Thankful Thursday, June 26, 2008
Dear Mike,
I’m writing a gratitude letter to you today, on my new ritual called Thankful Thursday, to thank
you for writing your book Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation. Not only did I
read your book from cover to cover, I’ve taken a ton of notes to internalize what you are
teaching. I want to share with you how I found your book, how it’s impacted me and offer how I
can support you with your appreciation mission.
A few Tuesday’s ago I was meeting for coffee at a bookstore with a dear friend. She shared these
fairy cards with me because she got the feeling that I would appreciate them. The purpose of the
cards is to say a prayer or ask a question with great intention and then pick a card which will
reveal guidance. I prayed to God for guidance on how could I best focus my time today to move
ahead in my business. Then I picked the kindness card. It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but
I trusted it was the answer I needed to hear. Perfect, I thought, since my friend Deborah is all
about kindness, I must need to learn something from her. So I declared my working day my
kindness day instead - I would only focus on being intentionally kind. In alignment with your
self-appreciation concept, I was kind to myself and stayed in the bookstore after she left to look
at the self-help and inspirational books (which I LOVE doing). I was looking for books on
appreciation, happiness, gratitude and making a difference. Your book leaped out at me. I
couldn’t wait to read it and seeing that Richard Carlson endorsed it, which I love his work, I
knew that your book would be a winner. This is how I found your book.
Your book has impacted me in many ways already, and I’ve just finished it and just started living
out some of the things you suggest. Thank you for taking the time to share with the world your
important message about appreciation and how to truly focus on what’s most important in life.
The way you framed the 5 principles and shared key messages under each is invaluable. You
weaved them all together and at the same time really dissected each principle to get to the heart
of it. Many things in the book touched my heart as it’s exactly what I needed to learn from my
research on teaching something similar to what you are teaching. My work around Giving IT
Away: How to Make a Difference is part of my signature IT series, which started with Finding
IT: How to Follow your Heart and then Living IT: How to Create and Live an Inspired Life.
As part of my Giving IT Away philosophy, I want to start a movement like the “Pay it Forward”
movement, but it’s called “Return IT Backward.” The story about writing your gratitude letter to
your coach, Dean, and his response, is exactly what I want people all over the world to do: Take
the time to go back and thank others for how they’ve made a difference in your life. I want
people to then go a step further and give back in honor of them by offering your time, talent
and/or treasure. I really admire that you took the time to share a heart-felt message with
someone who really impacted your life. The response was powerful - he shared how in his 20
years of coaching that he never got a thank you like yours and then his wife shared how he keeps
that letter in his briefcase with him every day as a reminder that he does make a huge difference.
At first I was going to wait to send you this letter for a variety of reasons. But then I was inspired
in your book when you said don’t wait and it doesn’t have to be a special moment in order to
acknowledge someone. I wanted to wait until my You’re IT Tribute Thank you Cards (part of a
line of products I’m creating around honoring others) were designed and printed, so I could use
what I’m developing. But then I realized that I want this to be a letter for you like the letter your
coach received from you – a letter that shows how you are impacting lives all around the world
through the powerful words you write and the powerful message you share. May this letter also
symbolize someone taking action from what you shared in your book - I’m now declaring my
Thursdays as Thankful Thursday (from an idea in your book) and was inspired to share a heartfelt message with you now, not later.
I have a quote in my tribute book that is very similar to your message, “Don’t wait until it’s too
late to let those who’ve touched your life know how they’ve touched your life.” So I’m not
waiting to let you know how you’ve touched my life. I could go on and on about how many
things you shared in your book spoke to me and how YOU spoke to me (positive
acknowledgement. I had never thought of the difference between the two until now). Like you
said, we don’t take the time to be master appreciators, so thank YOU for taking the time to be
one for all of us. I’ve recently learned about the concept of elevation – when you do a good deed
or share something positive it uplifts and inspires those around you to do the same thing. You
elevate us.
To be in line with my Return IT Backward philosophy (you are the first one I’ve officially done
this with because up until now I was waiting for everything else to come together first), I want to
offer not only my thanks for mentoring me with your work, but my service to you as well. First,
I’m giving you a copy of my two books for you, your wife and daughter. You breathe IT and I
hope that my books will touch you and your family as your book has touched me. Second, I’m
giving you my bookmark also as a symbol of how you make a difference to me and others across
the world. Third, I want to further offer my time, talent and treasure to support your appreciation
mission. I’m so passionate about this same topic and have so much that I could offer to help
support you on this journey. You said that you have your 5-year vision completed and in your
office, I’ll look forward to seeing how I can be of service to help with that vision.
Thank you for the invitation in your book for us to contact you, I would have anyway because
God was totally whispering in my ear to contact you – now. As an author myself I’ve been
touched by many author’s work throughout my lifetime. However, I’ve never been inspired like
I’ve been now to write a heartfelt message and offer to be of service. Your book elevated me to
do so and I know it’s the right time for my Return IT Backward movement to start. I’m
officially tagging you IT and I can’t wait to hear from you so I can help you make the power of
appreciation even more powerful!
With gratITude,
Janae Bower