#GeekSpeak: The sometimes random misadventures of @Abby_Cake

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Abby. I met her in Chicago at the #20SBSummit, and this chick is raaaddddd!! She considers herself more of a nerd than a geek - but I think she's just all shades of random and awesome. Oh and FTR, the TNTML stance on nerds versus geeks are that nerds are products of a genetic predisposition, and geeks are raised. BOOH-YAH!!! I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT ABBY!!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Abby_Cake

When people ask me what my hobbies are, I am always hesitant to answer. It seems that most people have a prepared list of amazing things they do: “Oh, I go rock climbing, scuba diving, prepare sushi, levitate, so what do you do?” I then proceed to spend at least five minutes staring blankly, attempting to mentally collect a list of things I do in my free time. I hope to come across as interesting, but end up saying something like: “Uh, um, reading I guess.” This leaves me sounding one-dimensional and slightly lame.

But why do I need an arbitrary list of things that I do in my spare time in order to quantify my time?

I read on my Kindle. I write haiku, fiction, and happiness hacks. I am learning how to play ukulele and speak Korean. I work out often enough. I paint with both acrylics and oils. These are all things I enjoy. They are things I am passionate about. I have a lot of interests, a lot of questions, a lot of learning to do, but would I call all these things my hobbies?

Hobbies are typically defined as something a person does for enjoyment in free time. The act is not intended to further a business or career and leaves the practitioner feeling happier during and following it. A hobby can, at its best, assist you in discovering something new about yourself. At its worst, it can make you feel like a failure.

The inherent problem in labeling a particularly enjoyable activity as a “hobby” is that, in doing so, you are putting unnecessary pressure on yourself to make time for it. “I didn’t read fifteen pages of my book today” — begins to make you feel like a failure. It then compounds over the course of a few weeks. The enjoyable activity is now a chore. This does not assist in contributing to your happiness and the relief initially promised to you during the inception of your hobby.

Don’t have hobbies, have passions! Hobbies are for building toy trains, flying remote controlled helicopters, learning how to make a decent grilled cheese — passions are limitless, they are adventurous, they are challenging, they can change you! I am not saying you can’t build trains, but don’t let your hobbies define you — leave that for your passions.

xx, @abby_cake

#nerdsunite

Want more from Abby?? Check out her blog over yonder - and don't forget to drop her a follow on twitter!!

Comments

[ThePinkPhantom]

Wow, you packed a TON into that short entry!