The Never-Ending Thank You Gift

Not wanting to exaggerate the numbers, I believe I’ve done about 3 mentoring calls per week for the last 15 years with those looking to become a speaker, wanting advice on business, or hoping to make it in the entertainment life of showbiz.

I enjoy most of these calls, and feel it important to take every request for my time, as I had the right mentors to lead me from the beginning, while equally unable to get my heroes on the phone no matter how often I begged for their guidance.

So, I made a promise a long time ago that if someone wanted to learn it would be my honor to see if I could help.

Every single person who calls me thinks making a career as a Speaker, Entertainer, and Coach will be easy.

Oftentimes the recommendations I suggest fall on deaf ears, as what I teach isn’t as easy of a path as the caller assumes it should be.

When I say things like:

• Speak anywhere and everywhere for FREE until you are great enough to be paid
• Serve, lift, and help others get there, and they will help you as well
• Promise to write a blog consistently, create a podcast, do videos and put yourself out there
• Invest in a coach & mentoring
• Practice every day and “Be so good they can’t ignore you” (Steve Martin quote)

It is interesting how often I hang up with someone, they tell me it was valuable, say thanks, and that is the end of our relationship until years later when they reveal it either changed their life, or was a tipping point for them to realize they should continue on their current path and not change anything.

I don’t expect anything from a simple call like that, otherwise I would be very disappointed!

Imagine, offering to do service, and then you’re sitting there with your hand out waiting for a Thank You gift.

Silly.

A few weeks ago I jumped on a call after being introduced to a friend of a friend.

I thought he wanted to become a speaker, but as the call went on, realized he had written multiple books, gives dozens of speeches annually, and runs a multi-million dollar business that is a family legacy endeavor.

The more we spoke the more I gleaned insight rather than shared any. It was so cool to get to know this person, unlike anyone I’ve ever spoken with.

By the end of the call I wasn’t sure I had offered any value, but the caller said it was great to get to know me after having seen me on a webinar and that it would be nice to hang out sometime.

We hung up and I was filled with joy. I texted him and said the very same – that it was incredible to have a new friend and learn so much.

I went on my next trip and received a video message from my wife, who asked, “What did you buy? There’s a box on the porch that’s too heavy to lift up and put in the house!”

I couldn’t recall what Amazon had suggested I purchase, as I know we have a special spot on our porch for the Amazon delivery people, since they’re at our home 79 times per day, and we’ve set up a living shrine to their arrivals…

Upon returning home, my sons and I lugged the box inside. I couldn’t fathom what I had purchased that could be so heavy?

Had I mistakenly gone to Costco and bought all their new gold bars?

Did I have a jet engine delivered via FedEx?

Maybe it was a full salt water tank for my window well?

As we opened the box it was like Christmas!

Beautiful handy dandy tools, use items, flashlights, hooks, gadgets, you name it.

Eventually I realized there was 6 of everything…

We have 6 people in our family.

Then it hit me – this is from my new friend, Elias Amash, owner of GRIP, the last “mentoring” call I’d done before my trip – and he was flooding me with Thank You gifts.

I reached out to him to ask if I could do a blog post about this, and he was reluctant because he didn’t mean for me to promote his gesture, that it was just a private thing he wanted to send to say Thanks.

He said, “Just sending you some love from Grand Rapids, my new friend!”

At that moment I realized I was making my first visit to Grand Rapids, MI that very week!

The next thing I knew, Elias was picking me up at the airport in his hometown, taking me to an incredible lunch, and we drove to his massive GRIP warehouse where we walked the multiple football field lengths of building, showing me every tool and gadget imaginable.

We walked by his many employees, in the office, in the warehouse, who smiled as Elias told me about each one as if they were his dearest friends.

As owner of the business, I thought, how can he have the time to just clear his schedule and hang with me all day? But he had, and we did!

We sat and I asked him his philosophies of business, leadership, and he put me on his list of friends whom he sends texts of inspirational quotes he’s memorized that fill his soul.

He told me the story of his family coming from Palestine to the safety and promise of the USA, landed in Michigan decades ago, how his father founded the business, and eventually Elias and his brother were able to help their Dad retire, take care of him, and launch the business to a level no one could have ever envisioned.

It was the American Dream, and he is living it!

I left with both arms full of more presents.

I returned home to show my wife what Elias had given me, to which she said, “Well, you’re not going to believe this…” and we walked to the porch – there sat another box too heavy to pick up!

He had sent even more!

The Never-Ending Thank You Gifts!

I have never experienced anything like Elias, a man who loves America to the core, deep in his Christian faith, devoted fully to family, as accomplished as anyone I’ve ever met, who gives as much as he can to everyone he meets because he believes God has blessed him so greatly he must gift as much as he can to the world.

What a Signature Move to be known for!

I reached out to our original friend who introduced us, the incredible speaker, coach & author, Laban Ditchburn, who said in his Aussie accent, “Yeah mate! Elias is the most generous human I’ve ever known. I’m thrilled you guys hit it off, I knew you’d get along famously!”

What a blessing.

The reason for this post is to consider how you say Thank You.

Perhaps it is essential for your own spirit to flood someone with thanks, or to send a simple handwritten Thank You card and kind gesture.

But remember – don’t forget to say Thank You in at least some way!

I know Elias has helped me step up my game, and I thought I was already pretty generous in my praise, words, and what I try to do to serve others. Elias has given me a new level to shoot for.

What is your Promise to say Thank You the right way?

Enjoy SUBSCRIBING to my NEW YouTube Channel when you’re ready to improve upon Your Leadership Promise!

~ Jason Hewlett

Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker

• Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Mentor
• World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to teach The Promise
• Author of “The Promise To The One”
• President of Cardio Miracle.  Go to CardioMiracle.com to take your health back!

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