The Nerdist Way_ How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) - Chris Hardwick [5]
I think what they’re trying to say is that I don’t seem socially awkward. Nor do I have a lightsaber attached to my hip (though for Halloween last year I was Luke Skywalker Texas Ranger and had a lightsaber awkwardly attached to my hip).
Goldie Hawn Solo and Luke Skywalker Texas Ranger
Nor do I have to keep pushing my glasses up onto my face because of sweat slippage. These are all hacky stereotypes of Nerds. So much emphasis is placed these days on the superficial qualities of what people expect Nerds to look like and be into that the essential elements of what it means to be a Nerd are lost.
No matter the costume, Nerds obsess. We zealously deconstruct. We have a very active internal monologue (which may feel more like a dialogue sometimes). I think that so many of the things we undertake are a partial attempt to distract this monologue. We are hyper-self-aware. We have difficulty “chilling out.”
A “Nerdist”—or artful Nerd—shares all of these traits, but “controls” them in a way that allows him or her to deconstruct an idea, similar to how one would in a game world, and then map out a plan so the idea can come to life. A Nerdist can also learn to turn off that internal monologue and calm the mind so that he or she can 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 his or her goal. Interestingly, it’s the Nerd’s greatest weakness that is the Nerdist’s greatest strength: a heightened ability to focus. Any success guru will tell you that the key to success and mastery involves focusing on a goal in a consistent manner. That’s it. It’s really that simple.
SIMPLE SUCCESS FORMULA!
Step 1: Choose your goal.
Step 2: Focus on it.
Step 3: That’s it.
Step 1 can be challenging because even though we seem to be a culture of “GIMME GIMME GIMME,” most people would be stumped if you asked them point-blank what it is that they want. It is supremely important to be able to answer this question (which I’ll help you with in the next chapter), even if you change it later. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve skipped dinner because I’m sitting in my driveway going “What sounds good??” for an hour until I give up and go to bed hungry and confused. Know what you’re specifically going after.
Step 2 can be especially challenging not because it requires focus, but because it usually calls for shifting focus. As Nerds, we are focus MACHINES. We can steal little bits of obsession with World of Warcraft and aim it at the creation of a company or product we’re passionate about. Instead of building fake civilizations, it’s time we realize that we can build empires . . . IN REAL LIFE (or “IRL,” in annoying cyberspeak). This is because . . . your brain is a laser.
YOUR BRAIN IS A LASER
That’s right! You have LASERbrain! When stimulated properly, you can focus on something until you finish it, and in learning how to handle this laser you can better reach your goal. When I had my first PlayStation, I got sucked into an RPG called Wild Arms. It was in the Final Fantasy vein of multiplayer, quest-driven monster slaying. It was 1998. I’m not sure which month . . . all the days blended together while I was playing. I wasn’t sleeping, I was KIND OF eating, and I was blowing off work stuff to stay home and play this game. When I did happen to wander outside into the world and interact with other humans, my mind was still at home, playing Wild Arms. This was great for my Wild Arms characters (Poo, Fartly, and Pretzelbread). This was bad for my career. It would take me several more years before I realized that this laser could be actively focused in better ways.
Imagine you’re a young mutant, destined to become one of the X-Men. You don’t know you have mutant powers, but shortly after your sixteenth birthday, you’re walking home from the arcade at the mall when you notice that a girl you’ve always been in love with is being harassed by hooligans. In a startling