The 3 A's of Awesome

I didn't know this until after I watched this video on TED, but Neil Pasricha won the 2009 Webby award for Best Blog. You can see his blog here: http://1000awesomethings.com/

In the video, he talks about his "3 A's of Awesome" on which his blog are based:

1. Attitude
2. Awareness
3. Authenticity

After my first business trip these past two weeks away from my wife and daughter, the video really hit home as to what is really important in life and how much we take the little things for granted.

I wish I would have watched this video before my trip because instead of concentrating on my perceived fears of flying that I had learned as an adult, I might have paid more attention to the little things that made the experience fun when I was a child.

In his video, Neil describes how kids are more aware of the little things. I remember my very first airplane ride when I was 7 years old. My mom was taking me to Texas to see my Dad who was stationed at Fort Hood. I was fascinated with the flight crew, the informational card in the seat pocket that tells all about the airplane (that as an adult nobody ever reads), the little plastic wings they used to give all the kids, and how the toilet in the airplane lavatory sucked all the blue water down (did it get dropped on the houses below?). Above all, I was flying... I mean, I was really flying!

Then of course, there was the experience of my trip in general... picking up the rental car was painless (they just scanned a bar code on the car and I was on my way), my room was always cleaned with fresh sheets when I returned from work each day, and my cell phone told me when and where I needed to be during the entire trip. That in and of itself is pretty darned cool.

There really isn't a "technical aspect" per se that I can tie into my Futuring and Innovation class. However, looking forward does not always have to be about technology in and of itself. Looking forward is having a different attitude towards life, being aware of the little things around you, and being authentic in how you carry yourself and who (family, company, etc.) you represent.