How awesome is it to flip to a radio station just as a song you love is starting, to find money you didn’t even know you lost, or to realize it’s Friday when you thought it was Thursday?
Neil Pasricha knows something about it. In 2008 he began a special countdown. As he was going through a difficult time, he started a blog called 1,000 Awesome Things about simple pleasures in life.
Three years later, the countdown will come to an end this April.
The Canadian author has since published two bestseller books. His third was released two months ago.
Using his great sense of observation, he writes with humour and a hint of nostalgia.
Bet you can’t read his blog without smiling.
How did you get the idea for your blog?
Well, let’s be honest, it’s getting pretty heavy out there. Pull open a newspaper and it’s cruise ships tipping over, wars across the world, rising gas prices, and a jobless recovery.
The Books of Awesome are just an escape from the sad news and bad news pouring down everyday. They’re a place where global warming, terrorist threats, and U.S. election coverage sits backseat to warm underwear out of the dryer, the cool side of the pillow, and popping Bubble Wrap.
How many visitors do you have every day and how many readers in total, so far?
The Book of Awesome has been a New York Times Bestseller, No. 1 international bestseller for 80 weeks, No. 1 bestselling non-fiction book in Canada for 2010 and 2011.
1,000 Awesome Things has won the Webby Award for Best Blog in the world for the past two years. It has over 40 million hits. Over 100,000 people read it each day through the blog, Twitter and Facebook.
Why do you think it became such a big success so fast?
I’m the most surprised! Honestly, when I first started 1,000 Awesome Things I was excited when my mom forwarded it to my dad and the traffic doubled. Then I was excited when strangers started emailing me and friends and I would say to each other: “You know what’s awesome? When there’s still time left on the parking metre! When cashiers open up new lanes at the grocery store! When you get the milk-to-cereal ratio just right!”
I’ve been extremely flattered by all the notes I get from folks around the world. Cancer patients telling me awesome things remind them of how much joy life really holds. Children writing cute emails telling me they love neighbours with pools and popping Bubble Wrap too, and preachers telling me they read from The Book of Awesome in their churches.
