“Mr. Thank You” John Israel inspires millions with the power of gratitude
UNION GROVE – John Israel had everything going his way – a successful career, a new house, a loving family – and was somehow unhappy with life.
The 41-year-old is founder and Chief Gratitude Officer of Mr. Thank You, a corporate gifting consulting firm that helps businesses and companies retain clients and appreciate referral partners.
“My business was all about gratitude,” Israel said. “But I was the most ungrateful salesperson on planet earth.”
Seeking a way to change his philosophy on life, Israel embarked on a project that evolved into something bigger than anyone could imagine.
The nationally acclaimed motivational speaker plans to share his journey and the power of gratitude in celebration of Go Frank Go Day on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Union Grove High School, 3433 South Colony Ave.
Go Frank Go Day is celebrated each February in honor of Union Grove native Frank Lamping, a beloved member of the Union Grove community who impacted the lives of many with his kindness and gratitude.
Israel understands the importance of gratitude. He created the Mr. Thank You Project, a 2016 social experiment that inspired a worldwide movement.
Israel challenged himself to write five handwritten thank you cards every single day for an entire year, resulting in 1,825 personalized notes.
“There was so much positive energy around it, it got picked up on ABC News, Fox News and Good Morning America,” said Israel, a San Diego native who currently resides just outside Dallas, Texas.
The project not only helped Israel understand perpetual discontentment – a never-ending feeling that nothing is ever good enough – but gave him a new perspective on life.
His experience encouraged others to do the same, many which embarked on a 30-day challenge delivering one hand-written card a day for 30 consecutive days.
“If all you did was simply wrote a list of everyone that’s positively impacted your life and you spent a month of your life letting them know that, you’ll be a different person at the end of the month,” Israel said. “I guarantee it.”
Living in a digital age of computers, cell phones, emails, text messages and artificial intelligence, a handwritten note has become a foreign method of communication.
One that requires three things: Time, attention and thoughtfulness.
“When you think about how our world exists now, it’s pretty much the opposite of that,” Israel said. “It’s how quick can I do this? How fast can I move on to something I want to do? How can I delegate this?”
Israel’s project circled the globe, encouraging one percent of the world’s population to show their gratitude in the form of 74 million thank you cards.
“Our default mechanism as humans is to not be grateful,” Israel said. “We have to make ourselves do it. This was the journey that helped me figure it out.”
Israel's appearance in Union Grove includes morning and afternoon sessions for students along with an evening session for the community. The 6 p.m. session is free and open to the public.
Additional information will be available on Community State Bank's social media platforms and CSB. bank.