Excellent #1 – for me it is most awesome to discover something so unexpected and special at it’s core – a spark of recognition in a small world, a great dive bar, a beautiful scenic spot that is not mentioned anywhere, a great unknown band, a secret passage to somewhere special, a new friend from a completely different world than your own, a feeling of belonging somewhere, a great vacation in an unexpected place, a great thought or quote that resonates with you, a special connection to someone or something that is unexplainable, or a SPECIAL BLOG YOU STUMBLE UPON AND TOTALLY RELATE TO!
Thanks so much!
Bmom, I love all of your awesome things! “a new friend from a completely different world than your own” is especially great. This can be a real challenge, but you can learn and grow so much!
Glad you like my little list – I guess it is a sad but good thing that we are all left with figuring out the Awesome for ourselves from here on out.
Holy moley, there are 530 comments so far!
530 comments in one day. (Because yes, at this point we would all usually be logging on to find the next awesome thing. Instead, we’re just expanding the awesomeness of this comment stream to the point that it may be in danger of imploding upon itself.)
You know what would be awesome? If there were 1000 comments for this post. That would be lovely and parallel.
1000 comments is exactly what I was thinking too! We’re just a little more than halfway there
Oh, I think that will be NO PROBLEM. In fact, I predict that we’ll hit that mark by the end of today! And for the record, Bekah is probably responsible for, like, half of the comments!!
Here’s one more! :-)
ditto
Aaaand… 670! So close, and yet, so far…
1000 comments?! Let’s get commenting!
Over 700 now!
#860!!
Thank you so much for all your posts over the years. You don’t know how much it’s gotten me through.
Copout. Like the ending of The Sopranos.
I totally agree. What a lazy bastard Neil is giving us only 999 AWESOME things every weekday at midnight of the last 4 years of his life. What a sellout too. He probably made a fortune off this blog from all advertisements he has plastered thought the pages and doesn’t even have a real job. How dare he actually suggest we use our brains and hearts to find our own AWESOME things. What a douche.
I’m done here.
You go TR !!!
OMG, TrixieRix, your comment was THE BEST!! I love, love, love it! Yeah that Neil Pasricha is SUCH a douche. (now trending on twitter, #neilpasrichaisadouche. Ellen re-considers having him on the show) ha ha
Haha, well said, trixie!!
Inspiration and support during a very difficult time. You helped me get away from self-indulgence and back to appreciation. Thanks for all the awesomeness! Cheers, Nik
Ironic, Neil and commenters helped me “become” more self-indulgent in the awesome way:)
I thought a video is going to load in the blank space…. :/
What a beautiful way to end this AWESOME journey. You’ve inspired me Neil. And the great community around this is pretty inspirational as well. All the best to everyone reading this – may we all appreciate the awesome in all the little and big things every day :)
Thanks Bartjan! All the best to you as well!
thank you, neil. thank you for all the awesomeness you brought into our lives :)
i must admit that (like the people before me) i did wait a bit for the page to load! But, as usual, you never fail to exceed our expectations, because the #1 awesome thing is TRULY AWESOME! (the pinnacle of awesomeness, to be specific).
once again, thank you thank you thank you!
From,
a 15 yr old girl somewhere in the world ;)
Thank you!
This is what I read every morning before I go to work. After all the misery in the news, there is one perfect thing that is awesome and it makes me think of the many awesome things in my life. It gives me a peaceful moment I need and that is AWESOME.
Neil, #1 reason for awesomeness!
For me it’s Kevin O’ Brien sharing my blog on his faceook page. The best thing that has happened to me lately!
I had these sent to my work email account so I could read them first thing everyday. Thanks for putting a smile on my face each morning!
Neil – It has been wonderful to follow along over the past couple years – I can’t believe this particular journey is ending. I’ve loved giving your books to friends and learning to recognize awesome moments in my own life each and every day! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Thank you so much for 1000 Awesome Things. It had been like the bacon bits in the salad bowl of my week. Thank you for reminding me of all the good life has to offer even when life looks not-so-good. Best wishes to you, Neil!
Now I have to rearrange my igoogle page. Your blog was on the top and I checked it at 5:00 AM every day. I will miss not only the posts, I will miss the reminders it gave me to appreciate everything in life, even some of the bad stuff. Thanks.
Thank you Neil for making the world a little more Awesome!
Going to the restaurant at the top of the CN Tower for my birthday one year while my grandparents were still alive with my girlfriend & family Yeah !
Happy Birthday, Mirko and I hope you have lots of fun at dinner
I must comment on here once again… I don’t know how many people will see this, but I just feel like sharing:
Last night (well, I guess now it was two days ago… it’s 1:42am here!) after reading #1 I rode slowly back to the villa we were staying in at Rottnest. I decided to stop by the beach and stand crying by myself for a little while watching the sunset, then ride the last block home. But once I got onto the beach, I realised I wasn’t alone like I wanted to be because there were kids around me. That was annoying, but then as I was standing on the washed up seaweed a giant pelican flew into the shallows, waddled up to about 2 metres away from me and just stood in front of me. It was terrifying and magestic and awe-inspiring. When it flew away again, I walked back to my bike looking all around me and naming all these awesome things that I could think of that i’d experienced that week. Thursday night when I got into bed, even though it was late and I was tired I stayed up about 20 minutes filling two pages with my own awesome things, with the heading “#1 Anything you want it to be…” :) I think a couple have been already done here, but I don’t remember my reasons for their being awesome being the same as Neil’s. I have been now inspired to keep writing more and more and more awesome things and to eventually compile my own book of them, even if its in many volumes (ie. many notebooks on my book shelf).
I think Nicholas mentioned that people could take turns to write something on his 1000 Awesome Friends blog? I’d love to have a try at least once!
And I know someone mentioned the “I’ve been here since Broccoflower” t-shirts, but I can’t find their comment… Anyway, I haven’t been here since Broccoflower, more like That Teacher, but I want a shirt all the same!! They sound so cool :D Maybe we can make ones for late-comers, with the post they came at instead of broccoflower?
Anyway, you’ve probably had enough of my insanely long comments but too bad, you can’t get rid of me that easily!
If you go to http://1000awesomefriends.org and just say that you’re interested we’ll start the process. You can be a monthly contributor like the rest of us. We’re still trying to figure out how its all going to work.
I started my own list of awesome things a while back and continued to do it on my personal blog http://bekahbug04.blogspot.com I give my daily awesome thing on there. You keep track of yours and maybe you could put them all in a book too one day.
jdurley was the one with the shirt. I don’t know where she got hers done, but you can go to http://www.cafepress.com/make/custom-t-shirts and make your own. The pictures on the shirts are just for show. You can put your own on them. I’ve used this site before to make shirts for my brothers and they turn out great. I wish I knew which post I showed up to so I could make a shirt.
Not waiting… cutting up my comment. If you go to http://1000awesomefriends.org and just say that you’re interested we’ll start the process. You can be a monthly contributor like the rest of us. We’re still trying to figure out how its all going to work.
Done! i think Aweome Friends is going to be great :)
I started my own list of awesome things a while back and continued to do it on my personal blog http://bekahbug04.blogspot.com I give my daily awesome thing on there. You keep track of yours and maybe you could put them all in a book too one day.
I’ve just commented on your blog! It’s pretty cool :) And I like your own awesome things.
Oh… I just realised it won’t let me comment on yours, for some reason. It says “internet connectivity blah blah diagnose problems blah”. Stupid thing. Anyway, it was on one of your posts, I think it was wednesday 11, and i was going to say:
‘I’ve been scrolling through your blog just now, looking at your awesome things and I just thought you should know that a couple days ago I started my own list and added “Talking to friends you’ve never met” to it :) Great minds think alike!’
AWESOME!
jdurley was the one with the shirt. I don’t know where she got hers done, but you can go to http://www.cafepress.com/make/custom-t-shirts and make your own. The pictures on the shirts are just for show. You can put your own on them. I’ve used this site before to make shirts for my brothers and they turn out great. I wish I knew which post I showed up to so I could make a shirt.
I’m going to make one!! Saying “I’ve been here since #525 That teacher” and on the back i think it’ll have “awesome!” like the cover of the book of awesome :) But anyway, I’ll look at it more tomorrow because i have to get to bed, once again, as it is almost 2, once again. -_- not a good habit to get into the week before school starts again
Yeah, re: the shirts, we just had about 6 of them made up to celebrate the first book launch. They just have an image of the book, and the line “I’ve been here since broccoflower.” It was just a fun way to celebrate the book launch. We gave one to Neil and one to Chad, who was also there at the launch. Freddo has the 6th one. My husband got them done, but I don’t know where. Cafe press is a good idea. I think it would be great to choose one of the awesome things, and then print the number, the title, and a picture. eg. #820: Old Dangerous Playground Equipment. and then a picture of an old teetertotter or something. (Note: I was too lazy to look up the correct number for that entry.)
Yeah that sounds good! I didn’t realise there were only a few made. And I’m pretty sure it’s like #980 or something, dangerous playground equipment :P
I like the idea to have a shirt made with the ‘awesome’ like it is on the cover of the book. I might do that one since I can’t recall the exact post I made it here.
I used to have a shirt that said “I’m so awesome I’m jealous of myself” :D But I outgrew it and gave it away
I do hope you mean “outgrew” as in “aged and grew until the shirt no longer physically fit”. Because surely it is not possible to mentally, emotionally outgrow a shirt that awesome.
And just by and by, I LOVE my slogan shirts! A couple of faves:
– I didn’t slap you, I high-fived your face.
– I’m not short, I’m fun size.
– Well maybe I don’t believe in YOU. [spoken by alien]
– The ninjas made me do it.
– STOP TEXTING ME. I’m right next to you.
And one that I love, and need to buy:
– It’s okay, Pluto. I’m not a planet either.
Yes of course! It didn’t fit anymore… I think. I can’t remember who I gave it to actually, it was about 3 years ago. And I love those slogans! My friend has the fun-sized one, and I love the sound of the ninjas and pluto ones too :D I have a tshirt saying “Forget princess, I want to be a vampire” from my twi-hard days, and I also had one saying “Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate” which i cant find anywhere, and I have one (im wearing it right now!) saying “Anything boys can do girls can do better” :P
I like the “Team Awesome” shirt. Reminds me of “Team Jacob’s Abs” (which should also be a shirt, actually…)
Haha :P Although I am Team Edward, Jacob’s abs are pretty yummy… for the eyes…
I was thinking either it would be great to have one that would contain a saying any and all could get (exactly like your Team Awesome concept) or else just pick our favorite awesome post/thing and get a shirt of that. I’m really liking the Team Awesome shirt idea, Jdurley!
Have a picture of his actual abs right over the part where your abs would be. LOL
I would so wear that shirt!
Neil — you are awesome to me. You have brought so much happiness to people and have helped us to see the magic in our everyday world. Wishing you laughter, love, and ongoing success! Thank you for 1000 Awesome Things!
Wow, what an awesome following you have, Neil. As a teacher I strive to inspire my students to see the “glass-half-full” view of the world. Congratulations on all of your success!
Marie
Hey Neil, great job! Congratulations… I’ve been reading 1000awesomethings since broccoflower and your blog kept me up when I went through some tough times! Thank you for everything.
honestly i feel like crying right now haha thank you so much for putting so much time and dedication and love into this blog. everyday it made me smile, laugh, and just appreciate the little things. checking your posts daily made my day… i will miss this blog more than you realize. you are awesome neil, thank you.
That was an awesome #1 . All of your awesome things makes me happy and that to make people feel happy is a great thíng. thank you!
I suppose i really don’t need to ask this, but why do my comments – positive ones at that – keep mysteriously disappearing, Neil?
i can’t believe you’re already at number 1!!! what’s next. don’t leave me here hanging. i need ur posts :P
Neil, I don’t know if you read all of these comments (it sure took me a while to read all 662) but I just wanted to say thank you. I happened upon your website one night when you were at around 700 and stayed up until the sun came up (AWESOME!) going back to 1000. I’ve never left a comment but your blog has had a great influence on my life. Reading this blog was a constant in my life as I graduated high school and then started university. I was going through a rough time, but there was always awesome things to get me through. Without you I wouldn’t have tried so hard to look for them, and I want to thank you for that.
I just found this site but it’s so awesome. I’ve never heard of your books before but I’m definitely checking them out.
Thank you for all the awesomeness!
i’ve never laughed more from one site, and i always left happy after every new thing. This as an amazing ending to 1000 awesome things, most of us picked you.
Just wanted to say thanks, it was a truly awesome blog to read, books to read. I’ll continue to give your books as gifts so new people can experience the awesome. Thank you.
So at first i was a little disappointed at this conclusion. Your #2 was a beautiful essay on the beauty of the here and now, and i was wondering how you would top your last post. Would you expound on love? The importance of other people? Life itself? And then to see such an open ending, it felt like kind of a let down. There was no finale here, no conclusion to tie things off.
But that’s the point; every little thing we do in life is awesome (some more-so than others), but it would’ve been wrong of you to say what the most awesome thing in the world is, because ultimately it’s up to us to decide that. And like your final post, life doesn’t have an ending. There is no finale, and things keep rolling whether we’re there to see it or not.
So what’s i’m trying to say is, this was masterfully done. All of it. You managed to capture so much meaning in so many ways and in so many little things. Thank you for all of this. You’re awesome.
Agreed, Bryce. I love that there’s no finale!
Thanks for the simple reminders of how awesome life is! I loved #1! I was immediately able to picture faces, memories and ideas in the blank space of #1! Awesome is all around all the time and I thank you for reminding me to listen to the whispers! All the best to you Neil!
Wow, there were 682, so this is #683! I love that people are still visiting and making comments! I know I’m really gonna miss the awesome tomorrow, but I’m hopeful that 1000AwesomeThingsFriends will help fill the void and inspire us all to be create and carry on the Awesome. Feel like I’ll be carrying the awesome into surgery with me this week and that’s a very comforting feeling. Thanks all! :)
And for all of those who posted later who mentioned that no one would read their comments, of course we’re reading your comments! Each one carries on the awesome for me, so I savor them all. :)
I’m back today to read the comments too! None goes unnoticed, people.
Good luck in surgery. Keep us posted
I’ve been reading this blog since I was 15. Randomly clicking around the internet it a bored daze, hopping back and forth from MySpace to Livejournal, probably listening to shitty pop punk music, until I hit the gold mine…
I found myself scrolling back, farther and farther, deep into all the awesome things I never really gave much thought to. Reading each post, reactions ranging from “YES!” to “Oh god, other people feel this way, too?”.
How elated I was to discover that the blog wasn’t blocked in my high school computer lab, laughing to myself that I was in on this little secret world while everyone else was busy typing away summaries about “The Great Gatsby” or an informative essay on the War of 1812.
Fast forward, 4 years later, as I come to an end at my first year of college, I nervously watch the numbers go down. From double to single digit. From nail biting at 3, to holding my breath at 2…
1.
And that’s that. At first, I panicked, thinking to myself I can’t find the awesome things in life myself! When there would be times in my life where I just got too caught up in school, work, money, morality, there it was reminding me to treasure the little things, that life is too short and we really do only have about 100 years to live on this earth. I think I’ll greatly accept this challenge, on finding the awesome things in life, and to remember who you are and where you came from.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is— thanks Neil.
Ya know, some of us are trying to continue with the awesome. If you want to be a part of it, or if you just want to stop by and take a look http://1000awesomefriends.org/
We all know that there’s plenty of things around us that bring joy to our lives and we can all find them now and smile thanks to Neil. But.. we would like to keep posting some of the awesome up for everyone else to share in. Neil did 1000 and that’s our goal too.
Thanks so much, Neil. I distinctively remember being a junior in high school, thinking about how I will be in college when the countdown ends. I remember thinking about how unreal that was and how I’d probably never survive all of the scary moments and changes that stood before me in those 800-something days. But I did! And that’s what you created – a physical blog in which we could all put aside our struggles for a minute and recognize something awesome, but more importantly, you helped us develop a mindset that seeks out the awesome on its own.
Such a cool project. Thanks again! I wonder how long it will take me to stop checking the site for a new post…
I’ve followed this blog from the beginning and I can’t believe it’s been 1000 things already! Thanks for keeping up with it for so long!
Thank you so much, Neil. For the countdown, for the thoughts, for the replies you’ve sent, for this number one, for everything!
Btw, to me – at the moment – the most awesome thing is “Finally finishing your thesis” :)
Keep on being awesome!
Cheers,
Eszti from Hungary
Congrats on finishing your thesis…quite an accomplishment! A around of applause!
Hi Neil,
Your books and blog are inspiring and unbelievable. Thank you for allowing me to share this awesome journey with you and people across this Earth! YOU are AWESOME.
I clicked on this link in my bookmark bar expecting to see a new Awesome thing today… but there was none. This is the end of a great thing and I am sad to see it go. Thank you Neil!
And now it’s time to remove this from my bookmark bar… :(
It’s been nice knowing you,neil! You know… you could write another book if you are up for it
Smashing idea, Andy! I’m sure there will be more to enjoy from Neil!
i would just like to thank you, Neil, for such a wonderful blog that i looked forward to reading everytime i was on my laptop. i came across it maybe at entry number 700 and i was checking it ever since then. i absolutely adored your entry for number 2 because it reminded me so much of my dad. he came to australia with only the clothes on his back and not much else, and it just makes me feel so incredibly lucky to be here today, all the sacrifices he made to make my family like it is today. thank you again Neil :)
Excellent #1 – for me it is most awesome to discover something so unexpected and special at it’s core – a spark of recognition in a small world, a great dive bar, a beautiful scenic spot that is not mentioned anywhere, a great unknown band, a secret passage to somewhere special, a new friend from a completely different world than your own, a feeling of belonging somewhere, a great vacation in an unexpected place, a great thought or quote that resonates with you, a special connection to someone or something that is unexplainable, or a SPECIAL BLOG YOU STUMBLE UPON AND TOTALLY RELATE TO!
Thanks so much!
Bmom, I love all of your awesome things! “a new friend from a completely different world than your own” is especially great. This can be a real challenge, but you can learn and grow so much!
Glad you like my little list – I guess it is a sad but good thing that we are all left with figuring out the Awesome for ourselves from here on out.
Holy moley, there are 530 comments so far!
530 comments in one day. (Because yes, at this point we would all usually be logging on to find the next awesome thing. Instead, we’re just expanding the awesomeness of this comment stream to the point that it may be in danger of imploding upon itself.)
You know what would be awesome? If there were 1000 comments for this post. That would be lovely and parallel.
1000 comments is exactly what I was thinking too! We’re just a little more than halfway there
Oh, I think that will be NO PROBLEM. In fact, I predict that we’ll hit that mark by the end of today! And for the record, Bekah is probably responsible for, like, half of the comments!!
Here’s one more! :-)
ditto
Aaaand… 670! So close, and yet, so far…
1000 comments?! Let’s get commenting!
Over 700 now!
#860!!
Thank you so much for all your posts over the years. You don’t know how much it’s gotten me through.
Copout. Like the ending of The Sopranos.
I totally agree. What a lazy bastard Neil is giving us only 999 AWESOME things every weekday at midnight of the last 4 years of his life. What a sellout too. He probably made a fortune off this blog from all advertisements he has plastered thought the pages and doesn’t even have a real job. How dare he actually suggest we use our brains and hearts to find our own AWESOME things. What a douche.
I’m done here.
You go TR !!!
OMG, TrixieRix, your comment was THE BEST!! I love, love, love it! Yeah that Neil Pasricha is SUCH a douche. (now trending on twitter, #neilpasrichaisadouche. Ellen re-considers having him on the show) ha ha
Haha, well said, trixie!!
Inspiration and support during a very difficult time. You helped me get away from self-indulgence and back to appreciation. Thanks for all the awesomeness! Cheers, Nik
Ironic, Neil and commenters helped me “become” more self-indulgent in the awesome way:)
I thought a video is going to load in the blank space…. :/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VzaCy8R5qE
:)
So apropos!
Thanks.
What a beautiful way to end this AWESOME journey. You’ve inspired me Neil. And the great community around this is pretty inspirational as well. All the best to everyone reading this – may we all appreciate the awesome in all the little and big things every day :)
Thanks Bartjan! All the best to you as well!
thank you, neil. thank you for all the awesomeness you brought into our lives :)
i must admit that (like the people before me) i did wait a bit for the page to load! But, as usual, you never fail to exceed our expectations, because the #1 awesome thing is TRULY AWESOME! (the pinnacle of awesomeness, to be specific).
once again, thank you thank you thank you!
From,
a 15 yr old girl somewhere in the world ;)
Thank you!
This is what I read every morning before I go to work. After all the misery in the news, there is one perfect thing that is awesome and it makes me think of the many awesome things in my life. It gives me a peaceful moment I need and that is AWESOME.
Neil, #1 reason for awesomeness!
For me it’s Kevin O’ Brien sharing my blog on his faceook page. The best thing that has happened to me lately!
I’ve been replying for two years with my own list of awesomes, so today’s post is a thank-you note raising a virtual glass to you for inspiring me. http://liselafontaine.blogspot.ca/2012/04/when-your-writing-affects-someone.html
You’re awesome!
I had these sent to my work email account so I could read them first thing everyday. Thanks for putting a smile on my face each morning!
Neil – It has been wonderful to follow along over the past couple years – I can’t believe this particular journey is ending. I’ve loved giving your books to friends and learning to recognize awesome moments in my own life each and every day! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Thank you so much for 1000 Awesome Things. It had been like the bacon bits in the salad bowl of my week. Thank you for reminding me of all the good life has to offer even when life looks not-so-good. Best wishes to you, Neil!
Now I have to rearrange my igoogle page. Your blog was on the top and I checked it at 5:00 AM every day. I will miss not only the posts, I will miss the reminders it gave me to appreciate everything in life, even some of the bad stuff. Thanks.
Thank you Neil for making the world a little more Awesome!
Going to the restaurant at the top of the CN Tower for my birthday one year while my grandparents were still alive with my girlfriend & family Yeah !
Happy Birthday, Mirko and I hope you have lots of fun at dinner
I must comment on here once again… I don’t know how many people will see this, but I just feel like sharing:
Last night (well, I guess now it was two days ago… it’s 1:42am here!) after reading #1 I rode slowly back to the villa we were staying in at Rottnest. I decided to stop by the beach and stand crying by myself for a little while watching the sunset, then ride the last block home. But once I got onto the beach, I realised I wasn’t alone like I wanted to be because there were kids around me. That was annoying, but then as I was standing on the washed up seaweed a giant pelican flew into the shallows, waddled up to about 2 metres away from me and just stood in front of me. It was terrifying and magestic and awe-inspiring. When it flew away again, I walked back to my bike looking all around me and naming all these awesome things that I could think of that i’d experienced that week. Thursday night when I got into bed, even though it was late and I was tired I stayed up about 20 minutes filling two pages with my own awesome things, with the heading “#1 Anything you want it to be…” :) I think a couple have been already done here, but I don’t remember my reasons for their being awesome being the same as Neil’s. I have been now inspired to keep writing more and more and more awesome things and to eventually compile my own book of them, even if its in many volumes (ie. many notebooks on my book shelf).
I think Nicholas mentioned that people could take turns to write something on his 1000 Awesome Friends blog? I’d love to have a try at least once!
And I know someone mentioned the “I’ve been here since Broccoflower” t-shirts, but I can’t find their comment… Anyway, I haven’t been here since Broccoflower, more like That Teacher, but I want a shirt all the same!! They sound so cool :D Maybe we can make ones for late-comers, with the post they came at instead of broccoflower?
Anyway, you’ve probably had enough of my insanely long comments but too bad, you can’t get rid of me that easily!
If you go to http://1000awesomefriends.org and just say that you’re interested we’ll start the process. You can be a monthly contributor like the rest of us. We’re still trying to figure out how its all going to work.
I started my own list of awesome things a while back and continued to do it on my personal blog http://bekahbug04.blogspot.com I give my daily awesome thing on there. You keep track of yours and maybe you could put them all in a book too one day.
jdurley was the one with the shirt. I don’t know where she got hers done, but you can go to http://www.cafepress.com/make/custom-t-shirts and make your own. The pictures on the shirts are just for show. You can put your own on them. I’ve used this site before to make shirts for my brothers and they turn out great. I wish I knew which post I showed up to so I could make a shirt.
Not waiting… cutting up my comment. If you go to http://1000awesomefriends.org and just say that you’re interested we’ll start the process. You can be a monthly contributor like the rest of us. We’re still trying to figure out how its all going to work.
Done! i think Aweome Friends is going to be great :)
I started my own list of awesome things a while back and continued to do it on my personal blog http://bekahbug04.blogspot.com I give my daily awesome thing on there. You keep track of yours and maybe you could put them all in a book too one day.
I’ve just commented on your blog! It’s pretty cool :) And I like your own awesome things.
Oh… I just realised it won’t let me comment on yours, for some reason. It says “internet connectivity blah blah diagnose problems blah”. Stupid thing. Anyway, it was on one of your posts, I think it was wednesday 11, and i was going to say:
‘I’ve been scrolling through your blog just now, looking at your awesome things and I just thought you should know that a couple days ago I started my own list and added “Talking to friends you’ve never met” to it :) Great minds think alike!’
AWESOME!
jdurley was the one with the shirt. I don’t know where she got hers done, but you can go to http://www.cafepress.com/make/custom-t-shirts and make your own. The pictures on the shirts are just for show. You can put your own on them. I’ve used this site before to make shirts for my brothers and they turn out great. I wish I knew which post I showed up to so I could make a shirt.
I’m going to make one!! Saying “I’ve been here since #525 That teacher” and on the back i think it’ll have “awesome!” like the cover of the book of awesome :) But anyway, I’ll look at it more tomorrow because i have to get to bed, once again, as it is almost 2, once again. -_- not a good habit to get into the week before school starts again
Yeah, re: the shirts, we just had about 6 of them made up to celebrate the first book launch. They just have an image of the book, and the line “I’ve been here since broccoflower.” It was just a fun way to celebrate the book launch. We gave one to Neil and one to Chad, who was also there at the launch. Freddo has the 6th one. My husband got them done, but I don’t know where. Cafe press is a good idea. I think it would be great to choose one of the awesome things, and then print the number, the title, and a picture. eg. #820: Old Dangerous Playground Equipment. and then a picture of an old teetertotter or something. (Note: I was too lazy to look up the correct number for that entry.)
Yeah that sounds good! I didn’t realise there were only a few made. And I’m pretty sure it’s like #980 or something, dangerous playground equipment :P
I like the idea to have a shirt made with the ‘awesome’ like it is on the cover of the book. I might do that one since I can’t recall the exact post I made it here.
I think we all need to go here http://www.cafepress.com/+awesome+t-shirts
and get an awesome shirt. Then one day a month we’ll all wear it at the same time.
I used to have a shirt that said “I’m so awesome I’m jealous of myself” :D But I outgrew it and gave it away
I do hope you mean “outgrew” as in “aged and grew until the shirt no longer physically fit”. Because surely it is not possible to mentally, emotionally outgrow a shirt that awesome.
And just by and by, I LOVE my slogan shirts! A couple of faves:
– I didn’t slap you, I high-fived your face.
– I’m not short, I’m fun size.
– Well maybe I don’t believe in YOU. [spoken by alien]
– The ninjas made me do it.
– STOP TEXTING ME. I’m right next to you.
And one that I love, and need to buy:
– It’s okay, Pluto. I’m not a planet either.
Yes of course! It didn’t fit anymore… I think. I can’t remember who I gave it to actually, it was about 3 years ago. And I love those slogans! My friend has the fun-sized one, and I love the sound of the ninjas and pluto ones too :D I have a tshirt saying “Forget princess, I want to be a vampire” from my twi-hard days, and I also had one saying “Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate” which i cant find anywhere, and I have one (im wearing it right now!) saying “Anything boys can do girls can do better” :P
I like the “Team Awesome” shirt. Reminds me of “Team Jacob’s Abs” (which should also be a shirt, actually…)
Haha :P Although I am Team Edward, Jacob’s abs are pretty yummy… for the eyes…
I was thinking either it would be great to have one that would contain a saying any and all could get (exactly like your Team Awesome concept) or else just pick our favorite awesome post/thing and get a shirt of that. I’m really liking the Team Awesome shirt idea, Jdurley!
Have a picture of his actual abs right over the part where your abs would be. LOL
I would so wear that shirt!
Neil — you are awesome to me. You have brought so much happiness to people and have helped us to see the magic in our everyday world. Wishing you laughter, love, and ongoing success! Thank you for 1000 Awesome Things!
Wow, what an awesome following you have, Neil. As a teacher I strive to inspire my students to see the “glass-half-full” view of the world. Congratulations on all of your success!
Marie
Hey Neil, great job! Congratulations… I’ve been reading 1000awesomethings since broccoflower and your blog kept me up when I went through some tough times! Thank you for everything.
Thank you for being your awesome self!
honestly i feel like crying right now haha thank you so much for putting so much time and dedication and love into this blog. everyday it made me smile, laugh, and just appreciate the little things. checking your posts daily made my day… i will miss this blog more than you realize. you are awesome neil, thank you.
That was an awesome #1 . All of your awesome things makes me happy and that to make people feel happy is a great thíng. thank you!
I suppose i really don’t need to ask this, but why do my comments – positive ones at that – keep mysteriously disappearing, Neil?
i can’t believe you’re already at number 1!!! what’s next. don’t leave me here hanging. i need ur posts :P
Neil, I don’t know if you read all of these comments (it sure took me a while to read all 662) but I just wanted to say thank you. I happened upon your website one night when you were at around 700 and stayed up until the sun came up (AWESOME!) going back to 1000. I’ve never left a comment but your blog has had a great influence on my life. Reading this blog was a constant in my life as I graduated high school and then started university. I was going through a rough time, but there was always awesome things to get me through. Without you I wouldn’t have tried so hard to look for them, and I want to thank you for that.
I just found this site but it’s so awesome. I’ve never heard of your books before but I’m definitely checking them out.
Thank you for all the awesomeness!
i’ve never laughed more from one site, and i always left happy after every new thing. This as an amazing ending to 1000 awesome things, most of us picked you.
Just wanted to say thanks, it was a truly awesome blog to read, books to read. I’ll continue to give your books as gifts so new people can experience the awesome. Thank you.
So at first i was a little disappointed at this conclusion. Your #2 was a beautiful essay on the beauty of the here and now, and i was wondering how you would top your last post. Would you expound on love? The importance of other people? Life itself? And then to see such an open ending, it felt like kind of a let down. There was no finale here, no conclusion to tie things off.
But that’s the point; every little thing we do in life is awesome (some more-so than others), but it would’ve been wrong of you to say what the most awesome thing in the world is, because ultimately it’s up to us to decide that. And like your final post, life doesn’t have an ending. There is no finale, and things keep rolling whether we’re there to see it or not.
So what’s i’m trying to say is, this was masterfully done. All of it. You managed to capture so much meaning in so many ways and in so many little things. Thank you for all of this. You’re awesome.
Agreed, Bryce. I love that there’s no finale!
Thanks for the simple reminders of how awesome life is! I loved #1! I was immediately able to picture faces, memories and ideas in the blank space of #1! Awesome is all around all the time and I thank you for reminding me to listen to the whispers! All the best to you Neil!
Wow, there were 682, so this is #683! I love that people are still visiting and making comments! I know I’m really gonna miss the awesome tomorrow, but I’m hopeful that 1000AwesomeThingsFriends will help fill the void and inspire us all to be create and carry on the Awesome. Feel like I’ll be carrying the awesome into surgery with me this week and that’s a very comforting feeling. Thanks all! :)
And for all of those who posted later who mentioned that no one would read their comments, of course we’re reading your comments! Each one carries on the awesome for me, so I savor them all. :)
I’m back today to read the comments too! None goes unnoticed, people.
Good luck in surgery. Keep us posted
I’ve been reading this blog since I was 15. Randomly clicking around the internet it a bored daze, hopping back and forth from MySpace to Livejournal, probably listening to shitty pop punk music, until I hit the gold mine…
I found myself scrolling back, farther and farther, deep into all the awesome things I never really gave much thought to. Reading each post, reactions ranging from “YES!” to “Oh god, other people feel this way, too?”.
How elated I was to discover that the blog wasn’t blocked in my high school computer lab, laughing to myself that I was in on this little secret world while everyone else was busy typing away summaries about “The Great Gatsby” or an informative essay on the War of 1812.
Fast forward, 4 years later, as I come to an end at my first year of college, I nervously watch the numbers go down. From double to single digit. From nail biting at 3, to holding my breath at 2…
1.
And that’s that. At first, I panicked, thinking to myself I can’t find the awesome things in life myself! When there would be times in my life where I just got too caught up in school, work, money, morality, there it was reminding me to treasure the little things, that life is too short and we really do only have about 100 years to live on this earth. I think I’ll greatly accept this challenge, on finding the awesome things in life, and to remember who you are and where you came from.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is— thanks Neil.
Ya know, some of us are trying to continue with the awesome. If you want to be a part of it, or if you just want to stop by and take a look
http://1000awesomefriends.org/
We all know that there’s plenty of things around us that bring joy to our lives and we can all find them now and smile thanks to Neil. But.. we would like to keep posting some of the awesome up for everyone else to share in. Neil did 1000 and that’s our goal too.
Thanks so much, Neil. I distinctively remember being a junior in high school, thinking about how I will be in college when the countdown ends. I remember thinking about how unreal that was and how I’d probably never survive all of the scary moments and changes that stood before me in those 800-something days. But I did! And that’s what you created – a physical blog in which we could all put aside our struggles for a minute and recognize something awesome, but more importantly, you helped us develop a mindset that seeks out the awesome on its own.
Such a cool project. Thanks again! I wonder how long it will take me to stop checking the site for a new post…
I’ve followed this blog from the beginning and I can’t believe it’s been 1000 things already! Thanks for keeping up with it for so long!
Thank you so much, Neil. For the countdown, for the thoughts, for the replies you’ve sent, for this number one, for everything!
Btw, to me – at the moment – the most awesome thing is “Finally finishing your thesis” :)
Keep on being awesome!
Cheers,
Eszti from Hungary
Congrats on finishing your thesis…quite an accomplishment! A around of applause!
Hi Neil,
Your books and blog are inspiring and unbelievable. Thank you for allowing me to share this awesome journey with you and people across this Earth! YOU are AWESOME.
I clicked on this link in my bookmark bar expecting to see a new Awesome thing today… but there was none. This is the end of a great thing and I am sad to see it go. Thank you Neil!
And now it’s time to remove this from my bookmark bar… :(
It’s been nice knowing you,neil! You know… you could write another book if you are up for it
Smashing idea, Andy! I’m sure there will be more to enjoy from Neil!
i would just like to thank you, Neil, for such a wonderful blog that i looked forward to reading everytime i was on my laptop. i came across it maybe at entry number 700 and i was checking it ever since then. i absolutely adored your entry for number 2 because it reminded me so much of my dad. he came to australia with only the clothes on his back and not much else, and it just makes me feel so incredibly lucky to be here today, all the sacrifices he made to make my family like it is today. thank you again Neil :)
Lizzie’s UNITE! :)