myth of “The Way Things Are”: No one grows up to live their dreams, everyone is stuck in jobs they hate, being an adult is about compromise and debt and just trying to make it through the day. We believe in this concept because we see everyone else around us living by it, even though they’re miserable, so we just assume that means there’s no alternative. But there is. My ultimate goal is to bring down the “Way Things Are” and show people that life is whatever you’re willing to make it. Once one person in a group breaks free of the box, others start getting ideas of their own. I want to start that ripple effect.

Why are you doing it?
I’ve worked the same corporate office drone job for 10 years (which is a lot, considering I’m 30 and that’s a full third of my life). I always swore I’d NEVER become another cog in the 9-5 machine, but some stupid spending habits after college, in addition to some personal struggles (I’m bipolar), left me with nowhere else to go after graduation. And the longer I stayed in the grind, the longer I believed the “Way Things Are” rhetoric. I told myself I should be grateful just to have a job. I told myself everyone was unhappy, so who was I to complain? I told myself that being a writer was a fun hobby when I was little, but of course it would never pay the bills. That’s now how “the real world” works.

I told myself all this until I sank into a depression so deep it started scaring me. I reached that wall where all the excuses and expectations around you drop away and you’re left staring at stark reality; I had to change things, I had to take control of my life, or something awful was going to happen. I don’t want anyone to have to reach that spot, and I don’t want anyone in that spot to think there’s no way out. I think that secretly, so many people are miserable with the way their lives are, and I want to make it known that there’s a reason for that. The “Way Things Are” is a miserable way to live, and there are so many ways to break free from it. Blogs like The Happiness Project and The Middle Finger Project literally saved my life when I came across them, because they gave me the hope that things could change, that people were already changing them as we speak. I want to add to that dialogue.


Ken WertKen Wert

Meant to Be Happy

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I believe deeply in the proposition that ideas matter. They are the building blocks to the world we live in and the world we are creating. They build and sustain and encourage and expand or they shrink and they undermine and frustrate and destroy. Whole civilizations have risen on the back of noble ideas and collapsed in the rubble of bad ones. People’s individual lives are no different.

Great ideas can inspire us to live better, make needed changes, put into action those principles that will beautify our lives, ennoble our character and take steps toward the kind of lives we dream of.

It is with this belief as the driving force behind what I do that I spend so many countless hours thinking, researching and writing about the principles of happiness and growth, purpose and character. I believe ideas can truly alter the human experience. I’ve received feedback from many that the ideas I write about have. This humbles and inspires me to keep thinking and writing.

In my personal life, I teach high school seniors. My economic and government lessons are laced with life lessons. Many of them come back over the years to visit and sometimes get counsel. Some seem to see me as a sort of father figure in their lives and mentor in their moral and emotional development. Or so I’ve been told, anyway. I’m also a regular volunteer with my church and in the community, often through my church.

Why are you doing it?
There are four basic reasons I do what I do at Meant to be Happy.

  1. I hope to one day blog for a living. I love it.
  2. I love writing. The art of writing thrills me. The process of creating and the reading of a well-crafted sentence, an idea that has been lifted from the mere earth-bound existence of a sentence to the stratosphere of a profound thought expressed eloquently moves me.
  3. I believe we are all here to help each other live higher, better, a more profound life of service, decency and happiness. My blog provides me with one avenue for reaching an audience I would never have met in any other way, extending my “voice” to hearts and lives that would never have otherwise been touched by me.
  4. As I write, I learn and I grow. So what I do also helps me become a better man. That’s important to me.

Lori WallaceLori

Kula Love

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
By helping people journey into the wilderness of their own hearts to cultivate human connection and liberate love.

I’m Lori Wallace, founder of kulalove.com. Since the great recession of 2008 I’ve been asking myself, ‘where’s the love?’

Society says its in material wealth, a powerful job, beauty and fame, 500 friends on Facebook – anything that’s out there for the getting that keeps us distracted from an inner life.

But that’s all wrong and only makes for a lonely and detached world.

The path to love begins in the heart – and is the source for all hope.

Being a tried and true love activist I looked to where people go by the millions everyday in search of love but are tragically lead into a world of superficial disconnect. I’m talking about mega-online dating, as we know it.

There’s a better way – the way of the heart.

Kulalove is about coming together as a community of singles to share experiences that awaken the heart.

Experiences like:

  • guided mini-blogging to cultivate self-reflection;
  • group giving (of corporate profits that is) to world charities to cultivate empathy;
  • communication through the language of flowers to cultivate trust and beauty;
  • ecstatic salsa dancing to cultivate touch and joy;

This and so much more is our offering to cultivate human connection from the inside out, in the name of love.

Why are you doing it?
With the start of 2008’s great recession and its accompanying haze of fear, I wanted to do something significant to help quicken the spirit of love back in to the world. To maximize my reach and capacity to serve, I considered various large-scale institutions where people were trapped, languishing under the heavy weight of ego-based systems fueled by forces of self interest and fear (sadly there are many).

It was during this time that I serendipitously viewed a wrenching reality matchmaker TV show and realized that thousands of people were highly vulnerable to the negative effects of ego-based commercial dating companies and just at a time that they were out searching for human connection. I knew then that online dating was a unique place to not only rescue people from this fate, but also provide a nourishing experience that could actually serve to awaken heart consciousness and foster human connection on every level. It was clear to me that this was the ideal place to help guide people gently back into relationship with self, and from a place of self-awareness and sharing, help facilitate their forming of authentic and trusting relationships with others.

Kulalove was born in Spring 2010. “Kula” is an ancient Sanskrit word with a timeless idea. It means “community of the heart”, and that is my meditation to the world. I strive to help people tease open their hearts to cultivate genuine human connection and fall in love – in love with self, in love with another, in love with life.


Sean OgleSean Ogle

Location 180

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I believe that most people are living their lives the way they think others want them to. They’re taking the easy path, and not doing the things that truly excite them.

Over the last three years I’ve started leading a rebellion against that. I quit my job in order to pursue my personal goals of travel and entrepreneurship. In that time I’ve helped dozens of people quit their jobs, build businesses, and essentially do more interesting things.

Why are you doing it?
I believe the absolute most important thing we can pursue in life is our own personal happiness. If we aren’t happy, then we’re not going to be able to create positive change in the lives of others. For that reason, it’s more important than ever to start doing the things you want to do.


Daniel DancerDaniel Dancer

Art for the Sky

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
My goal has always been to try to wake people up to the unsustainable life style pioneered by the American way of life. One of the things I do is Art For the Sky, residency projects for schools and communities that culminate in giant living paintings made of people which only makes sense from the sky. These “gifts to the sky and Earth” made by 100’s of people collaborating together make no sense on the ground and encourage people to develop their ability to use their imaginations to rise above their world and see the Big Picture. All the creative solutions to the problems we face as individuals and as a society live in the Big Picture view which we access by turning on what I call our “skysight”.

I am also the manager of the Pacific Northwest’s only Conservation Burial Ground and thus am trying to change our relationship with death, which is a very important aspect of life! I believe our bodies don’t belong to us, they belong to Nature and thus should be returned to the Earth upon death rather than burned up (contributing to global warming) or preserved with chemicals and sealed away.

I founded an environmental community and am an activist in many areas of life concerning our relationship with the Earth.

Why are you doing it?
Activism is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this beautiful planet! I do it for all of Earth’s creatures, for future generations and because I love the beauty and wildness of this world and hate to see it degraded.


Courtney JohnstonCourtney Johnston

Rule Breakers Club

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Your life is a story. Make it a brilliant one. Why on earth would you do anything else? At The Rule Breaker’s Club I guide you to make sure that the story you’re writing is worthwhile and authentic. And awesome, of course.

Why are you doing it?
I can’t imagine anything more important than spreading joy. Nor can I think of anything more lovely than living a life that you’d love to read about or share with your grandkids one day. On my death bed I want to look at my loved ones and say, “Hell yes. That was fun. If you want to live an amazing life, you should take after me.”


Lisette & Ryan CheressonFarm Trekkers

Farm Trekkers

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Farm Trekkers is a documentary project highlighting farmers around the world who are doing things differently, whether it be organically, traditionally, or radically. We believe the stories of people who are intimately connected to the food that they grow are important, and we’re committed to showcasing these otherwise untold stories. Farm Trekkers fosters an understanding of traditional methods that are at risk of being lost as indigenous communities modernize, and also highlights the radical ideas of educated professionals who, like us, believe a return to basics could save our dying relationship to the food that we eat.

We’re traveling around the world seeking these farms and farmers out, and encouraging them to share their methodology and reasoning. The more we—as humans—know and understand true “hand-to-mouth” farming, the closer we are to the land that sustains us. And that seems like a good idea for everyone.

Why are you doing it?
In today’s fast-paced, easy-to-open, ready-to-eat world, people are more disconnected than ever from the cultivation of one of life’s basic needs: food. In the United States, the number of small family farms—in which a working knowledge and understanding of the land is passed down generationally—has declined, even as overall farm acreage has remained relatively the same. This is a consequence of agribusiness farming in which machinery, instead of humans, are directly connected to the land. What kind of world would it be if these stories were lost? If children grew up believing that meat grows in packages or corn without husks? By seeking out international stories, we’re creating a legacy of people who care enough to take the hard road, as backbreaking and slow going as it may be.

Please check out our website at www.farmtrekkers.com for short films featuring the farmers we’ve come across. More will be appearing as we trek our way across the globe!


Scott Dinsmore (RIP Scott)Scott Dinsmore

Live Your Legend

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I am doing all I can to help people find their passion and build a career around doing work they love. Helping people align their values, strengths and talents with how they impact the world.

Why are you doing it?
Because if we can get the people around us doing work they genuinely enjoy, they will treat the people and the world around them differently. These ripples will begin to intersect. When they do, we have a revolution. And before long, instead of 80% of the world not enjoying their work, the stat will hopefully be the opposite.


Angie MockAngie Mock

Boys & Girls Club, San Antonio

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
In the nonprofit world, I’m what’s known as a “crossover” which means I gave up a career in the for-profit world to lead a nonprofit. For many years, I stomped on the urge to use my business background for the greater good of society, but like most true “callings”, I eventually took the plunge into a vastly different career than I’d ever imagined.

As the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, I have the honor of providing a safe, nurturing place for almost 8,000 youth at five Club locations and 42 on-school sites. We focus on three priority outcomes:

  1. Academic Success,
  2. Character & Good Citizenship, and
  3. Healthy Lifestyles.

We also focus on the kids that need us most, keeping membership costs low and never turning away a family in need.

What makes me proud?
Most of our sites our located in neighborhoods with a 50% school dropout rate, but 98% Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio members are promoted to the next grade and graduate on time.

One of the biggest struggles I’ve had since I accepted the position to lead the organization is to find the right balance of work, family and personal time to engage in my passions of reading and writing.

Something that helped me recently to put this is in perspective was a fill in the blank question posed by Be Legendary founder, James Carter: “If I accomplish nothing else in this world, I will . . . ” I knew my answer immediately and now I am working to fulfill it. That’s right. Being Legendary takes a bit of effort!

Why are you doing it?
I used to go to a religious study group that was led by a man who had been an incredibly successful wealthy lawyer but decided to give it up to pursue a different purpose for his life. One day he talked about the difference of having a vocation versus an occupation. I’ve never been able to get his description out of mind. I wanted some of that and I am proud to say that I now have a vocation, too!

I’m also proud of the example I am setting for my own children. Who knows? Maybe they will Be Legendary some day based upon their Mom’s crazy crossover to the Youth Development business!

Do I miss the for-profit world . . . not one bit. I used to think I had accomplished some great things. Little did I know what being legendary was about until I found a legendary vocation.


Kai SoremekunKai Soremekun

Who is CHICK?

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I inspire women to become superheroes through entertainment.

My website, whoisCHICK.com, is a transmedia experience that blurs the lines between fiction and real life. “CHICK” is a web based quirky drama about one woman’s quest to become a superhero. “Just Add Cape” is our complimentary blog where we explore how to be a superhero in real life.

Part entertainment, part adventure, part self-realization guide and part feminist manifesto, our mission is to help women overcome their fears through fun, challenging, immersive experiences. We believe in challenging the status quo so we can realize our greatness and put a dent in the universe.

We are also proud to be the first green web show. CHICK was shot on an ultra-low budget but despite this, we made green filmmaking a priority during our production. We hope by sharing our green practices, other filmmakers will be inspired to make choices that result in more eco-friendly films. We intend to be a model that shows lack of funding or resources doesn’t prevent you from being environmentally responsible.

Why are you doing it?
It was a chilly winter night. I was in bed reading, cozy under the blankets, when my boyfriend came home. He slipped into the bed next to me to cuddle. We could here the upstairs neighbor walking around above us.

My boyfriend asked, “Do you think he’d ever come down here?”

I was confused. “What?”

He continued. “What would you do if he did?”

“I laughed nervously. He wasn’t making any sense.

My boyfriend reached under his side of the bed. “If he ever comes down here I have this!” He turned back towards me, one of my kitchen knives clenched in his hand.

I froze.

A million thoughts flashed through my mind…

…Am I going to die? Where’s Foxxie (my dog)? How can I get out of the bed and at least be in a standing position in case he tries to stab me. HOW THE HELL LONG HAS THAT KNIFE BEEN UNDER THE MATTRESS!? I knew I should have broken up with this motherfucker a long time ago…and now look…DAMN IT! Trapped! Stay calm. Breath…

I tried to talk him down, convinced him to let me call his mother and one of his friends. I was crying, frantic, “He’s got a knife. He’s not making sense.”

They told me to get him to take a shower, maybe he’d snap out of it. I said someone needed to come over…

…no one came.

He remained paranoid, holding onto the knife even when he insisted we go to bed. I lay stiff on the edge of the bed, hoping I’d make it through the night.

The next morning, he went to take a shower as if nothing had happened. While he was in the shower, I took the key to my apartment off his key ring, called a girlfriend and went into hiding for a few days.

It was the hardest and the best thing that ever happened to me!

That relationship forced me to look at the choices I was making in my life that weren’t serving me. I made a commitment to work on myself. I became a book junkie, discovering how powerful we are as human beings.

This low point in my life and my self-exploration served as the catalyst for CHICK. I fell in love with the idea of using the superhero theme as a metaphor for exploring human potential and whoisCHICK.com was born.


Tim BrownsonTim

A Daring Adventure

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m doing it one client per time and also through my writings. With my blog I try and stir people from their complacency and get them to act. I take a very light-hearted approach to my writing as humor can create more sustainable breakthroughs with people that simply telling them what to do. My newsletter tends to be more tips and tricks as those people are usually more into self development and as such don’t need so much hand holding.

Why are you doing it?
The buzz I get from helping people cannot be bought. I love it when a client says something as simple as “Wow, I hadn’t thought of it that way” Life Coaching to me is a calling. I earned twice as much money in sales and you could offer me 10x what I used to earn and I wouldn’t go back. Cliche that it is, money cannot buy happiness.


Corbett BarrCorbett-Barr

Start a Blog that Matters

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m dedicated to helping would-be entrepreneurs find success if they want it. I created www.StartABlogthatMatters.com to begin creating that success and share what really matters.

Why are you doing it?
I believe that the world is a better place when people get to do work that makes them come alive. Too many of us spend thousands of hours a year doing work we don’t believe in, just to collect a paycheck.


Chakshu MehtaChakshu Mehta

Canstruction

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
In 2010, I had the unique opportunity to work for a nonprofit called Canstruction, a seventeen year old organization at the time, that needed a major facelift and proper management.

Over the course of 2 years I learned how multifaceted this organization was and the tangible and measurable outcomes we could obtain through such a simple idea; building structures made out of canned food then donating the food to local hunger relief organizations. I was enlightened to see that many of the programs were in their initial phases but just lacked proper execution. I immediately created manuals and tutorials for the Junior and University programs that teach students advanced art, engineering, math and 3D rendering design. I created social media accounts and took part in the creation of a Special Events program which is able to teach corporate social responsibility and spread awareness to the general public of hunger issues. Every day I consult and advise over 130+cities worldwide with the proper implementation of their Canstruction exhibition and competition.

With thousands of volunteers in each city eager to make their community a better place, I am able to stir enthusiasm and excitement in each of these individuals in some way. It is not every day you come across a cause that is able to create lifelong skills, bring an entire community together, fundraise and raise awareness of an issue that plagues every community. By working after hours, always updating and researching new ways to design, engineer and teach and by testing new ideas I’ve learned that if you are able to impact even one individual you have created a way to impact hundreds more.

Why are you doing it?
Before Canstruction, I worked for the AmeriCorps program and volunteered regularly at various community events. It is human nature to want to belong to your community and see it flourish.

We are all predisposed to be legendary and all have the potential to make a difference. The question should really be why wouldn’t someone want to do this? I learn something new every day, whether it be a new technique in design, a new nonprofit solution or the endless research on education practices. I found a cause that I am passionate about and enjoy working on. Everyone should discover their cause and contribute whatever they can to fighting for it.


David William Jr.David William

Almost Bohemian

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’d like to think I create positive action in the world in many ways, but the one I am currently focusing on is simple: encouragement.

There is a lot of resistance in the world. We often feel we have to be a certain person, live a certain life, say the right things, work the right job, network accordingly, and maybe if we can overcome our own voices in our heads, finally do a little of what we want .

Specifically, I’m talking about creativity.

I’ve found that my words and actions can go a long way with friends and the people I meet. That friend or coworker that enjoys painting, the neighbor that works on vintage motorcycles in his spare time, the family member that wants to quit his job to travel the world- we all know so many people who want to create new things for their lives. We all know struggling filmmakers, writers, inventors, musicians, and other creative folks who just need that extra bump in the right direction.

I try to be that person. Every time.

Why are you doing it?
I’ve come across plenty of art, music, blogs, books, films, and even dance that doesn’t directly appeal to me, but bigger than myself, I support the arts. It’s become my personal validation to support people. I make the distinction, since supporting organizations or movements can be tricky, but supporting individuals- supporting the creators is essential. Support can take on many forms, and often is is dependent on the situation. Money, time, words, social media plugging- these are just a few of the ways that edification can take place. It is essential for the next generation of beauty and wisdom to be birthed into the world. If we wish to be the change we want to see in the world, it must also include the support of others.


Zoë Wild, CPCCZoeWild

Wild Life Coaching

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m a freedom facilitator. I guide people to see the truth of being. This sets them free and results in a profound love of self, others and life. From this place, we naturally create positive action – in what way is unique to each individual. I’ve been doing this as a Spiritual life & business coach at Wild Life Coaching, as well as through Buddhist chaplaincy and being an Interfaith Minister with the aim of unifying religions through focusing on shared ideals. Currently, I’m developing an online spiritual community practice and resource center where people come together to lead happier lives, discover freedom and create a kinder world.

Why are you doing it?
Because truth, joy and love are our birthright. I discovered this the hard way, and my mission is to make it way more accessible to others than it was to me. There’s no need to do it alone, and there is no better time to live a happy, fulfilled, loving life in a conscious society – and awaken to the truth of your heart – than NOW.


Jacob SokolAbout

Sensophy

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
By making my life my message! If we really wanna change people’s lives, we’ve gotta make *our* life the living example of what’s possible. I can shoot a thousand videos and write another thousand blogs all talking about theory, but what will get though most to people is them watching other people (like me, and you!) actually living these concepts!

Why are you doing it?
The reason I rock out with www.Sensophy.com is because a few years ago I was lost, isolated, and felt hopeless – facing challenges that most people face but nobody talks about openly. And if I could give anything to the world, it would be to help someone go from a similar position as I was to being where I am now, Living On Purpose, baby! 🙂


Andrew HewittAndrew Hewitt

GameChangers 500

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I am helping re-define success by creating a bold upgrade to the Fortune 500 list. It’s called the GameChangers 500 and it profiles organizations that are reinventing the world and redefining the rules of business around fun, fulfillment and fairness to all life.

If the Fortune 500 was the benchmark for success in the 20th Century, the vision is for the GameChangers 500 to become that benchmark for the 21st Century — showcasing heart-centered organizations that are not just good at making money but are also good at making the world a better place.

In addition to producing the GameChangers 500 List, I am using this research to make a positive impact by:

  • Equipping entrepreneurs with the best practices for building a game-changing organization
  • Helping job-seekers find and connect with game-changing organizations that inspire them and share their values
  • Influencing society at large to aspire to a new definition of success and join the movement to reinvent the world

Why are you doing it?
It frustrated me watching hordes of my talented university friends strive for success in high status careers, only to find themselves numbed by meaningless work routines and disheartened by the profit-at-all-cost corporate mentality. I found myself asking:

  • Why is it that we spotlight the Fortune 500, a list whose benchmark for success is centered around profits alone?
  • What if we created a new list that showcased the growing movement of organizations that are more purpose-driven than profit-driven?

My intention is to help redefine the common definition of “success”, so as a society we aim to create a more sustainable, socially just and fulfilling presence on this planet.

Check out the growing list of GameChanging organizations at: www.GameChangers500.com!


Kyle WeissKyle Weiss

FundAField

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I am creating positive action in the world by running FUNDaFIELD.

FUNDaFIELD builds soccer fields for kids in third world countries who have gone through some sort of trauma or crisis. Soccer gives these kids a sense of hope and can often be the best form of therapy to help them move past the traumatic events that they have lived through. I also have created a platform for other kids to join our organization which allows them to start giving back at a young age. Our work is also the inspiration for hundreds of different projects across the country that were started because young people saw that their age would not limit the impact they could have on the world. Many of these projects do not impact FUNDaFIELD, but the fact that young people are doing their part is just as valuable to us.

Why are you doing it?
I started FUNDaFIELD with my brother when I was 13 years old. At the time it was just a way to use our passion for soccer to help others. FUNDaFIELD’s transformation into the organization it is today came because I saw the immense impacts that our work was having on kids. We would give a kid a new soccer jersey and it would instantly become their most prized possession. We would meet that same kid years later and he would still be wearing his jersey. Running FUNDaFIELD can be a lot of work but the difference it makes on these kids is incredible. I still just love soccer and to be able to use something I love to change peoples lives is pretty awesome.


Jaemin YiJaemin Yi

Imaginary Lava

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I wish I could tell you I have some huge mission statement or a badass “calling” in life, but I don’t.

What I can tell you is that for my entire life, I constantly strive to become a better person every single day. To shed my bullshit and ego and become more honest, loving, and awesome to myself and everyone else around me.
Whatever I learn on my journey, I do my best to share with others – whether that’s through writing or just being that change. I don’t have any grand delusions that I’m changing the world, but I gotta believe that I’m causing at least a few positive ripples.

Why are you doing it?
I’ve received so much help from the words of others to get to where I am today. I feel like the least I can do is give something back!


Marie WikleMarie Wikle

Spreading Joy

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Spreading Joy is my outlet for creating positive action in this big crazy world. Everyone is looking for joy but there are few who are creating it and choosing it over circumstances that they cannot control. We want to remind others of the simple joys of giving.

With all the negative things in this world and the fact that the economy that leaves us feeling like we can’t make a difference, I strive to be a voice that reminds others that they already have the resources they need to impact the individuals around them. The fact is that circumstances that we can’t change, fix or avoid are going to head our way. The days will be dark and dreary but we don’t have to be defeated by those days.
Just as laughter is infectious, joy is contagious and Spreading Joy to others will ultimately lead to more joy being spread around.

Sometimes, when we can’t give on a level that our heart desires, we often become discouraged and feel like there is no use to try. We forget the amazing little acts of joy that people show us each day and how it makes our hearts smile. We forget that giving those little things to others will do the same for them that it did for us. Spreading Joy daily has brought me more benefits than I can ever describe and it will for anyone who attempts to make a difference for others on a daily basis.

Making a difference for others is as easy as a card with a note of appreciation, the gift of a Reece’s Cup or favorite coffee. Doing things secretly for others, such as, paying for a meal for a couple on the other side of the restaurant, sending a $10 Subway Gift card in a card and not putting a return address or signing it. There are thousands of ways to have a huge impact on hearts and not break the bank. There are those people that have the financial means to give big and they often do so, but so many others are struggling to make ends meet and fight guilt about not being able to give more.

We will continue to encourage the discouraged, while reminding them to keep going, keep doing and keep giving. We will encourage them to keep reaching for their dreams, keep taking one step after another and to include others along the way.

Why are you doing it?
We want to rise above the discouragement of high prices, the obstacle of dead ends and the disappointment of our comfort zone. We want to be the change that is so desperately needed.

We want to remind others that they matter.

We want them to see that “There’s no joy like Spreading Joy”.

When we are making a difference for others, our hearts are flooded with great joy and it’s my desire that everyone experience floods of joy on a daily basis!

Just as one small flicker has an impact, we want to continue to spark daily acts of joy that isn’t surrounded by the stench of guilt.

Why… because doing what we can, with what we have right where we are, is all that anyone can do.

Please visit our Website for more encouragement and inspiration:


Amanda Wright-HughesAmanda Wright-Hughes

Right Now Wellness

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I help assist in peoples relationship transformations. Relationship to others, relationship to self, relationship to money, relationship to sex and relationship to their body.
The modalities I use include hypnosis, NLP, life/relationship coaching, a in depth sexual healing. My passion is creating a world where we honor, love and understand ourselves, others, and our environment. Teaching people that they can be healthy, whole, and happy fills my tanks of love and joy!! 

I am able to teach at NA/AA retreats, colleges, and military posts to assist young spouses while their beloved is deployed. It’s amazing how much people’s lives can transform with a little understanding and education.

My path started because of my own personal need to be in better relationship with all that I offer. I had a rough childhood, saw a lot of things in the military and have sensed peoples pains and struggles in life. It needed to get better. I have just been guided each step of the way. Starting as a massage therapist when I got out of the military, then became a certified tantra educator, ordained minister, life-coach, NLP, hypnosis, and focusing of teaching the differences of men and women so we can live in balance.

Why are you doing it?
My why goes back to being completely compelled to show people, esp young women that they don’t have to have guilt, shame, and a life of pain because they aren’t aware or don’t know there are ways to feel better. 
By assisting these people they show up as a positive light in the world. They are better providers, supporters, and lovers. It breaks my heart to see so many people numb or hardened.


Brian DriggsBrian Driggs

Gearbox Magazine

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Gearbox Magazine began as a niche site dedicated to showcasing the exceptional within the Mitsubishi enthusiast community. In the first two years, it evolved into an outlet dedicated to sharing stories of automotive enthusiasts of all stripes, all over the world. It’s caused me to evolve with it, now seeking to show my fellow gearheads how the things we have in common are what ultimately empower us to realize the full potential of our differences.

I want to show the average automotive enthusiast how he or she is an important part of the global automotive industry and how our shared passion for automotive performance provides us with a solid foundation to explore our differences with open minds on common ground. I do this by shining our modest spotlight on those who would not otherwise be recognized by the wider automotive press, and by encouraging enthusiasts to modify their lives, to tap their gearhead connections and explore the world. We are building high performance machines & lives.

Why are you doing it?
The internet makes it easy for us to get to know countless exceptional individuals we may never meet face-to-face. Having experienced first hand how everything changes when we do finally meet “in real life”, where these shared automotive pursuits dissolve geo-political, cultural, and even language barriers, I want to share this sense of global citizenship, of being part of something truly planetary, with as many people as possible. Why follow when you can join? Friends can become family.

I believe almost everyone, with a little effort, can step off a plane just about anywhere in the world, and walk into the open arms of a friend they’ve not even met yet. It’s happened to me at least twice in two years, and I need to make this sort of thing happen for as many of my gearhead brothers and sisters as possible.

The internet makes it easy for us to get to know countless exceptional individuals we may never meet face-to-face.


Jennifer KemJen Kem

www.JenniferKem.com

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
On the personal tip, I really like to think I’m creating positive action in the world just by the energy that I choose to vibrate on a daily basis. What that looks like is – one of the things I was brought up with in my family was always saying “please” and “thank you” and honoring people with a big, genuine smile when I pass them, whether I know them or not. See, I think people need more smiles – that at the root of our being, we want it to be easy to connect with other human beings. I think the easiest way to do that without speaking a word is smacking a huge smile on them. It always makes me feel good to give them and I surely love to receive them!

On the professional side of the house, I get extreme satisfaction from helping others use their God-given talents in a way to move the planet in an upward and impactful way. I operate from the mindset of the “triple-bottom-line” (people + planet + profit = meaningful wealth), and it’s my mission and own God-given talent to arm people with the tools and support to give them a super fabulous life. I love the idea of creating responsible yet exponential commerce in a modern way. Yeah, I really love that.

Why are you doing it?
That’s an easier question now because I finally got my own “why” a few years ago.

Here’s the answer: because I accepted (it took me awhile, can any of you relate?) that was my truth, my reason, my purpose. And I listened to the inner me (some call it Source) finally.

So now I just “am”. And the “am” that shows up looks like the answer in Question number 1.


Christina RasmussenChristina Rasmussen

SecondFirsts

How am I creating positive action in the world?


I am determined to change the way we live life after loss, after life interruptions.

I am crusading to help the government, the professionals, the big corporations to start investing in life after loss. 

I disagree with the well known sentence “time heals all wounds.” I am here to say…Time does not heal all wounds, we heal ourselves.

I used neuroscience to create my re-entry process and I have brought back to life people who lost children, spouses and loved ones.

I founded Second Firsts, a coaching portal and a reinvention space where people find out for the first time that GRIEF does not last forever.

I am building a social network called Life Starters where people will go to start over.

I am re-inventing grief. One new step at a time.

It takes guts to change the norm, the traditional. But I have some guts and I am here to help the world of sorrow laugh once again.

Why are you doing it?
In 2006 my husband died at age 35 of cancer. I died that day. You see he was the love of my life, he was my Universe, my everything. When he died, life carried on, the world just kept going on. 

I was burning inside and out and nobody could take my fire out. Nobody knew what to do apart from making dinners for me and for my baby girls.

You see I used to be a grief therapist before my husband died, I even did my thesis on grief. Nobody, and nothing could have prepared me for the pain and sorrow of loss.

So I decided to change the way we view loss, and the way we are passively watching millions of people go through loss every day and the best we can do, is tell them that time will heal them.

No more of that.

It has been six years since my husband died, and I have grieved, healed and lived again. And no, I no longer grieve in the way I was told I would. The world lied when they said grief never ends.

It is not the grief that does not end but the guilt and fear that we feel after our loss. But with the right tools, the world can begin again.

I got myself back. And now I am going back to get everyone else.

I am here to help 7 billion people turn their loss into a launch pad and re-enter life.


Tom CroninTom Cronin

Science of Stillness

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
As Co-Founder at One Great Find we believe that global transformation is going to require a multi-tiered approach. With that in mind we feel the priority is to shift the state of consciousness of as many individuals as possible. As Albert Einstein once said: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

So expanding the state of consciousness of the masses is key to this. Our online platform called Science of Stillness is a world’s first online platform that selects specific Stillness Sounds for each member that has the power to calm the mind from the stressed alpha and beta states down to the deep meditative states of delta brainwave state. Within the platform as well as the life changing Stillness Sessions, there is also 6 other bonus modules of knowledge on the body, the mind, ayurveda, nutrition, thought forms and spirituality. www.scienceofstillness.com

The second tier to our model of global transformation is our retreats. Here we offer an experience like no other, as we take our members on a journey of personal growth and discovery in the exotic and “Avatar” like surrounds of Bagus jati in Bali. By the testimonials these retreats are proving to be the highlight of peoples lives. www.oneliferetreats.com

We are also in the developmental stages of our movie, magazine, apps and books being published. Our intention is to inspire people to connect with their soul and find the inner peace and love that lies deep within their core.

Why are you doing it?
Lisa Nichols recently did talk about giving from the overflow of your cup. She said that when your cup is overflowing, give from that, and you will never be depleted. Well, our cup is overflowing. We are choice-less and the only thing for us to do is to serve humanity and spread the Light that radiates from within. Having spent that last 2 decades purging, purifying and re-connecting to my core, the only other move now was to spread it outward.


Tia SparklesTia-Sparkles-Singh

Blogger, Life Coach, globe trotting & freedom seeking Inner Sparkle Activator.

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
What a fabulous, powerful question this is, Chris & James!

It all starts with love.

Self love + Love for the world.

Every day that I show up focused on love, in love, I create positive energy in the world.

The more time we all spend coming from a space of love and openness, the more positivity, joy, movement, transformation we create.

Getting out of the thinking trap that only big action = positive action.

Positive action is anything that brings joy and leads to progress, no matter how small the action. Whether it’s DOING something or SEEING the awesomeness that already exists (I’m a daily-gratitude-practice evangelist)!

Inspiring people to be who they are, instead of who they think they should be.

Especially Scanners/Sparklers aka multi-passionate, multi-potential people. Those of us who have too many passions to choose and go through the world feeling like we don’t belong or are failures in some way.

I want people to KNOW that who you are, is perfect. Good enough. More than. And just AMAZING!!

That your outside is but a manifestation of your inside – your thoughts, beliefs, attitude.

And you are 100% responsible for creating your own happiness.

Through my blog, Facebook page, email list, social media, conversations, coaching, e-courses, digital products, powerful questions etc, I instigate people to think deeper, challenge their ‘stuckness’, and show them new perspectives and ways of being.

I help them discover their passion. Reignite their Inner Sparkle.

Be empowered. Live life their way. Authentically.

And I’m making my life my message. Just like Gandhi said.

Why are you doing it?
Every single person on Earth has the potential to be legen.. wait for it…. dary. They just need to believe it and see it in themselves! My personal journey .. I grew up feeling like I wasn’t good enough, didn’t belong, had to follow the rules to be happy.

The day I gave up wanting to be “normal” and accepted my unconventional, non-conformist, idealistic lifestyle, was the day I found my freedom.

I DEEPLY desire that level of self acceptance and empowerment for everyone.

For the more empowered we are, the more we truly love ourselves warts and all, the more real and authentic we are, the happier we are, the more freakin’ amazeballs our Universe becomes!

#ThatIsAll 🙂 Thanks for asking! Tia.


Jessica HilltoutJessica Hiltout

Amen Project

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Photography has been an inseparable part of my life for ten years. Two years ago I tackled a wonderful project which took me to 10 African countries, doing over 24,000km with my camera, my log book and a bunch of deflated footballs.

My aim was to speak of the importance of football in Africa, where football is not just a sport, its an essential in life like food and family.

I wanted to show the sport as it is played all over the continent, far from the big stadiums, the money and the corporate sponsors.

It would be a positive and uplifting portrayal of Africa. One which shows the pride, strength, dignity, solidarity and ingeniousness of a continent that manages to do so much with so little. I wanted to speak of a reality one rarely talks about, where despite the poverty and daily struggles there is great richness of spirit.

The project which came to be know as AMEN- Grassroots Football was a self-funded self-published labour of love.

It was a project I embarked on with my father. He was the designer and I was the photographer. We had deep belief in what we were doing and our message.

It resulted in exhibitions all over the world during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and a book. Not to mention the articles in the press worldwide.

Our message was definitely heard.

Why are you doing it?
AMEN became a project which changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.
It had a positive outcome for the people who were touched by my message, it helped them see things in another light.

Its had a positive outcome for me as an artist but its also hand a positive outcome for all those in my book as I was sponsored by Adidas and was able to go back to all the countries I worked in to deliver football equipment to allow them to keep on playing the game they love.

Doing a project like this was no easy task. I think I’ve never pushed myself so far or worked so hard.

Taking risks and facing ones fears is also for me a key part of a successful project.

In my mind, no matter what you choose to do in life you need to give 100% of yourself, and be yourself.
You need to go further that just to scrape the surface. Its the only way to dig deep into the feeling and meaning of things.

For me the relationships I have with those I work with are very important.

When I work I spend an enormous amount of time talking to people and getting them to trust me. I want them to understand my project and willingly participate. I realized that in order to do this one has to use ones senses much more than we do in our world. Methods of communication in our world have drastically changed with technology. When I was in Africa my essential tools of communication were gutt instinct, listening, looking and touching. Feeling your way through.

Belief in our dreams and making a difference in our own little way is probably my biggest driving force.

Links to my project to include at the end.

View the book online

The AMEN Promise to give back to all those who trusted me:
News | Jessica Hilltout (part 1 west Africa)
News | Jessica Hilltout (part 2 Mozambique)

Buy the Book
Amazon.com: Amen – Grassroots Football (9780620466042): Jessica Hilltout, Ian Brower and David Goldblatt: Books

Buy the Poster
Amazon.com: joy is round poster: Tools & Home Improvement


Shay AlieShay Alie

How to Be Captivating

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I’m helping people embody the best version of themselves so they can create the impression that they want on others, leading to enhanced success, love & connection with others.

You may have the brains & the skills, but its not going to do you any good if you are in a people based business if this is not backed up by personal magnetism & charisma, which with a little help, is easy to tap into. I do some one on one client work & obviously have my second book coming out later this year. I get asked to speak at a few events over here which has been fun too.

Why are you doing it?
I was a really shy teenager, with a passion for being a lady with the gift of the gab, so that I could defend the needy. A shy persona was not helpful to this aim. I let go when I started asking myself “what’s the worst that could happen if I let my “real” self shine?” & the shift happened very quickly after that.

One of my gifts is that I can see the beauty & potential in others really easily. I have also been where they are and that is why I am passionate about my work.


Lara Berg and Kevin Heidt181328_416321218390386_1745033027_n

Bright Side Yoga

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
We aim to inspire people to ‘live on the BrightSide’ everyday. We inspire people to adore their life’s journey, to let love lead and lead with love, and to choose to see beauty in everyone, everything, and everywhere. We show people that we experience love on 4 main levels and it starts with ‘love of self’ to ‘love for others,’ to ‘love for community,’ to ‘love for the world’ and offer ways for people to experience these 4 levels of love.



Why are you doing it?


We believe that in order to be the positive change that we want to see in the world, we must start with ourselves. We must learn how to really love ourselves so we move from a place of love, and therefore care for others, our community, and the world. The more people ‘being love’ in this world means happy, healthy, and positively purposeful communities making up our global village.

To experience their daily loving inspiration, join their Facebook page: 
 And do be their friend, too!


Alexandra CattoniAlex Cattoni

Juicy Geniuses
Juicy Geniuses Facebook Page

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
Through my business, Juicy Geniuses, I empower women around the world to find their voice and the guts to break-free from their J-O-B to pursue a business and lifestyle that allows them to reach a wider audience using the power of the internet, make a massive impact by getting their message out to the people who need it most, and earn more money doing what they love! You see, every women is born with the innate ability to teach, relate, connect, understand and nurture others. However, quite often, this beautiful female quality is stifled by society’s rigid structure and pressure to fulfill an unrealistic and completely oppressing ideal. A woman’s natural strengths and gifts are further stifled by the feminist ideology of gender equality which does far more harm to today’s woman than good. Women are not made equal to men. In fact, they have super powers that when harnessed can ignite massive change on the planet. The world needs more education, connection, understanding and nurturing and it starts with every woman going within herself to find her purposeful message–the one she needs to share with as many people as possible.

Why are you doing it?
I created Juicy Geniuses with my business partner, Leanne, because we too were caught up in the “rat-race” that so many women are stuck in today… chasing self-serving values like recognition and significance. I wanted to be a hard-core business lawyer. Power suits, fast cars, you name it. Then one day I asked myself… is this what I TRULY want in life? To be known as a cut-throat, deal-making, “woman” who’s influence didn’t extend past a board room. It was my answer to that question that had me looking for more. For something that would make me feel alive, connected and free.


Charlie GilkeyCharlie Gilkey

Productive Flourishing

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
In my work at Productive Flourishing, I help people thrive in life and business. My team and I see business as just one vehicle for personal and social flourishing, and our goal in our business-centered work is to help our clients create the types of companies that people want to work at and people want to do business with. We support businesses and people to do more than get by – we arm them with the resources, insight, and encouragement to be epic.

On a personal level, I take a queue from Ian McLaren’s quote, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Regardless of whether you get involved in that person’s battle directly, being compassionate, understanding, patient, and supportive generally lightens everyone’s load, at the same time that it helps us see the bonds of commonality that we each have with one another. To live the truth that we are all inter-connected is a great joy.

Why are you doing it?
The Why question is always hard for me because I always want to answer “Why do I need a reason to thrive and help others do the same?” But that’s not helpful, so here goes.

We’re in the business of helping other businesses because we see that business is the vehicle for social change in this century. Our team is made up of philosophers, sociologists, and other social change agents who left academia to do our work in the trenches of change. If we help small businesses grow and thrive, we distribute wealth to our communities much more so than if we worked with bigger, pure bottom-line centered corporations.

I grew up as a poor, multi-racial kid in the South and have steadily improved my life, mostly by improving others’ lives. My experience as a military logistics officer helped solidify my ability to move large-scale projects to completion and my background as an academic philosopher gave me the perspective and toolsets to see the changes that need to be made.

We become better people by improving ourselves and our communities simultaneously, and human flourishing is the end of all human activities. I don’t need a greater “Why?” than that.


Samantha BangayanSamantha Bangayan

What Little Things

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
When I first came to Peru, I was of the mindset that positive action is always created by being explicit with your intentions, such as encouraging others to achieve a certain result. I believe that it can be created this way, but the years that I’ve spent here have taught me that positive action is more subtly and often more powerfully created by setting a positive example. A person’s energy and enthusiasm for change is contagious.

I feel that I create positive action by bringing optimism to everything that I do, whether I’m involved in a project for social change in collaboration with an NGO or carrying out my own freelance work. A cheerful attitude goes a long way. It can be what maintains a team when faced with the harsh realities of rural Andean life working with mothers and infants and it can counter the pessimism that can establish roots when change doesn’t happen instantly or within our schedule.

Why are you doing it?
In setting an example for positive action in others, I also set an example for myself. I think it’s so easy to get down about life or get caught up in negativity, but seeing other people be positively affected by you is the best motivation to keep high spirits. In my experience, it leads to better quality of life for you and for the people around you. I really believe that generosity gives meaning to life and that includes being generous with your smiles and liveliness. Seeing this transfer to others, seeing the fruits of being a positive influence, is a bonus that gives me more faith in the world.


 

Steve Marquezee1a78ebf461c2350df75933c74a8304

the spartan penguin

How are you creating a positive impact upon the world?
I am on a journey. I wake up every morning with the aim of living a simple, spiritual, life and giving back to others. This journey, which I started around 7 years ago, has not been easy. It has however been incredibly exciting and fulfilling, and continues to be so. There is a strong desire within me to pass on what I have learned, and continue to learn, in the hope that it will help others. I work on the principal of attraction rather than promotion. I write about this journey at www.thespartanpenguin.com.

Why are you doing it?
I want to give back some of what has been freely given to me over the years.


 

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