Interview: An Awesome Guy with an Awesome New Book: An Interview Neil Pasricha of '1000 Awesome Things'

Will health care reform work? Can we stop global warming? Will we ever achieve peace in the Middle East? Enough with the big picture problems already. On his blog 1000 Awesome Things, and now, in his forthcoming title The Book of Awesome, Neil Pasricha encourages us to take a minute to appreciate all the little things that go our way.

Because, let's face it, if we spend all our time trying to tackle the big stuff, we're going to burn out fast. But if we all take a minute today to high-five a baby or exchange a friendly nod with a stranger... it might be a little easier to face the newspaper headlines (and even do something about them) tomorrow.

Planet Green: Hey Neil, how did you come up with the idea for 1000 Awesome Things?

Neil Pasricha: Well, honestly, the news was getting so heavy out there.

I started the blog in 2008 and it was just -- you know, pull open a newspaper and it's ice caps are melting, unemployment rates are shooting sky-high, hurricanes are swirling, and there are wars raging on around the world.

1000 Awesome Things and The Book of Awesome are just an escape from all the sad news and bad news. It's a tiny place where terrorist threats and global warming sit backseat to finding money in your coat pocket, waking up and realizing it's Saturday, and snow days.

PG: How do you come up with your ideas for all the Awesome Things?

NP: I talk about them all the time! My mom will laugh over dinner about the extra compartment in your stomach for dessert or I'll be driving home and notice how fun it is to hit a string of green lights in a row.

But really, I don't think they're ideas at all. Because, if anything, all I'm doing is writing down what we're all thinking. You don't need me to tell you that popping bubble wrap, stabbing a fresh jar of peanut butter, or fixing electronics by smacking them is awesome. It just is! I just happen to be the guy with a notepad, that's all.

PG: So what are the criteria required, for something to qualify as an awesome thing?

NP: Awesome things are simple, tiny, and usually free daily experiences we all love. They're sometimes touching, sometimes funny, and usually ring pretty true for most folks. I mean, who doesn't love it when you get called up to the dinner buffet first at a wedding? Who doesn't love it when the cashier opens up a new lane at the grocery store? I think most of us love those things which is what makes them awesome.

PG: Do you feel like you have any bigger mission in terms of spreading the word on Awesome Things?

NP: It's funny you ask, because I've been so touched by the letters and emails I've received. I've shared on my site my personal struggles, like getting left behind in a breakup and having my best friend take his own life. But people have reached back and given me their stories about their own struggles with their own personal situations. I think we've all had hard life moments, you know?

And just like me, people have said that awesome things help them remember the little things and live for the day. Teachers have assigned homework assignments on awesome things and just yesterday a college student emailed me a song he wrote and sang about awesome things! Collin, the guy who wrote the song, said that my website helped him realize that the perfect vision of a girlfriend wasn't about the "big things" in life -- but just the fact that his girlfriend loves the small ones. The song was really touching and I feel like there's a bit of an Awesome Movement bubbling below the surface just waiting to strike out.

Maybe we're all itching to share a big high five with humanity and celebrate the awesome.

PG: I'm sure sure you get this all the time, but I have to ask: What's your favorite Awesome Thing (or, OK, Things)?

NP: Ha ha, that's tough! Well, let's see here. They change all the time but how about:

1. Waking up before your alarm clock and realizing you've got lots of sleep time left.

2. The first shower you take after not showering for a really long time.

3. The smell of gasoline.

4. Old, dangerous playground equipment.

5. The last day of school.

Plus, here are my favorite Green-ish Awesome Things:

Staring out at calm water.

When someone offers to toss your dirty clothes in with their load of laundry.

The smell of freshly cut grass.

The sound of rain from inside the tent .

When you manage to squeeze enough toothpaste out for one last brush.

The smell and sound of a campfire.

Snow falling on Christmas Eve.

Squeezing a little more juice out of dying batteries.

PG: Awesome!

The Book of Awesome will be released on April 15, 2010, from AEB/Putnam.