With Black Friday emails already starting to crowd your inbox, it seems like (for businesses) Thanksgiving is all about the sale.

Is there a way to be grateful, be authentic, and still acknowledge business this week?

I think so.

With Black Friday emails already starting to crowd your inbox, it seems like (for businesses) Thanksgiving is all about the sale.

Is there a way to be grateful, be authentic, and still acknowledge business this week?

I think so.

I was blown away a few years ago when REI, a sporting goods chain, started a campaign called #optoutside.?

Instead of opening on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, the REI chain of stores closed that day. Instead, they told people to ?optoutside? – go outside, and get active.

That?s a very strong statement of values, and a wonderful message.?

What I love about it isn?t that the stores closed on Black Friday. What I love is that in closing, REI made a public statement about what?s authentic for their brand. It?s authentic for them to say ?we believe that you should be outside, rather than indoors shopping.?

It?s authentic for me to say that I?m grateful, and I believe in being grateful even when business isn?t going the way we want it to. (Which happens a lot, right?)

My team and I believe a lot of other things, too – so many that we prettied them up so we could read and celebrate them. You can see our ?we believe? statements below!

It?s my hope that they inspire you this Thanksgiving.

Our ‘We Believe’ Statements:

We believe the best way to create lasting, positive impact in the world is through building successful businesses.?

We believe that transformation is too important to be left in the hands of amateurs.?

We believe that you can and should have your own brand of fun with your business.?

We believe that being authentic is not an excuse to be unprofessional or mean.?

We believe that expanding your business to help more people is one of the best ways to serve in the world.?

We believe in the power of a personal touch, and doing things that don’t scale… and we also believe that this sort of approach absolutely can and should be scaled.?

We believe that everyone has at least one super-power, but you don?t become a super-hero until you take responsibility for using your powers.?

We believe that all super-heroes have weaknesses, and it?s a sign of strength when they ask for help to overcome them.?

We believe that you never give up in pursuit of your dreams. Rest when you need to, but never give up.?

We believe in trying bold and scary things to discover better ways of making a difference.?

We believe that, sometimes, the only way to know if something will work is to try it out and see what happens.?

We believe in publicly sharing our successes, our failures, and the lessons we learned from both.?

We believe that authentic, effective marketing is one of the most powerful forces for creating good in the world.?

We believe acknowledging your own brilliance and expertise isn’t arrogant. It’s inspirational.?

We believe in supporting others to become more resourceful, instead of simply giving them resources.?

We believe that just because you know your limitations doesn?t mean that you have to keep them.?

We believe that business is the graduate school of personal growth.?

We believe in always treating everyone with respect and understanding, even when we think they’re wrong.?

We believe in helping others when the opportunity arises, even if it’s not in our job description.?

We believe that there is always a win/win solution.?

We believe that there is always a way to succeed.

What?s authentic for you?