Author: Neil Pasricha

Kids cruise on wobbly bikes, toddlers race on tipsy trikes, and you drift deep into the hot summer night. Swerve and curve on windy roads as darkness slowly falls and stars pop out to reveal a twinkly twilight glow. As you hit the gas and drop your windows the warm beating rush of summer air makes you smile and makes everything else in the world just fade away… fade away… fade away… fade away… fade away…

AWESOME!

— Email message —

“Hi Neil, I just discovered 1000 Awesome Things and it made me incredibly happy. SO happy in fact that I wrote it down as #3274 in my Happy Book. For about a year and a half now, my friends, neighbors, strangers, and I have written down thousands of things that make us happy. Many are inside jokes but some are “whipping out something random from your memory” (#1694) or “sitting in the back seat of a car without the people in front knowing” (#2866). I have the authors sign and date their entries. We all have bad days but looking through my Happy Book reminds me of when we were feeling different and cheers me up. Thank you for the blog and The Book of Awesome!” – Hannah

Photo from: here

The Party Save happens anytime a friend yanks you from a bad party conversation by pulling off a thrilling and daring rescue mission.

Here’s how it all goes down:

Step 1:  The Plan. Say tonight you’re heading to a housewarming, office Christmas party, or New Year’s bash. As you and your date walk into Stranger Conversation Territory it’s important to make that deal up front. You save them, they save you. Don’t forget to shake.

Step 2: The Signal. You’re trapped! When you find yourself listening to neverending vacation stories, getting detailed stock-picking advice, or hearing about someone’s thesis, it’s time to get out. Signal your friend with an eager Smile N’ Raised Eyebrows glance, casual Nodding Head-Tilt beckon, or if absolutely necessary, a booming blood-curdling “Get over here!” scream, like Scorpion in Mortal Kombat.

Step 3: The Save. Here’s the tricky part. Your friend comes over and has two options. First, they can play False Emergency and drag you away while apologizing to the chatty strangers. This is  risky because it could look forced and you’ll need to disappear rather than just talking to someone else. Instead, they can try The Natural, which is where they drop a nice, normal transition into the conversation. “Should we go grab some food?”, “Linda just got here, let’s say hi”, or “Where’s the bathroom?” usually work well.

Remember: when you’re stuck, when you’re stranded, when all you see is gloom, just yell for your brothers and sisters and let them pull you across the room.

AWESOME!

Neil Pasricha and The Book of Awesome will be at the New Hamburg Live Art Festival in Ontario this weekend.

— Email message —

“My best friend discovered your blog and the book of awesome and showed it to me one day at work… and well i’m hooked. We often cross post awesomeness on each other’s Facebook walls and started an awesome things list of our own… I couldn’t help but continue to spread more awesomeness to her with the actual copy of the book but, being in Korea made it a little difficult. I couldn’t buy and deliver it to her personally. HOWEVER, i prevailed. I ordered her a book online and had it wrapped, carded and shipped to her!” – Sarah, Sanbon, South Korea

Photos from: here and here

“Alright, have a great weekend, see you Monday.”

“Yup, you too… hey wait, what are you up to tonight, anyway?”

“Oh, not much, really. Maybe heading into the city with friends.”

“Cool, we’ll be down there too. Thinking dinner, maybe drinks.”

“Oh yeah? Here, add my number to your phone.”

“Perfect, I’ll text you later then… see where you’re at.”

AWESOME!

Join us on Facebook.

— Email message —

“dear neil, when I went to go buy the book of awesome at my local b & n, I was extremely disappointed to find it sold out. as I turned to leave, an employee nearly ran into me. thankfully, she had an armful of awesome with her! my heartbreak healed, I thanked her and made my way to the registers. was it fate? I like to think so. awesome!” – debra

Photo from: here

Acne is not our friend.

Blackheads multiply, whiteheads spread, and pimples pop up before prom, people. Yes, our silky smooth skin gets junked up with oily messes as we’re straightening ties and squeezing into prom dresses. Baby, whether you’re rocking Forehead Volcanos, The Rudolph Nose, or a full on Pizza Face, we’ve all been there and we know it ain’t pretty and we know it ain’t fun.

But that’s what makes it great when those bumpy omens of zits to come sometimes just disappear overnight.

Oh sure, you scoped that new baby zit in the mirror last night and you tucked it nice and tight into bed. Yes, you thought you’d wake up with it burning nice and bright smack dab in the middle of your forehead.

But instead … it’s just gone, gone, gone away.

Never to be heard from again.

AWESOME!

Our awesome movement is on The Huffington Post front page!

Just announced: We’re visiting Calgary and Vancouver!

— Email message —

“Dear Neil, a few weeks ago I logged on to complete my favorite Sunday ritual.  After reading Postsecret, I saw where Frank mentioned The Book of Awesome.  I logged into your website and after reading a few hours I ordered your book. This past weekend, I went to see my girlfriend and was excited to see her.  But the weekend was horrible and I cried the three hours home. When I got there, I was so excited to see your book had come, but was still feeling the depression that follows a breakup.  Now I am happy to say that everytime I want to cry, I open your book and read.  I have laughed, cried, and felt better than I have in a long time.  Thank you so much for giving me something to look forward to.” -Brittanie

Photos from: here and here

Welcome back to Childhood.

Gooey grilled cheese drips and oozes onto heavy ceramic dishes lying on wobbly kitchen tables. Dusty sunlight beams down on the dog as you sit with your brother on Saturday afternoon beside the whirring fridge with rainbow letter magnets in front of the pea green stove.

Sandwich triangles give us more first bites and let us chomp right into the taste nucleus of our lunch.

Welcome to Flavor Country, everybody.

We’re home.

AWESOME!

Thanks for making The Book of Awesome a #1 bestseller!

Sign up for 1000 Awesome Things on email

— Email message —

“Hi Neil, I was diagnosed with cancer in April 2010 and my girlfriend Theresa gave me The Book of Awesome as part of a “feel good” gift. Talk about hitting the mark for putting a smile on someone’s face! Not only do I enjoy re-living the AWESOME moments you share, I’ve also enjoyed living some new personal AWESOME moments since my diagnosis: 1) listening to my 3.5yr old daughter laugh hysterically as she pats my bald head, 2) watching my 3 month old son go from confused to happy when he figures out who I am (poor little guy can see me in a wig/scarf/hat/bald all within a short time frame), 3) continuously getting blown away by acts of kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness from friends and family. This email is to thank EVERYONE who has done something AWESOME for a friend today and to thank YOU for doing something AWESOME for everyone!” – Brigitte

Photo from: here

I was bad at Kindergarten.

Yes, growing up a small, frightened, sheltered kid meant my daily drip to Grade 0 was the same as blasting me to the moon for six hours a day. I was helpless and alone, down on my own, in a cold and distant unknown.

Honestly, I was so shy I didn’t talk to anyone, anytime, ever. I would stare at my shoes while coloring, face the wall at nap time, and hide under evergreens at recess. Yes, I was the Kindergarten Ghost, a skinny, snot-nosed phantom who haunted the classroom by sitting in the corner all day playing with his zipper. Really, the only time I was less than ten feet from the other kids was when we sat in a circle around a trash can centerpiece every day at lunchtime.

My mom packed me a loaded paper bag for just the occasion each day.

Yes, I’d pull out a bologna sandwich and still have a juice box, granola bar, and cheese string left over. Since I was about three feet tall and clocked in around forty pounds, I usually just ate half the sandwich and quietly threw everything else into the centerpiece.

Now, my massively wasteful ways continued until one day in mid-October when my teacher Mrs. Armstrong mindlessly peeked into the trash can while walking by.

“Wait a minute,” she called out, reaching in to pick up my perfectly wrapped up food. “Who threw this out?”

I suppose my wide eyes, swinging legs, and chin-to-chest pose gave me away because she walked right over to me.

“Neil, did you throw this out?”

I nodded without looking up thinking I was about to get smacked, sent to the principal’s office, or expelled completely for my cheese-tossing ways. But she lowered herself to my level and said “Neil, do you see Matthew over there?”

I looked up at a dirty-faced kid picking his nose with a pencil on the other side of the circle.

“Well, Matthew doesn’t have enough food for his lunch. He’s still hungry. Would it be okay to give Matthew the granola bar you don’t want?”

I nodded again and this time Mrs. Armstrong beamed and spoke loudly for everyone.

“Neil, this is called sharing. Giving things to other people is sharing with them. Thank you for sharing your lunch with Matthew.”

She passed the granola and cheese to Matthew who gobbled it down quickly while I sat tall in the golden praise from my teacher. I felt great and could hear my inner headgears spinning in all directions. Sparks flew inside my five year old brain as I slowly made a bit more sense of the weird and wild world around us …

Yes, when it suddenly just clicks it suddenly feels

AWESOME!

Sign up for 1000 Awesome Things by email.

Join us for The Book of Awesome parties in Calgary on June 10th at 5pm and Vancouver on June 12th at 2pm. Online invites will be posted shortly.

— Email message —

“Our brother Freddo introduced our family to your blog right at the beginning and we’re all big fans. We were thrilled when we heard about your Webby and book deal and couldn’t wait for The Book of Awesome.

Now, we certainly don’t wish trouble on our neighbors around the world.

It’s just that when we see rain filling up roads, snowdrifts burying mailboxes, and giant hailstones peppering people’s Preludes, there’s just one big thought that flashes through our brains and makes us feel lucky.

“I’m sure glad I’m not there.”

AWESOME!

Check out The Book of Awesome widget

Neatorama is doing a fun contest for free copies of The Book of Awesome!

— Email message —

“Thank you so much for The Book of Awesome.The possibility of ordering your book online to Germany is absolutely AWESOME! My hometown is called Siegen in North Rhine Wetphalia. It is located 100 km east of Cologne. It is a relatively quiet place. A place where it is easy to spot 1000s of AWESOME things. :-)” – Tim

Photo from: here

Fat ladies hit the high note, trumpets blast in the pit band, and stage hands yank the curtains closed in that big booming finish at the end of the show. Yes, the guitarist slashes the final chord as that closing climax spirals up and up and up before just so suddenly … stopping. Then there’s a split-second of perfect silence as energy rip-rushes down the crowd and everyone stands up to let out a giant applause.

AWESOME!

Neil Pasricha and The Book of Awesome will be visiting Calgary and Vancouver in a couple weeks. Stay tuned for details!

— Email message —

“I came across a bakery the other day and that wonderful smell reminded me how awesome life really is. After getting a fresh, still warm croissant I headed to the book store across the street. Two sales girls greeted me as I was chewing so I quickly swallowed to say hi back. After asking what I was eating, I told them about my bakery trip and that great smell. They looked at each other and smiled. “That’s awesome” one said to the other. That’s when I realized she was holding The Book of Awesome. “It IS awesome, and I need that book you’re holding,” I told them. She gave me the book and we started chatting about all the stuff that was in there, which included her favorite “High-fiving babies.” Another woman asked what we were talking about and after I showed her the book she told the sales girl she would take 2 copies. Spreading the awesome by word of mouth….. Awesome!” – Brae

Photo from: here

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AWESOME!

— Email message —

“Hi Neil,
I recently got a copy of The Book of Awesome on Mother’s Day from my 2 1/2 year old (obviously my husband was behind that one ;). I love it and it’s just taking me to a different happy place each time I read one of the stories. I do appreciate the little things although this wasn’t always the case.

I’ve had a difficult period in my life and I’m still not fully on two strong legs yet, literally. 2 1/2 years ago I got an outburst of mysterious symptoms, my speech went slurry, barely audible, I couldn’t chew, swallow food, within months I dropped down to less than 75 lbs. I got weakness in my arms and legs and could barely walk. For most of this time, I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression and was on max doses of antidepressants – which were certainly necessary as I was going through depression with suicidal thoughts.

Eventually, I got more tests done, and 15 months later (of surviving on smoothies that took an hour to drink) (oh and did I mention I couldn’t smile – physically could NOT smile, I could not control any facial muscles) I got diagnosed with a rare disease called Myasthenia Gravis, (in short, it leads to muscle weakness due to antibodies blocking the signals from the brain to muscles). Since starting treatment I got my smile back, I can lift my daughter and go for a walk… but since there is no cure for this illness, the symptoms came back stronger so although my facial muscles are under some control, I’m generally weak and my eye muscles are affected with double vision.

This is still taking a toll but I’ve accepted things for what they are…. I think I’m HALF WAY (just like you). I may be weak, but I’m now a STRONG person inside. I now appreciate things for what they are, I look for awesome things in the everyday.  That’s why your book means so much to me. It helps me to look at life in a lighter way, it puts me in a happier place. For this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” – Ella (from http://www.lifeologia.com/)

Well, well, well.

Look at you living life in the fire lane.

Yes, you came, you parked, you went over time, and you know it.

Now you’re scrambling out of the laundromat with a teetery stack of folded towels, racing out of the barber shop with a a freshly shorn neck, or running out of the arcades with severe Pac Man wrist and pizza grease on your face.

As you race up the street you can’t help braincloud the worst case scenario waiting for you: ticket blowing under wipers, heavy fine hitting your pocket, and a frumpy meter maid pursing her lips and wagging her finger at you while shaking her head.

When you get to the car you see the telltale signs: zeros flashing on the meter, tow trucks prowling the alleys, and those maids swimming upstreet like uniformed sharks with pens, pads, and perms. But as you examine your windshield you notice one big thing missing: the parking ticket itself.

Brother, there is no time for questions. Just double scan that windshield, crank your car into drive, and hit the gas to zoom fast and zoom furious straight outta town.

You made it.

AWESOME!

Check out the Top 1000.

— Email message —

“Hey Neil! My amazing sister just sent me The Book of Awesome for my birthday and it could not have come at a better time. I recently moved halfway across the world for a new job and while I’m loving starting a new life, I definitely miss my family back home and reading the book always stirs up wonderful memories of them. Her sending me this came as a total surprise and just showed how well she knows me, how much she loves me and how awesome she really is. Here’s a pic of my sister and I skyping!” – Nicole

Photo from: here