To be famous is one thing, but to be deemed an "icon" is the ultimate achievement in the world of entertainment.

But what is it that typically transforms your typical celebrity into an International icon?

To find out, let's run through a list of public figures who are known as being iconic:  John Lennon, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Babe Ruth, Audrey Hepburn, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Muhammad Ali, Oprah, etc..  The list could go on and on...

What do all of these celebrity icons have in common with one another?

Each of them have used their influence as a celebrity to try and make the world a better place to live in.

Sure, we all dig lovin' on celebrities for their talented contributions to the entertainment we enjoy, but, subconsciously, we begin to idolize these public figures once we perceive them as being Soulful human beings who have a heart for healing.  This pure perception of people who are typically viewed as being larger-than-life - almost fictional - characters, cause us to sympathize with them as we realize they're real human beings who's personal purposes in life are driven by their heart more than their art.

It's natural for us to flock towards the do-gooders of society.  Whether we, as average persons of society, use our time on earth to contribute to it's enlightened evolution or not, we feel as if we are a part of particular movements when we support the celebrity Souls who are out there getting their hands dirty to clean the world's wounds.  And even though we aren't the ones who are traveling to troubled nations and underprivileged communities, we are able to contribute to the strength of celebrity's efforts through our collective support of their saintly services. 

We live in a new world now, as life isn't as simple as it used to be.  Sure, many of us feel powerless to contribute directly to the betterment of our global backyard, but these people need to realize that the force of simply supporting a cause from afar has an impact on the energy of other people's direct efforts to a tremendous degree.  This is why we tend to idolize otherwise average celebrities for their dedication to undoing the traumas of our modern times - it makes us feels like we stand for something significant, even though we can't stand side by side with the superstars who are working to secure a stronger tomorrow. 

So even though we can't all just push ourselves away from our duties we have at our work desks and rush over to turn around all the tragedies of our global community like many public figures can, we should still embrace the truth that, just like the celebrities we idolize, we are all icons in our own way.  After all, the healing of the world's heartaches requires more than just the collective force of physical labor, it requires the collective force of our inspired energy to want to see the world be a better place.  And we can thank, in large part, the celebrated icons who move us to support them as they march out to mend the misfortunes that could potentially corrupt the fearless future we all want.