Samuel Ayodele, a 19-year old Nigerian blogger that has impressed and inspired me with his work, really blew my mind with this heartfelt letter of gratitude.

To people who’ve helped his online journey along the way.

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I’m very much a believer in having an attitude of gratitude.

In fact, my buddy Megan Castran (the incredible “Jewelchic” from Australia, recently featured on Oprah) started a 365 Days of Gratitude photo  album on her Facebook profile page last year.  I loved it so much, that I followed suit.  If you all find it interesting, perhaps I’ll include some of the photos here.

(Yes, I do copy good ideas. LOL! )

So – thanks to Samuel and Megan (thank you both!), I’ve decided to create a monthly thank you note here on my blog.

Let’s get right to it!

Stephanie Mulac | StephanieMulac.com, 90PercentAttitude.com & SelfImprovementGifts5.com

Stephanie Mulac is a good friend and a GREAT online mentor.

I’ve learned just about the equivalent of a 2-year business degree, in a few short months.  Not just by listening to what she says, but also by observing how she does business.  In January, Stephanie gave me a BIG BREAK in letting me co-design the viral video for Self Improvement Gifts 5, with her.

The video did almost 10,000 views in a month.  AND, thanks to the Self Improvement Gifts 5 list building event, I doubled the size of my email list (500 new subscribers)!

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Pat Flynn | SmartPassiveIncome.com

Stop the press!  Pat Flynn??? (Insert record-scratching sound here.)

(Man.  I just ruined my only copy of Michal Jackson’s “Thriller” record.  Thanks, Pat Flynn.)

Anyway.  In January I conducted my BIGGEST podcast interview to date.  The conversation with Pat was aweesoooome!

Made all the more special because my 7-month old son was in my lap, awake, and alert, for the first half of the interview.

(Whaaat!!!)

This would be a nightmare scenario with more other interview subjects on the line.

But Pat has a 1-year old at home with him everyday, and was cool.

YOU’RE THE MAN, PAT!  Thank you very much.  Can’t wait to unleash the interview onto the world, Pinky & the Brain style!

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Shae Bynes | GoodFaithInvesting.com and PhilandShae.com

Shae is my accountability buddy.

We’ve been friends since my sophomore year in college (we interned together at Procter & Gamble).

And we’ve been business partners for about a decade. (We owned and ran a 30,000-member social network for 9 years.)

Shae and I are two sides of the same coin.

• We’re both trying to live lives that are pleasing to God…
• Trying to do stuff that matters…
• Trying to raise our respective families the best way we can…
• Trying to take over the world (like Pinky & the Brain)…

You know.  The usual stuff.

But her attention to detail and disciplined execution complement my creativity and storytelling very nicely.

In January, Shae helped me stay on task to complete my 5th free information product to date – The Personal Brand Formula.

You’re the best, Shae Bynes!

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Sharon Vornholt | Louisville Gals Real Estate Blog

What’s up, Sharon!

Sharon is a friend of Shae Bynes’, and a fabulous person.  She came over from Shae’s site, and has become a regular reader and commenter – even mentioning me on her blog (see “Do we ever really have it all figured out?“)   How nice!  Thanks for all the comments, and even the feedback behind-the-scenes on how I can improve certain things.  Looking forward to collaborating this year!

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The Alex Jeffreys Gang: Sally Neill, Cheekeong Tan, Joe Fizz, Yoichi Nakanashi, Jason Calouri, Simon Dodd

A small group of bloggers and Internet Marketers from Alex Jeffreys coaching forum have been supporting each other on this collective escape from the Rat Race, toward something bigger and better.

Sally Neill (The Blog Hopping Queen!) is my Scottish twin.  We were separated at birth.  Ha ha!
Sally is well-known in Internet Marketing circles.   Her friendly, approachable style are matched with very seasoned experience as an eBay Marketer, and now, information product marketer.  Sally is all-around fabulous… and frequently has me in stitches at her Facebook updates!

Sally’s been posting less-frequently because she’s now working directly for Alex Jeffreys… but whenever she posts, you can see from the comments that she has a very eager and close-knit community on SallyNeill.com!

Chee Keong Tan‘s positive enthusiasm is infectious.
Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this is a guy you want to have in your corner.  He’s become a great friend.  I’m looking forward to your explosive growth in 2011, Chee Keong.

Yoichi is my brother over from another mother in Hawaii!
Yoichi practices the way of Samurai Internet Marketing.  (Love that!)  In January I picked up a couple of really useful WordPress plugin tips from this fast-rising up-and-comer.  He posts great content, and is an all-around funny dude.  You should check  him out.  Thanks for all the support, Yo!  Send me a plane ticket to come visit!

Jason Calouri is a brilliant new blogger, and great new Dad.
He had a BIG January, with his first Internet Marketing earnings from his latest product offering… AND a brand new baby!  Through all that, he finds time to support my writing.  ‘Preciate it, Jason!  I enjoy Jason’s blog posts – they will give you new insight… and sometimes, a pretty cool graphic to share as well.

Simon Dodd is another up-and-comer with a unique personality.
Simon hails from England.  And of course is a big footie fan.  Simon’s Internet Marketing code-of-ethics post great food for thought in January.  Another great supporter – thanks, dude!  Hope England has a better showing at the next World Cup! ha ha! (BTW, did you see Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick goal from this past week?)

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Last but not least -Thank YOU.

THANKS VERY MUCH to all my new subscribers!

What an incredible month January was.  I am humbled and appreciative of everyone who:

• downloaded the new eBook,
• subscribed to the blog, or YouTube channel,
• tweeted a post,
• left me a comment,
• sent me an email, and
• participated in the quest to do stuff that matters, some shape or form.

Tom Cruise voice: “You… complete… me.”   (misty-eyed)

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Questions and Actions.

Now it’s your turn.  To whom do you owe gratitude, in the past month?

Feel free to share your opinion by commenting below. Thanks so much!