Had the opportunity to hear Jon Petz at a GSK meeting and have shared his inspirational talk with several people. Will pass the card along

I work in an amazing school district that is growing extremely fast! I think the card is an appreciation for people who truly put kids first.

I worked with Jon at a company event that he emceed. The Nathan story resonated with me, as I also experienced the loss of a child to cancer, my 23-year-old son, Jake. I can attest to the significant impact that people have on the lives of others, especially in challenging circumstances. It’s the simple things that make the biggest difference, not how much it costs or the magnitude of the gesture. For us, it was the care and compassion that the nurses provided daily. The friends and family that consistently showed support. The friend of a family member who volunteered his Saturday to drive our son home, across the state, from the hospital in an ambulance; allowing Jake to spend the last days of his life in his home, visiting with family and friends. The line of friends and family that had the courage to come see him and share stories and laughs with him, even though it was scary. The nurse, Nikki, that came home early from a vacation so that she could say goodbye to Jake at his home and remains in contact with us to this day. As hard as it has been to experience this loss, my heart is filled with love and warmth when I think about the simple, yet significant actions of others.

Everybody has a heart is not the number of the heart is the heart that makes it matter Cheryl heart, but the world

I had the opportunity to sit through a sales workshop and Jon was the guest speaker. Everything about my time w/Jon got me thinking about my career and more importantly my life. Simplicity in simple moments, my approach, Nathan’s story, Jon’s presentation skills, career. He eloquently modeled what I am seeking and after. I need to figure out how to apply this to my life and career. Big takeaways – Jon’s got something going right and it’s something we should all be thinking about modeling with some intention and purpose.

I was sitting in his class and was inspired, by how he lives in the moment. I believe too many times we watch our moments pass us by. Knowing that everyone at any given moment can be amazing and change the life of those we meet. Having the opportunity to say hi and shake Jon’s hand and say thank you, made my day, to where I shared his story to friends and family. I look forward to living in the moment more often. My wife and I do foster care and to bring this amazing gift to all the kids that come through our home, will be exciting. The kids that come through our home already have had a bad taste of life, and to give them a chance to be amazing and to be amazing in their life is something we want to continue to do.

I met Jon at an expo for turf maintenance, not where I thought two people with a passion for seeing other people smile would meet. I’ve never believed in myself, or frankly loved myself, all my life I’ve been put down and looked past. I know people have tough lives and some people have it way harder than me but I am allowed to hate my life. Even though I hated life so much and attempted suicide several times, I still wanted to have a happy life. When I move to Colorado it was scary one of the scariest things I’ve done. Finding a new job, a new life and most importantly a new hobby. This hobby is not your traditional hobby, it’s one that stems from anger and aggression, the goal is pain and suffering, but through it you heal, you grow you use all that pent up aggression towards a goal, or even a person. Kickboxing has changed my life in more ways than I can count, it’s allowed me to heal past trauma and move one to helping others grow. When I see a kid, or an adult or even a teen starting out at my kickboxing gym I shed a tear because I know they are here for something. That they are fighting things inside that we can’t see, when I step up to introduce myself and help get them starting by teaching them basics, I alway here I can’t do what you do, I can’t hit as hard as you or I can’t get my leg up that high like you. I tell them it’s not weather or not you can do what I do it weather or not you can do all that YOU can do. Teaching kickboxing drives me everyday to show the world what these kids can do and show them what they can do to fight back and not have to be afraid of the anger inside. At the end of every session we always bow out with two words that has driven me forward for years. We shout celebrate life, because that’s all you can really do sometimes we life is hard and it’s pinching you in the face, all you can do is keep your hands up, take that hit or that kick, and CELEBRATE LIFE.

I bought the book at a sales meeting with a wonderful home Warranty company that I was employed by for 18 years, I can’t remember where or what year. I read the book & the story touched me. I’ve just recently reread it & my word for 2024 is Significance.
My Family is very close & we have lost many. We gather every Sunday at my home with Family, Neighbors & Friends. We need to be reminded that these Sundays are simple moments with a significant impact on all of us. Thank you Jon for the reminder.