A few weeks ago I attended WordCamp Toronto. I really enjoyed the Blogging Success stories that were featured between the presentations. This week I read about a Toronto blogger, Neil Pasricha, who has an awesome success story.
THE BLOG: 1000 Awesome Things
On June 20, 2008 Neil Pasricha started his blog http://1000awesomethings.com. 1000 Awesome Things is updated every weekday with new blog posts that counts down 1000 awesome things. “Neil started his blog as a small reminder — in a world of rising sea levels, global conflict, and a troubled economy — of the free, easy little joys that make life sweet.” The awesome things covered on the blog are varied, and range from #827 Saying the same thing as a sports commentator says just before they say it, to #973 Sleeping in new bed sheets, and #886 High fiving babies. Neil’s blog 1000awesomethings.com is hosted for free on wordpress.com. He just has to pay to register a domain and a small fee for domain mapping to direct the domain to his wordpress blog. AWESOME!
THE BLOGGER:
29-year-old Toronto blogger Neil Pasrica is a self-described “average guy” with a typical 9-to-5 job in the suburbs. Neil Pasricha encourages us to take a minute to appreciate all the little things that go our way. In a Toronto Star interview Neil said that despite the upbeat bent of his blog, he’s not an excessively cheerful person: “I find things annoying, and things still upset, but with things as heavy as they are, it’s fun to say, ‘So what kind of potato chips do you like on your sandwich?’ ”
THE SUCCESS:
When Neil began blogging he never imagined that writing about the smell of gasoline, thinking it’s Thursday when it’s really Friday, or wearing underwear just out of the dryer would amount to anything. He certainly didn’t anticipate that his site would gain a readership of millions of people, win two Webby Awards (for Best Personal/Culture Blog and a People’s Voice award), be named one of PC Magazine’s Top 100 Sites, or become a place where people from around the world would come to celebrate the simple pleasures of daily life. And he never dreamt that it 
would lead to a book deal.
THE BOOK OF AWESOME (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, April 15, 2010) will be launched this week. Combining classic entries from the web site with a hefty chunk of brand-new content, and accompanied by photos throughout, The Book of Awesome is a much-needed reminder of life’s happy little moments, a hilarious and heartfelt thumbs-up for the awesomeness of everyday life.
ADVICE FOR OTHER BLOGGERS:
I asked Neil what advice he would offer to others who want to blog. Here’s his response:
“My advice is simply: Follow your heart and never stop writing. The rest will take care of itself.”
– Neil
Awesome!
Sources: 1000awesomethings.com, The Toronto Star
If you have a blogging success story I would love to hear it!
Following your heart is so important as a blogger… I suspect that many of those who quickly lose momentum do so because they’re trying to do what they think others expect them to do, instead of what they really want to do.
Yes Janet it is an important message… this advice echoed what was said a number of times at WordCamp and Dawn Comber mentioned this on her blog “we should just get started blogging … don’t step back and develop some big strategy – find something you enjoy – figure out what you want to say and then start saying it – work on strategy later.” http://dawncomber.com/blogging-and-social-media/
Another great reminder from a successful blogger – his advice mirrors the advice given at WordCamp Toronto 2010.
Whilst in a cafe, I heard about Neil on CBC several weeks ago and made a mental note of his blog. Invariably my memory failed to recall his blogsite. His story was very touching and I was annoyed at myself for not writing down the info. What a delight to come across him again in your post. And also, to have the trust in the process of writing reaffirmed.
Hi Ina,
Glad you found Neil’s link. It is a great story.
great post..
A really great, inspiring post! I think it’s very true that you should just keep writing, regardless of how many people view your blog. (Very hard, I know!) By doing this, you not only improve your writing skills and become a better writer, and you also slowly build readership.
I also don’t think that bloggers should worry that their blog doesn’t match the success of blogs like 1000 awesome things, or lunch with Mary. There are many other great blogs who don’t have this kind of success, yet are still doing really well.
Bottom line? Aim for the sky, but keep your spirits high no matter what happens. If you keep writing about whatever drives you, eventually you will attract like-minded individuals who will follow your blog. Good luck! 🙂