My personal philosophy of awesomeness is pretty simple: Awesome is an adjective, but we really ought to treat it as a verb.

But living awesomeness isn’t quite the same thing as being happy, or being positive. Awesomeness requires something extra, a deeper engagement with universe as a whole which encompasses three core principles: curiosity, compassion, and humor.

Curiosity

Human beings are naturally curious, but more often than not social conventions stunt willingness to try new things or investigate the strange and wonderful. To be awesomely curious, we don’t need to cast off all social conventions but do need to recognize that rules are made to be broken.

Compassion

To be compassionate is to be adaptable. To adapt we must make space for the will and direction of others. If there’s no room for compromise, then there is no room for compassion. If there is no room for forgiveness, there is no room for compassion. If there is no sense of something other than yourself and your own view, there is no room for compassion.

Humor

First we must laugh at ourselves an then we must laugh at the universe. After all, if we, small mammals on a rock at the far end of the galaxy can muse on such grand and all encompassing topics as awesomeness, then the universe is truly a funny place.

Awesomeness

I don’t claim to be awesome all the time. Nor do I claim to live awesomeness every moment, but when I am stressed or working hard or just plain tired, I think about these principles of awesomeness…

… and then I take a nap or go for a walk. Or maybe just hang out with the guys in the picture above. 🙂

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[Update: I’ve just been made aware that I missed the 4th principle of awesomeness: Bacon! >Thanks, Carrie!]