TC 257: The Three A’s of Awesome

Everything is Awesome! In this episode of the Transformation Cafe podcast, host Robin Masiewicz and Cafe regular Gloria discuss the little things in life that are awesome, "simple, universal, little pleasures that we all love but we just don't talk about enough. Things like waiters and waitresses who bring you free refills without asking, being the first table to get called upto the dinner buffet at a wedding, wearing warm underwear from just out of the dryer, or when cashiers open up a new check-out lane at the grocery storeand you get to be first in line even if you were last at the other line, swoop right in there". Robin was inspired to talk about this topic by Neil Pasricha's TEDxToronto presentation. Neil is the author of the Webby-award winning blog 1000awesomethings.com (http://1000awesomethings.com), and the bestselling books The Book of Awesome (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425238903/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0425238903&linkCode=as2&tag=transfcafe-20&linkId=4RPKUDP4XMKRFOXS)(http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=transfcafe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425238903) and the The Book of (Even More) Awesome (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425245551/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0425245551&linkCode=as2&tag=transfcafe-20&linkId=ZFY7LDAMUS7BB4G2)(http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=transfcafe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425245551). View Neil's TED talk here: The 3 A's of awesome (http://go.ted.com/b4Qj). The Three A's of Awesome: Attitude, Awareness, and Authenticity Attitude - You will face lumps and bumps and there will be highs and lows. No one is exempt from a measure of heartache. You have two choices: 1) Swirl in the gloom and doom, or 2) grieve and then face the future with newly sober eyes and take one baby step at a time. Here's hoping we all choose the second option. Awareness - As Neil observed in his TED talk, three-year-olds have an innate sense of wonder; they are experiencing things for the very first time. Having a sense of awareness is about embracing your inner three year-old, and paying attention. Watch the wind move the clouds across the sky, marvel at the softness of a cat's fur, or listen to the flutter of a hummingbird's wings. Maybe you've seen it a zillion times, but take the time to be aware, be in the moment. Isn't it amazing? Authenticity - This one is simple: be yourself. Don't worry about what others think, don't try to conform to their notion of who you are. If you love square-dancing but don't want to tell your coworkers that's what you do with your time on the weekends, then own up to it. "I'm a square-dancer Goldarnit!" Then dosado proudly back to your desk. (http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=transfcafe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0802704212)The Fourth A: Appreciation While I agree that Neil is right on the money, I think that Appreciation should be the "fourth A". It goes along with Awareness, but it includes a sense of gratitude for the positive people and things in your life. If you want to learn more about Appreciation in the Workplace, check out our recent show on Grace in the Workplace (http://transformation-cafe.com/tc256/).   Books by Neil Pasricha (http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0425238903&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=transfcafe-20)(http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=transfcafe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425238903) (http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0425245551&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=transfcafe-20)(http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=transfcafe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0425245551) If you've had something awesome happen recently, tell your story in the Comments. We'd love to hear about it!