So today’s interview is with Neil Pasricha (pronounced Pas-reach-a), who is the genius behind the blog 1000 Awesome Things and the author of the soon to be released book, The Book of Awesome (which you can pre-order by clicking on the picture or the link above).

The podcast…

Episode 2 of the Being Awesome Series

I actually wrote about Neil (I never used his name in that post however) in this post, Quit letting life smack you around.

I’m pretty excited about this interview simply because I feel like I have scooped a big time author just before he became famous.  I am making my prediction now:  this book WILL be a best seller.

A bit of back story…

I thought I would tell you a little bit about how this interview came to be.

Whenever I am moved by a site or a post I usually send the author a personal email saying so (I don’t do it in the comments section).  I also don’t hesitate to make suggestions or mention things that may help them moving forward.  Sure many don’t ever respond back, but that is OK.  That isn’t why I do this to begin with.

Back in January, while I was in New York attending Seth Godin’s live book launch, I emailed Neil to tell him of some of the cool things Seth did (because I knew he was doing his book launch in May).  This led to an email exchange about some of the details of the book launch.

Then in February, Gretchen Rubin, who wrote The Happiness Project, came to Toronto to promote her book.  During her interview she gave Neil a glowing shout out.

I knew Neil wasn’t in attendance, so that night I sent him an email telling him the all the juicy details of the shout out because I am a tattle tale of awesomeness.  He was so appreciative that he asked if he could call me to give me a proper thank you, as he felt email wouldn’t do it justice.

And that discussion led to me asking if he would be interested in telling his story.  Fortunately for me, he was.

Nuggets of awesomeness…

Here are a few things to anticipate in our talk.  Neil dishes on…

• what he does to drive traffic to his site
• writing posts from different perspectives
• his week of posts in February where he really put himself “out there” and the amazing emails he got as a result
• dealing with personal adversity from a marriage that didn’t work out to a friend who took his own life
• how his book deal came to be
• the movie that parallels his story and who might play him if his story was turned into a movie (you might be surprised who we thought it could be)
• why he doesn’t consider himself a writer (and why he loves that)

Things I learned…

I also learned a few things from my second interview.  I mistakenly recorded this podcast in the wrong format and had to scramble to get the audio into a format I could actually share.  I did eventually find someone to help, but there are times where it sounds like I am talking into a tin can.

The perfectionist in me shudders when these things happen, but part of the journey of being awesome and doing awesome work is knowing things never go as planned (especially when you are first starting out) and accepting the fact that at that moment that was the absolute best I could do.  I know number 3 will be much better.

Question for you…after listening to the podcast

What aspects of Neil’s story could you “steal” and apply to your own life to help you move forward in your quest to be awesome and do awesome work?

Be sure to head over to the comment section to share your views.  I look forward to the conversation.  Click here to go there now.

The podcast…

Episode 2 of the Being Awesome Series

(Note: to save this podcast to your computer right click the link above and go to “Save link as”.)

To being awesome,

Dean

ps…did you like this?  Consider subscribing (click here) and also forwarding this to someone else who might really need to hear this today.

So as promised, here is episode numero uno of a new series I am calling, “The Being Awesome” series, where I interview really cool people doing awesome things to make people and the world a better place.

This video podcast features Angela Lussier, who I have written about before on this blog. You can learn more by reading this and this.

I met Angela at Seth Godin’s book launch for the Linchpin in New York city back on January 15th. She recently appeared on his Spring list of recommended books (which is pretty damn awesome in and of itself). You can find that list here.

Angela is the owner of the company 365 Degrees Consulting and the author of the book, The Anti-Resume Revolution.

About the interview…

Getting to the point where I could actually send this to you today was an interesting journey.  I have long wanted to do an interview series, but like many of us, I found reasons why I couldn’t do it.  I didn’t know how to do a podcast, I didn’t have people to interview, I didn’t know how long the podcast should be etc.

The list was endless.  But it dawned on me that these awesome people I wanted to interview found ways to get things done.  Everyone can make excuses why things can’t happen.  Only a few find reasons why things CAN and SHOULD happen. I want to be on that short list.

And so I set out trying to figure out how to do this.

I first had to find a software program that would allow me to record my Skype video.  I did.  I then had to learn how to edit within that program and find a site that would let me host a video that was 53 minutes long.  I did.  Finally I had to come to grips with the fact that I made many mistakes doing this and it isn’t as perfect as I wanted it to be.  I did.

My biggest frustration was discovering that my built in webcam bites worse than a puppy with those little baby razor blade teeth of theirs!  My image is out of focus…it’s like watching Avatar in 3-D, without the goggles.  I look more like a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of the real me.  Boo!

But in my quest to produce awesome work, I have to remember that striving for perfection is good, but achieving it will never happen.  But the striving for it is where all the good stuff lies.

One final note…

This video is 53 minutes long.  I debated about cutting it down to like 20 minutes to accommodate people’s attention spans, but I opted against that.  Want to know why?  Because the story of awesome people doing awesome things can’t be captured in a sound bite.

Awesome people have awesome stories and those stories require time to tell them.

So get yourself a cup of something hot (I might suggest a drink because a cup of hot air is very unsatisfying in my experience), have a notebook handy to jot down interesting tidbits you can “steal” for your own growth,  sit down in your favourite chair and kick up those tootsies of yours.

Quick Breakdown…

Minutes 0-15-Her school experience and whether she fit in or not

Minutes 16-25-A review of past jobs

Minute  25-How 365 Degrees Consulting came to be

Minute 29-The Anti-Resume Revolution is born

Minute 41-The Seth Godin moment

Minute 48-3 things to quit to create your awesome work

The interview…

Don’t be fooled by the headset I am wearing.  I was not flying a plane while doing this interview.  Really I wasn’t!

If you can’t see the video, then click on this link below…

Video Link:  Being Awesome with Angela Lussier

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  The best part of the whole thing was staying true to who I was.  I’m a goofball at heart and love to laugh while trying to unravel life’s mysteries.  I was able to accomplish both in this interview.

To being awesome and doing awesome work,

Dean

ps…got a question for Angela, want to leave a comment, or do you simply want to tell me what a fine hologram I make (MEOW!) then click here.  If you have never left a comment before, you may first have to register.

pss…if you liked this interview consider signing up and while you are at it, forward it to a friend.

Change is misunderstood, mostly because it is thrown at us when we least expect it. That is pretty damn scary.  And it is that scariness that has us seeking to avoid life altering change at all costs.

Getting canned from a job, having a relationship you thought was going OK end abruptly, having to reluctantly relocate to a world completely foreign to you, or suddenly finding yourself in unfamiliar territory, is not fun.  In fact, sudden unexpected change can plunge us into something best described as a living hell!

So we fight against change in an effort to keep ourselves comfortable and secure in the world we know.

I’m sure cavemen (and cavewomen) resisted the introduction of fire (I suspect this was because some knuckle dragging numb-scull actually set himself on fire).   People refused to accept the idea the earth was round. There were those who fought against ideas that differed from the church (that continues to this day with the debate over same sex marriage).    Today, the music industry is fighting desperately against the changes of the online music movement.

It’s natural.  We fight anything that rocks the world we think we know.

But change is also the spark for all the amazing things that can flourish once we rein in the emotional impact it has unleashed upon us.

So as devastating as divorce (or a break up) can be, this change allows people to reassess who they are, who they want to attract and then start again to attract someone truly amazing.  It is the same with getting fired or getting let go. Once the mourning period has been honoured (and you should honour it), it allows people to reassess their definition of work and seek out and create something that resonates within the core of their soul.

Every amazing thing that exists today is a result of change.  Amazing can’t happen without change.

So when you are in the throes of a full out panic because you have been thrust into a tsunami of change, honour the process and take solace in the fact that you have taken the first step towards creating something amazing.

To an idea worth pursuing,

Dean

PS…I have big changes happening in my life as well at the moment.  I won’t get into the details now (later posts will address these), but I am embarking on a slew of changes in all areas of my life.

One of those changes will come with The Quit List. I will be looking to re-brand the site.  While I have absolutely loved writing about those things we should be quitting, I would also like to delve into other topics that currently don’t fit into the theme I now have.

For instance, I have recently started doing a podcast show which I am calling, “The being awesome series.”  I am interviewing amazing people doing awesome stuff that is changing the world (even if on a small scale.)  I have recently done two and will be sending them out next week.

There is some really great stuff in those podcasts that you won’t want to miss, especially if you find yourself sitting at a crossroads in life.

What I love most is these podcasts stay true to who I am.  I am high energy and I love to laugh and learn. There is a great balance of all those ingredients in these podcasts which I think you will love.  They are very entertaining.

So the updates over the next few weeks will be less frequent as I prepare these changes and balance a very hectic month ahead.

But I am pretty sure you are going to like what you see

I have opted to take a different tact today.  In honour of Spring’s grand opening (yesterday), today is a celebration of one of the most empowering words in the English language.

And what is that word? AWESOME! I love the word AWESOME!

It is art personified; a symphony of blended sounds that plays like sweet music to the ear. It’s an instant mood changer, eliciting a smile on the face of anyone who has it bestowed upon them.  It’s just an awesome word that can be used on any occasion.

How was the movie?  AWESOME! The book? AWESOME! The party? The family? AWESOME! My soup? AWESOME! Babysitting that newborn? AWESOME! The snowfall? AWESOME! The date? AWESOME! The evaluation? AWESOME! The speech? AWESOME! Those burnt burgers? AWESOME! Paris? AWESOME! Your sleep? AWESOME! You? AWESOME!

So in honour of AWESOME, head on down to the comment section below and give a shout out to those on your list who you know are seriously AWESOME!

To being AWESOME,

Dean

ps…Why not make your friend’s day and forward this to them.  I’m sure they would think it is AWESOME!

pss…I have added my list of awesome people below.  Check it out!

“I let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him.”

~Booker T. Washington“

I have to be honest.  I was not sure I wanted to write this post.  I had serious doubts about whether or not I wanted to create or be part of a dialog that revolved around the idea of hate or any other words that bring out the worst in humankind.

But I have been thinking about this idea for a few days now and I just can’t seem to shake it.  As I learn more about myself through the medium of blogging however, I realize that while sometimes I choose the blog posts I want to write about, there are other times that they choose me.  This is one of those times.

I have a multitude of thoughts running through my head at the moment, but the one that is dominating at the moment is my “no use” list of words that are off limits to my vocabulary.  There are certain words I simply refuse to use because they make me cringe when I say them.

Words like bitch, slut, retard*, the c word (you know that other word people use instead of vagina), any racial slur on record and of course the word hate are all very crippling words in one shape or another.

[*Thanks to my friend Krista, who has worked tirelessly with and for people with developmental disabilities, for her efforts to educate people on why such a word should not be used in any context.  Check out her new website on inclusive humanity.  She is doing great work to make the world a better place.]

It has been my experience that the moment that those words are floated out in the universe they attract an energy, ideas, behaviours, attitudes and a type of person I am not looking to associate with.

What prompted this post…

This actually all started a few days ago when I came across a very popular blogger named Penelope Trunk.  While I typically try to stay away from reading the content of popular bloggers (I do this to try and keep my thinking as fresh and unique as possible), I found myself drawn to her work.

She speaks from the core who of who she is on all subjects, whether it be about her divorce, her horrifying 911 experience, or sharing the details of the Asperger syndrome she suffers from.

As I read through a variety of posts that she has written over the past 8 or 9 years, I stumbled on two very popular ones that generated 466 and  586 comments respectively, with regards to two people she hated.

The posts had a very polarizing effect on the commenters.  Some loved what she had to say (to be fair she had legitimate reasons to be upset with both gentleman in question) while others questioned her motives and strategy.

I am here to do neither.  It is her blog and she has carved out a successful career speaking her truth.  Whether I agree or disagree is irrelevant.  But the posts did cause me to reflect on my own life and who and what I am looking to attract to it.

What and who do you want to attract?

I’m not a hater by nature; never have been.  I never had a teacher I hated.  I never taught students I hated.  I didn’t even hate the guy who sucker punched me in the face at a dance back when I was 18 breaking my nose thus requiring me to wear a big ugly cast on my face. (It was t-shaped running up my nose up and across my forehead.  My friends kindly referred to me as Jason from the Halloween movies.)

Don’t get me wrong here however.  I’m no Mother Theresa.  There are people, attitudes, and behaviors that rub me the wrong way, that cause me to get upset, and that cause me to get angry and behave in ways that I am less than proud of.

But I know it’s not in my genetic make up to hate, and more importantly, it is not in my conscious state to hate. I intentionally choose not to use the word because I want nothing to do with any of the strings that come attached with it.  I don’t want to be surrounded by people who hate.  I don’t want to listen to people who spew hate.  I don’t want to read about things that promote hate.

The moment you put hate out in any form you immediately attract it.  Hate is a magnet for hate. Hate attracts hate just like smokers attract other smokers, criminals attract other criminals, and adulterers attract other adulterers.

And the more hate we put out there, the more of it we attract.

The origins of hate…

There is no scientific evidence for what I am about to say, but I don’t believe we are born to hate.  I don’t believe that we possess a hate gene.  It is my belief that hate is a learned behaviour.

I say this because I have yet to encounter a hateful baby or child.  I think we all start from a place of love; with a desire to be loving.

But depending on who we are and the environments we have been exposed to, I also believe some are more susceptible to the influences of hate than others, much like some are more susceptible to say the flu virus than others are.

But like smoking, I also believe people have the ability to quit hating if they are truly ready to give it up.

I realize this isn’t easy, as there are an infinite number of reasons to hate.  It takes far more strength of character and courage to find reasons to love.

The transition from a hater to a lover…

There is a great line in the movie, The Family Man, where Tia Leoni’s character tells Nicholas Cage’s character, “I choose love.”

I believe it as simple as that (but don’t equate simple with easy). I believe we can choose to love as opposed to hate. So for instance, instead of finding 5 reasons to hate someone, I can instead state 5 reasons why someone is difficult to love.

There may not seem like much of a difference to those two statements, but the implications are immense.  The first does not allow for the capacity to love.  The second statement does.

So make the choice to quit being a hater.  Choose to be a lover of life, of people, of nature, of ideas, of possibilities so you are attracting more of what you want and eliminating that which you don’t want.

To an idea worth quitting,

Dean

*****

Dean Dwyer (that’s me) is on a mission to get people to quit the stuff that is holding them back from being that person they desire to be and doing the work they desire to do.  If you are seeing his work for the first time, why not subscribe and forward this to someone who could benefit from what he has to say.  He does promise that if you meet him in person he will not talk to you in the third person.