3 Things That You Can Do Today That Will Make You More Awesome Tomorrow

Barney Stinson was not this awesome yesterday. He was still Doogie Howser.

1.  Set a simple goal and accomplish it

The thing about accomplishment is that it motivates you to accomplish more. When you can call a task complete, you feel satisfied and oftentimes energized to complete something else. So when I say simple, I mean it. You want to read more? Then your goal is to read 1 page of a book today. Just one. You’ve overcome the inertia to begin and accomplished a goal. It’s so simple that you can only fail if you want to.

My goal for today is: To write this blog entry. No, it’s not cheating to use this as my goal. It makes me more awesome and therefore qualifies.

2.  Learn a new word

I remember seeing on a movie, or maybe a TV show – doesn’t matter really – but there was a character and he had one of those “Word of the Day” calendars. For some reason, his use of this calendar and his attempts to apply his new word made him flawed in some way and we were supposed to regard him with little respect.  So essentially, the guy trying to expand his vocabulary is a clown. Well, at the end of the year that guy’s vocabulary exceeds yours by at least 365 words. He can communicate with greater clarity and nuance. Who’s the clown again? Learning a new word also means pronouncing it correctly and applying it appropriately in conversation. Misusing vocabulary earns negative awesome points.

My word for today is: PAEAN - a piece of writing, a song, etc. that expresses enthusiasm and admiration.  This blog is a paean to awesomeness.

I’ll do you a favor and get you started. The word is niche. Pronounce it as “neesh” instead of “nich” and use it in a sentence tomorrow. When people look confused, tell them that you’re not only awesome, but you’re erudite and articulate as well.

3.  Fully enjoy a moment

This one is a little “touchy feely.”  I know. You can measure whether or not you’ve set a simple goal and accomplished it. You can measure whether or not you’ve learned a new word.  But enjoying a moment is… ambiguous. So I guess the best way to approach this is to just try to do it until it feels right.

Maybe examples are in order:

• You just took a long gulp of some ice cold grape pop. Lick your lips, smack obnoxiously, say “aaahhhhh, refreshing.” Grin like an idiot.
• You just climbed into bed after a long day. Bundle the covers over your body, assume the fetal position, rub your feet together like a cricket. Grin like an idiot.
• You just finished writing another personally satisfying blog entry. Spell check, find an amusingly appropriate picture, preview, post. Grin like an idiot.
• You just finished reading The Awesomeness Consultant’s latest post. Laugh, cry, reflect, self-assess. Grin like an idiot.

 My moment of enjoyment for today: They just keep coming…