Seven years and one month today. That’s how long I’ve worked for Automattic, helping people using WordPress.com create sites, e-commerce stores and enjoy app usage, etc. Every day I still wake up, excited that I get to work. And you know what? The company appreciates me, too.

I just finished reading the book 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life. It caught my eye after being inspired by a podcast I heard on Changes Big and Small entitled The Gifts and Opportunities of a Gratitude Habit. I kind of like the podcast better than the book, but both really impacted me on the importance of not only being thankful, but letting others know you are thankful.

It doesn’t have to be a big, flashy thing. Although it can be.

Big Thing

Automattic shows appreciate for employees who hit their seven-year mark by gifting us with a headset or AirPods Pro. That’s kind of a big thing. I chose AirPods since I like to text and catch up on phone calls and listen to music while snowboarding.

It was fun, I got to choose my own design and logo. I picked this color option because I love how it changes in the lighting.

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The AirPods are really great for me since I do a lot of Zoom meetings during screenshare sessions as I help people build websites. My former set was the AirPod set (not AirPods Pro), and they were getting old and overused — not always connecting and holding power. And they made my ears bleed slightly.

The new set is so comfortable, the noise canceling option is phenomenal, and they connect perfectly. Also, my ears don’t bleed. I’m very happy about that.

Small Thing (also a big thing, just differently)

By coincidence, the same day I received my AirPods Pro, I received a card in the mail from the company. It was a thank you note that was hand-signed.

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Doesn’t seem like a huge deal, right? I’m mean, yeah, it’s nice, but it’s a little note. But just think of this… there are over 1,700 of us employed by Automattic right now. And we are all over the world. (I know everyone got this because I’ve seen other colleagues posting about this.) The company found us worthy of the time, hand-written notes and expense of stamps. That’s pretty impactful in my book.

I don’t see myself writing thank you’s every day, but I will say that the podcast, the book, and the examples from Automattic are inspiring me to reach out more when I’m thankful for things. And to search for things I’m thankful for when all isn’t great. Then acknowledge them. I can see how it can make things better. I’ll end with my favorite line from the podcast (the one I’m very thankful for — I’ll have to let the podcast creator and interviewee know 😉 ):

You can’t be upset and write a good thank you card at the same time.

John Israel, aka Mr. Thank You