The other day I left my house at 7:00am for a 9:00am appointment in Manhattan. I do my best to allow extra time in order to be sure to be on time, and even better, to arrive early. In this case, I allowed more than the usual amount of time because I had a series of appointments in the city and I wanted to park near my last appointment so that when I left, my car would be nearby.
After I parked, I needed to get to my first appointment. The subway was the best bet as it was too far to walk and the subway would be much more economical than a taxi, and almost certainly faster. I had made it into the city in good time, so I entered the subway around 8:00am.
The train came right away and I said to myself, “Awesome.” I found a seat on the train and said to myself, “Awesome.” When I exited a few miles downtown and saw that the train station’s clock read 8:10am, said to myself, “The subway is awesome.”
That reminded me that I wanted to tell you about The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.
You know those products that you learn about and say, “I should have thought of that!”? Well, The Book of Awesome is that for me. I should have written this book!
I stumbled upon this book a few months ago while browsing the bookshelves at Barnes & Noble, something I used to do with much greater frequency before I succumbed to the convenience of the Web.
So many things are awesome in life. Almost everything. And yet sometimes (maybe even oft times) we forget to be grateful for everything that we have, even the big things like our family, our friends, and our health. I know in difficult situations and times I sometimes have to remind myself of that.
But, I have also been accused of being a “serial, positive superlativer”. Superlativer is not a word, but if it was, a serial, positive superlativer would be someone who uses positive superlatives on a regular basis—and sometimes makes up superlatives along the way (e.g., “That was the best Thai food I’ve had,” “This is the most beautiful place I’ve seen,” “Today’s weather was the greatest.”)
I’ve never minded being accused of overusing superlatives. It’s part of my enthusiasm, and gratitude, for life—something that I inherited from my father.
With his book, Neil Pasricha reminds us to be grateful for all of the little things in life. I’m reminded of one of my all-time favorite books, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. What is often forgotten is the second half of the book’s title, “and it’s all small stuff.” In this case, it’s not a stretch to say, “and it’s all awesome.” Especially if you are a serial, positive superlativer.
A couple of my favorites from The Book of Awesome:
Seeing a cop on the side of the road and realizing you’re going the speed limit anyway
Having a whole row on the plane to yourself
Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
You can check out more on Pasricha’s web site.
While you won’t agree with everything that Pasricha thinks is awesome, you will, undoubtedly, agree with many. As importantly, you’ll think of your own awesome things, and more importantly, perhaps you’ll get into the habit of appreciating more things in your life—especially if you decide to make that a new habit that you will adopt over a 21-day period.
It’s a great habit, a happiness strategy that I recommend you add to your running list of improvement ideas. (And related to one that I have been doing weekly, on this blog, listing what made me smile that week, something that I hope you’ll join me in doing if you haven’t been already.)
Warm regards,
David
P.S. What are some of the things on your list of awesome? Please join the conversation with your comments…