How’s your search going?  Have you found the awesomeness you’ve been seeking?

There are a lot of awesome nouns (people, places, things) out there.  A whole bunch of awesome verbs.  And, don’t forget about all the awesome adjectives.  String these together in almost infinite patterns, and you have the makings of a lot of awesomeness.

The sound of steaks sizzling on the grill, a beautiful sunset, the sparkle in someone’s eye when you’ve taught them something they never knew, the quiet stillness of a starting line just before the starter’s gun goes off, the aroma of a perfect cup of coffee as the sun comes up, the crackle of a campfire, watching your daughter roast a marshmallow to perfection.

The search for awesomeness should be an easy one.  It’s all around us.

Sadly, for some, finding awesomeness is impossible.

That’s because they don’t realize that awesomeness isn’t about what’s outside.  It’s not about what we see, touch, or hear.  It isn’t what we smell or taste.  It isn’t even about who is with us.

Our thoughts drive who we are, what we’ll be, where we’re going, and how we look at the world.  To find and experience awesomeness, we must first open ourselves to gratitude and appreciation.  Without gratitude and appreciation, all of the awesomeness in this world (and beyond) are merely nouns, verbs, and adjectives, waiting to be combined.

The search for awesomeness starts and ends within each of us.  Gratitude is our compass.  Appreciation is our map.

[This post marks the first anniversary of my blog.  My goal was to publish one post per week, and limit their length to no more than 500 words.  This is my 58^th post, and I think only one went over my self-imposed word limit (but, it was one of my favorites).

I’m grateful and appreciative that you have taken the time to read my posts.  I hope you found them encouraging, informative, and maybe a little thought provoking.]