As the owner of the Arison Group, a philanthropic and business enterprise that spans across 40 countries in 5 continents, my ongoing challenge is to bridge the gap between what I envision and its understanding and practical implementation. The Arison Group operates to realize the overall vision of Doing Good.

I have always wanted to be a catalyst for bringing about positive change, inspiring others to choose goodness.

The Ahmadinejads of the world, the bin Ladens of the world, will not change their ways, regardless of how hard we try to explain to them that peace begins with them.

As I see it, we are all connected and share a stake in our collective future. We are all part of a greater picture. I greatly encourage businesswomen everywhere in the world to take personal responsibility, stay connected to their own intuition and unique potential, work hard, deal with reality, but don't give up.

I find that when you lead with vision and values, engaging employees and showing them that values are just as important as profits, everyone comes on board. And not only do they come on board, but they connect to their own individual creativity.

In my new book, 'Birth,' my goal is to share the path I have traveled in the spiritual sphere and in the business and philanthropic sphere in order to reveal the essential connection between the two.

Many of us are experiencing a phase of change, shedding outdated patterns and liberating ourselves from the old by moving on to the new. The year 2012 is an important one for mankind, a pivotal year. The potential for this exists in the mere fact that the majority of us are yearning for change.