The magnificent seven

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A worthy ball juggling challenge next time you’re messing around with a football.

Published 18 Sep 2013

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Everyone's a geek about something with people geeking out on many different activities

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Everyone’s a geek about something

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Are you passionate about something? Do you know something inside out where others barely give it a glance? As a schoolboy, I thought I was into birds—until my dad and I stayed with some family friends who were truly into birding. They had a powerful telescope trained on the birds at the feeder in their garden. They had crystal-clear binoculars we used on a bird walk, which showed me birds clearer and closer than I'd ever seen. They knew what birds to look for and had tape recordings of specific bird calls that brought them to nearby bushes. They talked us through trips they'd been around the world to spot rare and remarkable birds. Spending time with them changed how I saw birds forever. It was impossible to be around them and not start to love birds. There are classic disciplines for geekiness: science, maths, computers, birdwatching, plane spotting, model trains. But over the years, I've seen people geek out about so much more: gardening, plants, pottery, DJ'ing, Pokemon, sport, skiing, cycling, endurance, beekeeping, writing, business, spreadsheets, coding, magic tricks, sailing, a musical instrument, nightclubs, restaurants, personal development, gaming, crypto, cooking, travel, film, thrillers, local history, deals, football boots, coaching, shopping, clothes, cars, building, cameras, art, museums, relationships, pets, insects, decorating, and on and on. If you don't pay close attention to Premier League football, it might be boring, but if you follow every detail, it can be engrossing. I didn't think much of textiles, but I found it fascinating after spending an afternoon weaving in Laos. One of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing is Take Notice. Being a geek is noticing everything about something. It can also Connect you with others and keep you Learning—two more of the five. The word geek derives from a word meaning fool or freak as if it's foolish to devote so much attention and time to one area. But the truth is, as the physicist Richard Feynman says: "Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." And the writer Henry Miller wrote: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." Some of us had "publicly being a geek about something" trained out of us at school. The challenges of trying to fit in, to look cool, to make ourselves less vulnerable, to conform to social stereotypes (pretty, sporty, funny...), and to avoid snarky comments. As I've gotten older and more confident in myself, it's easier to unashamedly be a geek about something. I still meet with sarcasm and raised eyebrows at times, but now I'm comfortable enough to brush it off (most of the time). I love this quote from Simon Pegg about it: "Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating." Let's embrace our inner geeks. Dive deep into what fascinates you. Try not to dismiss others' passions until you've had a go at getting into depth yourself. Their joy could be just the same that you feel with something else. Everyone's a geek about something. And that's wonderful. This is a revised and expanded version of my original sketch, which had just a few passions. I've thought about it so much since I first heard the phrase—I couldn't remember where—that I thought it needed an update. And we had a blast talking about this on the podcast. When putting together a draft of a Sketchplanations book, this was my first title idea (preview). Related Ideas to Everyone's a Geek About Something Also see: 5 Ways to Wellbeing Flow The writer's in the writing. The artist's in the art. Discovering truth and beauty The Learning Pit Eponym One-buttock playing…Are you passionate about something? Do you know something inside out where others barely give it a glance? As a schoolboy, I thought I was into birds—until my dad and I stayed with some family friends who were truly into birding. They had a powerful telescope trained on the birds at the feeder in their garden. They had crystal-clear binoculars we used on a bird walk, which showed me birds clearer and closer than I'd ever seen. They knew what birds to look for and had tape recordings of specific bird calls that brought them to nearby bushes. They talked us through trips they'd been around the world to spot rare and remarkable birds. Spending time with them changed how I saw birds forever. It was impossible to be around them and not start to love birds. There are classic disciplines for geekiness: science, maths, computers, birdwatching, plane spotting, model trains. But over the years, I've seen people geek out about so much more: gardening, plants, pottery, DJ'ing, Pokemon, sport, skiing, cycling, endurance, beekeeping, writing, business, spreadsheets, coding, magic tricks, sailing, a musical instrument, nightclubs, restaurants, personal development, gaming, crypto, cooking, travel, film, thrillers, local history, deals, football boots, coaching, shopping, clothes, cars, building, cameras, art, museums, relationships, pets, insects, decorating, and on and on. If you don't pay close attention to Premier League football, it might be boring, but if you follow every detail, it can be engrossing. I didn't think much of textiles, but I found it fascinating after spending an afternoon weaving in Laos. One of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing is Take Notice. Being a geek is noticing everything about something. It can also Connect you with others and keep you Learning—two more of the five. The word geek derives from a word meaning fool or freak as if it's foolish to devote so much attention and time to one area. But the truth is, as the physicist Richard Feynman says: "Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." And the writer Henry Miller wrote: "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." Some of us had "publicly being a geek about something" trained out of us at school. The challenges of trying to fit in, to look cool, to make ourselves less vulnerable, to conform to social stereotypes (pretty, sporty, funny...), and to avoid snarky comments. As I've gotten older and more confident in myself, it's easier to unashamedly be a geek about something. I still meet with sarcasm and raised eyebrows at times, but now I'm comfortable enough to brush it off (most of the time). I love this quote from Simon Pegg about it: "Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating." Let's embrace our inner geeks. Dive deep into what fascinates you. Try not to dismiss others' passions until you've had a go at getting into depth yourself. Their joy could be just the same that you feel with something else. Everyone's a geek about something. And that's wonderful. This is a revised and expanded version of my original sketch, which had just a few passions. I've thought about it so much since I first heard the phrase—I couldn't remember where—that I thought it needed an update. And we had a blast talking about this on the podcast. When putting together a draft of a Sketchplanations book, this was my first title idea (preview). Related Ideas to Everyone's a Geek About Something Also see: 5 Ways to Wellbeing Flow The writer's in the writing. The artist's in the art. Discovering truth and beauty The Learning Pit Eponym One-buttock playing

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