Nerd Quote
Whether it’s games,
alcohol, painted figurines, film continuity, or conversations where
we’re convinced someone doesn’t like us because of something we said,
nerds obsess. We zealously deconstruct. We have that very active
internal monologue. I think many of the things we undertake are, in
part, attempts to drown out that monologue. We are hyper-self-aware. We
have difficulty “chilling out.” We tend to suffer from depression and
anxiety. Sometimes it can get really bad. If you’ve never had a panic
attack, for example, I’ll describe it thusly: Imagine being fucked in
the heart. In most of these cases, barring severe chemical imbalances,
the raw material here is obsession, and with practice obsession is
harnessable for good.
A “nerdist”-or creative nerd-shares all of these traits but controls them
in a way that allows them to deconstruct an idea and map out a plan so
the idea can come to life. A nerdist can learn to turn off that internal
monologue and calm the mind, the better to think about getting to the
next level and its advanced set of rewards and challenges. And while a
nerdist will obsess and deconstruct, it’s all in an effort to reach a
goal. It’s the nerd’s greatest weakness that is the nerdist’s greatest
strength: a laserlike ability to focus on something.
-Chris Hardwick
The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life)