South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by confronting racism and promoting racial reconciliation. Mandela later became an elder statesman and focused on charitable work, combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Reflecting on the scale of his legacy, he gained international acclaim for his activism, receiving more than 250 honors including the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Lenin Peace Prize.
Nelson Mandela holds a deep belief that is as relevant on the political stage as it is in the hearts and minds of every entrepreneur and reinventor:
“There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
American painter Georgia Totto O’Keeffe is best known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. The Mother of American Modernism has braved dramatic artistic paths with a personal insight into courage that everyone can be inspired by:
Malcolm John Michael Creaux “Mac” Rebennack, better known by the stage name 
Dr. John’s musical legacy includes recording over 20 albums and a top-20 hit with “Right Place Wrong Time”. He’s the winner of six Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Tulane University jokingly referred to by Tulane’s president, Scott Cowen, as “Dr. Dr. John.”
Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson and it became one of his most well-known characters. The “mystic from the East” would “divine” unknown answers to questions posed by announcer and sidekick Ed McMahon. Somewhere in one of Carnac the Magnificent’s unopened envelopes is the answer to true reinvention happiness in Johnny’s own words:
Howard Schultz knows a lot about building brands. Former owner of the Seattle Supersonics and Chairman & CEO of Starbucks , Forbes ranked Schultz as the 354th richest person in the United States, with a net worth of $1.5 billion. He renamed Il Giornale with the Starbucks name and aggressively expanded its reach across the United States growing the company rapidly and retaining ownership of every domestic outlet. Schultz wrote the books Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time and Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul.
What defines rock music as an ideology is “authenticity.” It’s the same yardstick we need to use to measure how real we have been to our self, our life and our career. Just as the litmus test of rock & roll music has always been whether the artist is true to his creativity or has sold out to commercialism, reinvention is our opportunity to find, free and follow our passion or to concede to what significant others throughout our lives have told us would be best for us.
I had the incredible opportunity in the ’70s as Engineer and Head of Recording Studio Operations for London Records, Inc. to be in charge of the final sound that analogically made it to listeners’ ears on such hit singles as “LaGrange” (1973) and “Tush” (1975) and such iconic albums as “First Album ” (1971), “Rio Grande Mud” (1972), “Tres Hombres” (1973), “Fandango” (1975) and “Tejas” (1976) and to work with a band that articulated rock culture’s defining paradox: authenticity vs commercialism: ZZ Top.
The blues-powered “Little Ol’ Band from Texas” has a lot to teach us about staying true to who you are as a person and living your passion without compromise. “Waitin’ for the Bus” wearing a pair of “Cheap Sunglasses” is living the dream as long as you’re doing what you love!
American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist Christopher D’Olier Reeve is best known for his motion picture portrayal of the comic book superhero Superman. He has also appeared in other critically acclaimed films such as Street Smart and The Remains of the Day and Chris received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the television remake of Rear Window.