On Being Awesome
A Unified Theory of How Not to Suck
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Narrated by:
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Nick Riggle
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By:
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Nick Riggle
About this listen
A lively philosophical exploration of what it means to be awesome and not suck, and a plea for more awesomeness in our personal, social, and public lives
In this engaging, fun, and astute investigation of a thoroughly contemporary condition, philosopher and former pro skater Nick Riggle argues that our collective interest in being awesome (and not sucking) marks a new era in American culture, one that is shaped by relatively recent social, political, and technological shifts.
At the core of his work is the idea that awesome people are exemplars of social creativity. We suck when we foil their attempts at creative community building. To be down, game, chill, basic, wack, or a preference dictator are just a handful of ways we can create, respond to, or fail to take up social openings in the office, in public, or with our friends and loved ones.
What can the invention of the high five and the history of "cool" tell us about the origins of awesome? Can introverts be awesome? How do our expectations of awesome relate to race, gender, and sexuality? How is our desire for awesomeness shaping our cultural landscape - art, altruism, athletics, and public life? These are just a few of the questions Riggle explores in this accessible, philosophical road trip through the ethos of our time.
On Being Awesome articulates a singular and gripping cultural ideal and provides a new and inspiring framework for understanding friendship, success, and happiness in our everyday lives.
Bonus PDF included with awesomeness/suckiness chart
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2017 Nick Riggle (P)2017 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"What is the opposite of an asshole? It’s the ‘awesome’ person who goes off script in the usual interactions, creating new opportunities for creative expression and social communion. Nick Riggle’s fun book is ‘awesome’ by its own definition. But don’t miss its profound ambition, which is to show how philosophy unearths the structure of ordinary language, defines the meaning of life in routine business, and poses the question of how best to live.” (Aaron James, author of Assholes: A Theory)
“It’s…hard to imagine that anyone else has thought so deeply about the nature of awesomeness: its meaning, its importance, and the ways that true awesomeness is under threat. In On Being Awesome, Riggle offers a careful dissection of the psycho-philosophical categories of sucking…but the book also works as a practical, and surprisingly inspiring, guide to better living.” (Scientific American Mind)
“A deceptively fun-loving tour of philosophy’s most ancient question: how best to live. Riggle uses modern jargon to apply timeless philosophical truths to today’s problems.” (Success Magazine)
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There has never been a better time to build an audience around your idea or product. But with so many people and companies clamoring for attention, it's also more challenging than ever to do work that deeply resonates with the marketplace and creates true and lasting impact.
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MISLEADING TITLE AND AUDIO SAMPLE
- By Jer on 05-19-16
By: Todd Henry
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How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life
- An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness
- By: Russ Roberts
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life, Roberts examines Smith’s forgotten masterpiece, and finds a treasure trove of timeless, practical wisdom. Smith’s insights into human nature are just as relevant today as they were 300 years ago. What does it take to be truly happy? Should we pursue fame and fortune or the respect of our friends and family? How can we make the world a better place?
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Hard to distinguish Roberts from Smith in reading
- By Amazing Customer on 03-31-15
By: Russ Roberts
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Redesigning Leadership
- By: John Maeda, Becky Bermont
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd
- Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When designer and computer scientist John Maeda was tapped to be president of the celebrated Rhode Island School of Design in 2008, he had to learn how to be a leader quickly. He had to transform himself from a tenured professor - with a love of argument for argument’s sake and the freedom to experiment - into the head of a hierarchical organization. The professor is free to speak his mind against “the man.” The college president is “the man.” Maeda has had to teach himself, through trial and error, about leadership.
By: John Maeda, and others
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The Collaborative Habit
- Life Lessons for Working Together
- By: Twyla Tharp
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 4 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In a career that has spanned four decades, choreographer Twyla Tharp has collaborated with great musicians, designers, thousands of dancers, and almost a hundred companies. She's experienced the thrill of shared achievement and has seen what happens when group efforts fizzle. Her professional life has been - and continues to be - one collaboration after another. In this practical sequel to her national best seller The Creative Habit, Tharp explains why collaboration is important to her - and can be for you.
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Awful narration
- By Anastasia Lattanand on 05-14-16
By: Twyla Tharp
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Winning from Within
- A Breakthrough Method for Leading, Living, and Lasting Change
- By: Erica Ariel Fox
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Life is a series of negotiations, whether or not you think of yourself as a negotiator. From seemingly insignificant daily decisions to major life choices, you negotiate every time you aim to persuade, argue over a decision, or resolve a conflict. But as negotiations and leadership expert Erica Ariel Fox reveals, the most important negotiations - the ones that determine the impact of our actions and the quality of our lives - are those we have with ourselves.
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Enlightening is an understatement
- By Lucas on 01-13-19
By: Erica Ariel Fox
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The Element
- How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
- By: Ken Robinson Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Ken Robinson Ph. D., Lou Aronica
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The Element shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the 21st century.
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Not Great
- By Samantha on 04-02-12
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Letters to a Young Artist
- By: Anna Deavere Smith
- Narrated by: Anna Deavere Smith
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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From "the most exciting individual in American theater" ( Newsweek), here is Anna Deavere Smith's brass-tacks advice to aspiring artists of all stripes. In the manner of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Deavere Smith mentors her young artist over a period of five years, sharing her hard-won wisdom about the challenges and rewards of the artistic life.
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Great advice for artists of any age.
- By S. Barker on 10-30-17
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Living in Flow
- The Science of Synchronicity and How Your Choices Shape Your World
- By: Sky Nelson-Isaacs, Joseph Jaworski - foreword
- Narrated by: John Mark Bowman
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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When we align with circumstance, circumstance aligns with us. Using a cutting-edge scientific theory of synchronicity, Sky Nelson-Isaacs presents a model for living "in the flow" - a state of optimal functioning, creative thinking, and seemingly effortless productivity. Nelson-Isaacs explains how our choices create meaning, translating current and original ideas from theoretical physics and quantum mechanics into accessible, actionable steps that we can all take to live lives in better alignment with who we are and who we want to be.
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Excellent Narration, Heady Concept
- By Geoff Bowman on 08-11-20
By: Sky Nelson-Isaacs, and others
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Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
- A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature
- By: Douglas T. Kenrick
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Between what can be learned from evolutionary psychology and cognitive science a picture emerges. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick fuses these two fields to create a coherent story of human nature. In his analysis, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—one-night stands, prejudice, conspicuous consumption, even art and religious devotion—are quite explicable and (when desired) avoidable.
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Rather dated and self-aggrandizing
- By Laurie Frick on 07-21-11
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Wanting
- The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
- By: Luke Burgis
- Narrated by: Luke Burgis, Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful - yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.
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One of the most important books you'll ever read
- By chris boutte on 06-14-21
By: Luke Burgis
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The Power of Strangers
- The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World
- By: Joe Keohane
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Power of Strangers, Joe Keohane sets out on a journey to discover what happens when we bridge the distance between us and people we don’t know. He learns that while we’re wired to sometimes fear, distrust, and even hate strangers, people and societies that have learned to connect with strangers benefit immensely.
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Not worth a credit
- By Eringatang on 07-24-21
By: Joe Keohane
What listeners say about On Being Awesome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Yasser Sukkar
- 05-06-18
It helped me to express awesomeness everyday
It has the argument and the counter argument for the subject of awesomeness and it proves it’s necessity in every day life.
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- Tayari Shorter
- 06-17-22
Learn how to stop being a prick!!!
if you're the kind of A hole that holds up traffic, is lame. in the brain, and sucks at being a human, than do us all a favor and read this twice! This is a no brainer for me because, I'm the F N shit. So do the world a favor and take yourself out of your misery wack ass suckster!
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- Masha
- 10-17-17
Awesome book! Gave me so many ideas
There are a few criteria by which I judge a piece of media as extra awesome -
Can it be digested by a non-expert? Yes! This is super accessible and makes philosophical/ethical concepts easy to discuss with people who don't think about them for a living (like me! I'm not a philosopher).
Does it give me ideas? Yes! I wrote down dozens of notes of content I want to make or conversations I want to have based on concepts the book introduces.
Will I recommend it? Yes! The fun title especially makes it easy to suggest to people and I already know a few people who will not hear the end of it till they pick up a copy (or downloads) of the book themselves.
Of note - the analysis of social interactions (especially about starting social openings) helped me introspect on my own experience and I think it will be a useful framework to discuss in the workshops I run! For that I am very grateful.
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1 person found this helpful