In one month, Neil Pasricha’s life changed. His wife came home and said, “I don’t love you anymore,” and one month later something even more painful happened to Neil. He called his best friend Chris on a Sunday evening and they chatted and laughed about a TV show they were watching. The following morning Neil found out that Chris had committed suicide.
For months, Neil found it difficult to think about anything good in life and needed a way to focus on the positive. So one day after work, he came home and logged onto his computer. He decided to start a blog called “1000 Awesome Things,” where he would write about universal things that we love, but don’t talk about. For example waiters and waitresses that give free refills without us asking, or peeling a hard boiled egg and getting one big chunk of shell off at once. Slowly over time, Neil was able to put himself in a better mood.
At first, no one read his blog except his mother. Gradually he received dozens of hits/day, then hundreds and one day he received a phone call from someone who said he’d won the best blog in the world award. At first he thought this was a scam. “So which African country do you want me to wire my money to?” Neil thought, but when ten agents wanted to represent him for a book deal, this led to the Book of Awesome a year later.
Neil says that what helped him grow was to take a look at life in terms of the 3 A’s.
- Attitude
- Awareness
- Authenticity
Attitude: Everyone has highs and lows in life, and when we experience lows we have two choices on how to handle them:
a. Twirl and swirl in gloom and doom forever.
b. Grieve and then chose to move forward, and take baby steps into the future.
We need to focus on the second choice.
Awareness: Three-year-olds have a fascination with “seeing things for the first time.” They love to explore and we need to go back to being a three-year-old again and remember how we felt when we experienced things for the first time. As adults for example, driving and hitting all the green lights, smelling fresh bread being baked, simple things.
Authenticity: This is just about being you and being cool with that. Neil gives the example of the tough football player, Rosy Grier, born in 1932, one of the original Fearsome Four, of the LA Rams, who happened to love needlepoint, and who came out with a book, “Needlepoint for men” after he retired from football.
When you’re authentic, you follow your heart and put yourself in places and situations that you love and enjoy.
How has this changed me? It brought out my desire to explore my local neighborhood with fresh eyes. It made me think about how to get unstuck from a rut.
So last week I decided to visit the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau ( about ten miles from where I live) and pretended I was a tourist so I could discover new places and events close to me.
- I found Jazz Wednesdays at Hotel Laguna.
- I discovered the Laguna Culinary Arts with classes for cheese lover, pasta lovers, Date night Couple classes in cooking.
- The Sawdust Festival offers Studio Art classes year-round on Saturdays taught by professional art instructors.
- The Laguna Art museum has an exhibit with Noguchi, a Japanese American artist.
- The Laguna College of Art and Design offers financial aid to students (would I qualify I wonder?) and offers a Rodin exhibit in July-September.
I walked around town with my new three-year-old fresh eyes and found treasures, I’d never noticed before.
Sometimes we forget to look around us. There is more that surrounds us than we now.
How do you make your life awesome?
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I discovered Neil’s blog some time ago. It’s great.
And I love the way you have taken action about your own life. I find that seeing things through my camera lens really helps me see the world with fresh eyes.
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I should try using a camera to see things differently too. A new experiment.
Love this post Sonia. I’m going to share it.
As for looking with fresh eyes… I live in one of the most historic and visited cities in the world and sometimes I force myself to not take it for granted, to look with the eyes of a tourist visiting for the first time. It truly makes a difference. And yes, try taking your camera… that always helps.
Thanks!
Yes, I agree we need to become more aware of the little things in our lives. I am going to post about that too at another time. Some changes I’ve made. Thanks, Barbara for commenting today and sharing my post. Always good to hear from you.
Just the type of guts and inspiration I love to read! Practical and humble advice that’s been tried and is true! Everything we need is right in front of us, ready to be re-appreciated or discovered!
Hi Shelley,
Just noticed you also have a positive outlook on your blog for starting the week. Thanks for your visit and hope to see you soon.
One of the reasons I travel is that I’m hit in the face wih unusual observations and unexpected encounters. I learn a ton about myself and about the world while stumbling from country to country.
I can totally relate to what you say about the benefits of travel. Thanks for traveling over here today.
I enjoyed reading your post today. Thanks for sharing. He sounds like an impressive man.
I often use the terminology of victim, survivor and thriver which fits in nicely with Gloom, Grieve and Move Forward.
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I like the three descriptive words you used here. So true and we all need to become thrivers.
This was a great post for me to read today, thank you!!!
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Hi Kathy,
Glad you could use this especially as I know your three children are now on vacation.
Excellent post, Sonia. It is so easy to take our own life and our own environment for granted. As Janet said, travel is a great way to become aware again of your surroundings. As the Buddhist says, live in the moment, be aware of the present.
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Miss Footloose,
You’re the expert on moving around the world which I’m sure makes your world exciting. In a way I think it makes life seem “longer” because you’re experiencing new foods, places, customs, people, languages etc. When you stay in one place, I think you have to start exploring your surroundings more, at least I do.
This post is awesome! When we travel to other countries, we look at the sights with fresh eyes. But at home, we tend to take the beauty that surrounds us for granted. Last week, I realized how beautiful the flowering jacarandas are in Pacific Beach, CA and went around photographing them. It brought a new sense of wonder into my world!
Hi Lois Joy
So happy to see you here. I think you’re right about how we can see things differently “at home” when we try to. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for the reminder – had read about that 1000 things before but it had faded from my mind. We all need more positives and a change in our attitudes! I’m your latest follower!
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Cheryl,
So glad you visited me. I am very impressed with your list on your blog. Almost being killed by an elephant in India, rescuing a kangaroo, breast cancer survivor. WOW! You deserve the Gutsy woman award.
Oh, the things you can miss if you’re not paying attention to what’s around you. (You can trust the Bear on that.)
Or as Yogi reportedly said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” Yup; Yogi knows.
P.S.: Any closer to Florida?
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Hi Rob,
Good observation, and we’re going to FL on vacation, but that’s it for now.
Thanks to this post I’ve now made one baby-step on my decision-making AAA road! I’m wearing flip-flops (over 30 degrees here),and I’ve gone down to the beach on my desert island, it’s spectacular ! TRUTH is really the key word to a happy life I think, but rules too,I suppose ; perhaps there’s a link between the two …and we need others to help us see that truth. What a lovely path …
When you say, “Truth” is the key word to a happy life, do you mean “authenticity” that is being true to yourself, knowing who you are?
Thank you for introducing me to Neil and his web site. What a treat.
My wife and I have lived in the Phoenix area for 26 years but still try to pick days to do what you did: look at the area as a tourist. We’ll find sections of the city, or art districts in one of the suburbs and dedicate a day to trying a new restaurant, visiting galleries and a park, going to an historical site, and taking lots of photos. Friends who have lived here longer than we have are always amazed at what we stumble across.
As you note, Sonia, the trick is looking at things with fresh eyes. There is always something new to stimulate and excite.
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It sounds like you and your wife already have found awesome things to see and do close to home. Glad you liked Neil. I find him very “authentic” just like Chris Guillebeau.
Yes, authenticity and everything that relates to the word “truth”.
I appreciate the phrase:” Go forth and be incompetent”,it seems quite liberating !
Thanks again Carol for sharing with the comments. Glad you’re experimenting with your authenticity.
Sonia,
What an inspiring story about Neil and the way he decided to combat his gloom. Attitude, awareness, authenticity – I’m going to recite those three A’s like a mantra. I love that you took this as motivation to explore your own community and found such fascinating things/activities/interests there. Maybe there’s a double message here: Look for the most awesome (little) things in life and find the most awesome things available to you/near you.
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Pennie you’re right. There is a lot to do ans see close to home, and sometimes we forget the small “awesomes.”
Great post Sonia, I love the three A! Good point here: “we need to go back to being a three-year-old again and remember how we felt when we experienced things for the first time.” I almost forgot that feeling exists. This is a great reminder Sonia! Thank you.
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