Obviously, given the title of this blog, I’m a staunch defender of nerdity and all that nerdness has given the world. I want everyone to be a nerd, but if you think of the picture above as the only definition of nerd, than you are just not broadening your view far enough. This is my definition:
Nerd. n. Somebody who does thinks different from the mainstream (or the “Cooler People”).
Now I’m not referring to dressing different or getting tattoos or whatever “rebel” moves you’re thinking of. I’m talking about taking a different approach to life – one that you define. This is a life that is determined by the choices you make, not what some advertising agency wants you to think. It’s a life that is molded by your actions, not your purchases. Let’s dive in to why being a nerd is just flat-out awesome:
1. Nerds save more money.
There are Cooler People in this world that spend a couple hundred bucks on an iPod or a Zune with dozens of gigabytes’ worth of space on it for movies and music and games, load it up full of crap, and only use it to listen to the same 40 songs. I’m guilty of it at one point in my life. I’ve never been more liberated to have my Sansa Clip Plus, that holds plenty of music for me to listen to and only cost me $40.
Cooler People see a sale on HDTVs and run out and buy one, not realizing they could buy an off-brand online with free shipping (quality determined by the consumer reviews) and the same quality for hundreds of dollars less.
Cooler People go out to eat every night because it’s “fun”. Nerds cook delicious meals at home and save $20 a meal. And we love it.
2. Nerds make more money.
Cooler People graduate from college, go out to get a job, fail, go to graduate school, rack up more student loans, fight to get an entry-level job, work 40 hours a week, get 2 weeks of vacation a year, complain about their boss, struggle to pay their bills, hope they don’t get fired, and retire at 65.
Nerds look for ways to make more money and build their own business and lifestyle. We look for ways to leverage our skills into more income. Eventually, we build the business we want and have true happiness and a work/life balance that we are content with, all because we put the grunt work in at the beginning.
3. Nerds are healthier.
Remember that cooking thing I was talking about? Cooler People hate cooking. They look at it as a chore and they’re “just not good at cooking”. They buy heavily-processed food in packages with splashy colors and buzzwords like “organic”, “natural”, and “NO FAT!” Nerds buy produce and staples and they create meals that Cooler People would kill for. We feed our bodies with fuel that makes us feel better and live longer.
Cooler People spend $50/month to go to the gym 2-3 days a week. They have detailed workout plans and logs and use the elliptical machines with their iPods. Nerds park far from the doors in parking lots so they can walk more. Nerds take the steps once in a while. Nerds get out and play and get natural exercise. We have fun with our workouts.
4. Nerds can make new uses for stuff, lengthening shelf life.
Yesterday, I was in the pool with my family. My brothers and I had been swimming around, having fun. Then my oldest brother grabbed one of the inner tubes and threw it at me. This turned into a 3-man game of human ring toss. Cooler People would have laid around on the inner tube or went out and bought some cool floating game or basketball set. They would have bought and set up a big volleyball net. Nerds can find creative ways to breathe new life into stuff, like our computers, for example.
5. Nerds have cooler stuff because they create it for cheap.
Want a cool home theater where you can access your movie library from anywhere in the house? A Cooler Person might pay thousands to buy a specially-made system. A nerd throws a giant hard drive into an old computer and sets it up to stream to any computer or game console in the house for under $100. Cooler People buy Tivo subscriptions or expensive DVRs. Nerds can spend a few bucks and set up a DVR through their computers and record high-definition television over-the-air.
6. Nerds get good-looking women.
In October, I get to marry a hottie. Need I say more? (And you lady-nerds out there can get some good-looking dudes, too!)
7. Nerds are more relaxed.
Cooler People let the problems of their lives dictate how they spend their time. They react to things that happen to them. They panic. Nerds have a game plan. We have emergency funds for financial disasters instead of high-interest credit cards. We make to-do lists every week so that we know things are getting done. We prioritize the things that matter, so life is a joy instead of a complicated mess.
8. Nerds are respected.
People ridicule Microsoft, but Bill Gates is revered. The scientists that design the latest gadgets and gizmos are nerds. The animators that created Toy Story 3 (one of the finest pieces of filmmaking in the last 10 years) are nerds. The people that work hard and make the most of the opportunities given to them are nerds.
9. Nerds have changed.
There was a time when Louis Skulnick was the poster boy for nerds. The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons was a classic nerd. But now, the nerd is something different. The nerd is a creator, not a consumer. The nerd grabs life by the horns and forces it to be what her or she wants it to be. Instead of being a Cooler Person and taking on massive amounts of debt to live a lifestyle that other people tell you to live, buck the trends and start learning how to really live life the way you truly want to live it. That’s when you unlock the awesomeness that is being a nerd.
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
