“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.  Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.  Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Swiss Philosopher Henry F. Amiel

Your action for this week is to take action in expressing your gratitude.  Here’s an example:  Our Zappos Family Vendor Party!  This is where we showed our gratitude to our wonderful vendors for all they do for our Zappos Family and customers.  Being thankful is what we all felt yesterday as we arrived to celebrate our culture in full swing with our vendors, family and friends! 

Core Value #1.  Deliver WOW Through Service

 Core Value #4.  Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded

 Core Value #7.  Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit

Yours in being thankful and grateful,

Augusta

“Comfort comes as a guest, lingers to become a host and stays to enslave us.” – Linguist Lee Bickmore

“No one ever excused his way to success.” – Author Dave Del Dotto

Your action for this week is to do something that will push you out of your comfort zone.  This usually means changing some habits. Pay attention to all the excuses you make along the way.  What habits will you change that will impact your life in a positive way?

Core Value # 2.  Embrace and Drive Change

Core Value #9.  Be Passionate and Determined

Yours in changing habits,

Augusta

“Success in any endeavor does not happen by accident.  Rather, it’s the result of deliberate decisions, conscious effort, and immense persistence – all directed at specific goals.” Gary Ryan Blair  (Thanks NaKia T.)

From The Coach's Corner: Your action for this week is to reflect on your goals and the journey you are on.  Notice what decisions you are making, how much effort you are putting into it,  and how persistent you are. 

Core Value #4.  Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded

Core Value #5.  Pursue Growth and Learning

Core Value # 9.  Be Passionate and Determined

Yours in achieving success,

Augusta

“Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize.” -- American Educator, Elizabeth Harrison

Your action for this week is to notice how much you are encouraging versus criticizing.   Reflect on how you feel when you are lifting someone up and encouraging them.  Notice how it makes them feel! J

Core Value # 6.  Build Open and Honest Relationship With Communication

Core Value #7.  Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit

Yours in lifting the world,

Augusta

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”  --Essayist, Poet and Novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson

Your action for this week is to reflect on what actions you have taken and what impact they may have in the future.  Remember, these actions can be about family, career, friends, co-workers, customers and even strangers.   What seeds have you planted?  What harvest will you reap?

Core Value #1:  Deliver WOW Through Service

Core Value #5:  Pursue Growth and Learning

Core Value #6:  Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication

Core Value # 7:  Build A Positive Team and Family Spirit

(Actually, we could list ALL of the Core Values for this quote!)

Yours in planting seeds,

Augusta

“I will guarantee you that the day you step outside your comfort zone by making success your goal is the day you discover that adversity, risk, and daring will make life sweeter than you ever imagined.”  --Mark Burnett, Founder of the Eco Challenge

Your action for this week is to reflect on when you have stepped outside your comfort zone.  If you have, what was your end result?  If you have not, is there something you want to accomplish that would require you to do so?

Core Value #4.  Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded

Core Value #9.  Be Passionate and Determined

Yours in stepping outside the comfort zone,

Augusta

“It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow.”  -- author Ralph Ellison

Your action for this week is to see if you’ve made a conscious change in your life and evaluate if it has helped you grow!    Remember,  it’s the commitment to what you changed that makes the difference and will help to determine how much you will grow.

Core Value #2  Embrace and Drive Change

Core Value #9  Be Passionate and Determined

Yours in commitment,

Augusta

Working at Zappos is like working with a big family.  We all feel very at home here and our desks become an extension of our homes. Mine for instance is very messy just like my house, but my neighbor Jerildito's is very clean and organized.  (name changed to protect the innocent). Some are extravagantly decorated with personality dripping off every side and some are covered with pictures of kids or vacations they have taken or dream of taking. 

Although Jerildito's desk is very clean, he prefers the crazy antics that the rest of us decorate with. He once told me a story of when he went to visit a friend at an office with cubicles just like ours.  The only difference was no one could decorate their cubicles like we do and when Jerildiito took a wrong turn in their office, he got lost.  Everything looked the same and he couldn't find his way around! Now, this would never happen here at Zappos HQ.  If someone couldn't find their way we would just say something like “Take a left at the giant blue and white shoe, if you pass the jungle, you have gone too far.” Just one of the advantages of working in a highly-decorated workspace!