I was saddened to read yesterday that one of my FAVORITE mentors died. Many years ago, in my journey from fat to fit … to fat again … to slim … to fat again … to … (please read my About page if you want to know the ups and downs of my journey) … I was introduced to — via audio tapes (yes, CD’s didn’t exist yet) — to a man who inspired me to never give up.
I’m speaking of the fantastically amazing Jim Rohn. I literally walked hundreds of miles with Jim speaking his magic into my ears and into my soul. Jim’s down-home grandfatherly style of sharing simple truths and life lessons via one endearing story after another gave me encouragement that I could design my life any way I wanted to live it.
That was a BIG thought for a BIG girl who was determined to lose two hundred pounds and needed to believe it was possible.
I REALIZED I NEVER SAID “THANK YOU”
Jim has been a mentor of mine for 25 years. He didn’t know about me, of course. He never knew the impact he had on MY life — though he was keenly aware that he was impacting millions of lives — and it wasn’t until his passing that it dawned on me that I never said “thank you” and I regret that.
I’M GUILTY OF LURKING
Isn’t it amazing — the positive, life changing impact one human being can have on another without ever having met them in person. In our world of blogs and recordings and YouTube, etc., so many people are reaching out to help one another, to leave their mark, to share their knowledge and their journey, and it’s so easy to take it all in and never say THANK YOU!
I read a lot of blogs and watch my fair share of YouTube, and I’ve got a HUGE collection of recordings from Jim Rohn and other greats, and yet I rarely ever reach out and say “thank you”.
It seems it’s become an anonymous world we live in — on the one hand, we’re more “connected” than ever before — and on the other hand, we’re more anonymous than ever before.
I want to start remembering to say “thank you” to all those who cross my path and leave their mark. It’s easy when I see people in person. I wouldn’t even think of receiving a service or a kindness and not reciprocating with a thank you, but for some reason, online, it hasn’t been the same for me.
I feel like I take and I take and I take and I take (for granted oftentimes) the hours of research, and thought, and love, that go into the blog posts I so love to read. This morning I read a short paragraph in a magazine about the health benefits of zinc and I wanted to know more about it. Naturally, I came to the internet and doing a Google search provided much reading on the topic — literally hundreds of hours of research and writing that others did to put it at my fingertips in mere seconds! It’s an amazing world — and yet, I didn’t pause to say “thank you” to any of the bloggers.
Why is that? I’d have to say I’m guilty of lurking and not participating. I’m going to get better at that. I’m going to start leaving far more comments. If someones blog has touched me, taught me, or inspired me, I’ll take the time to say “thank you” and I’ll start by saying THANK YOU to JIM ROHN! Even in death you are teaching me a lesson about gratitude and I want you to know your lessons will never be forgotten.
Rest in peace, Mr. Rohn … job well done!
LET THE THANK YOU’S BEGIN…
I was inspired this morning (as I have been many times before) by Marisa of LoserForLife. She is the queen of gracious giving and saying “thank you” to other bloggers. Marisa’s blog chronicles her journey to live healthy and she uses much humor and candor. I just love to read her posts and highly recommend her blog.
Todays inspiration, however, came because she thanked me recently in one of her posts for one of my recipes and it meant the world to me — every comment always does! I’ll bet she didn’t even know how much her kindness touched me! But it wasn’t just me … she thanked two other bloggers as well. Marisa THANK YOU for your kindness towards me and other bloggers, but especially THANK YOU for reminding me to become a part of this blogging community and to reach out to other bloggers and let them know the impact they’re having on my life. I appreciate the hours you put into sharing your journey and I love the look of your new blog.
THANK YOU for the many times you have inspired me, or given me a giggle, or an idea, or a recipe. Thank you for the hours I know you spend on your computer sharing your heart.
THE BIRTH OF “THE THANK YOU PROJECT”
I’d like to say this is my own idea, but actually, it’s a combination of the BRILLIANT BLOGGER idea that Marissa shared (see, I told you she’s the queen of gracious giving) and missing the opportunity to thank my #1 mentor, Jim Rohn.
I’ve decided to start the THANK YOU PROJECT where I will attempt to give written accolades to at least one person each day who has touched my life in a positive way. I will either say thank you on their blog post, or on my own. In any case, from this day forward, I will really try to step up and thank those who have shared of their time and talents.
For today, THANK YOU Marisa for being an inspiration on so many levels, and THANK YOU Jim Rohn for changing my life!
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