Think of the coolest person you know. I know this might sound childish, who thinks of people in terms of cool anymore, right? But stay with me here… think of the most interesting person you know, someone you seem to gravitate to regardless of whether you like them or not. What are they like? What do they do? What are their interests?
Chances are that they have hobbies and/or skills that somehow seem to make them infinitely cooler than you think you are. In reality they may or may not be cooler than you, but it just seems like they are. I’ll tell you why.
They create & express.
The most interesting people in the world, you know the ones who seem smart, skilled, educated, and just fun to be around often share two characteristics, if no others. They create and they express.
We as humans are, in spite of our preferences, attracted to people who create things. These things could be music, art, inventions, architecture, or a number of other things. But the fact remains that they use the skills and assets they have and create something that did not exist before them. And we think that’s awesome.
We also love human expression. That’s why marketing campaigns that play on human emotion do so well. If they can get us to feel what they express, they own us. Think poets and song writers. The best ones are incredibly in touch with emotion, and paint a picture that hits us in the heart.
Without getting to far into the psychology of our attraction to creation and expression, let’s cover a few hobbies you can pick up that will make you infinitely cooler than you were before.
Art
This one is the easiest and the hardest. Getting into art is easy. Getting really good at art is difficult. I’ve painted, drawn, did graphic design, and now I’m getting into photography. I’m mediocre at each of them, and yet I get amazing feedback from friends and family. People think I’m so talented. Sure, I’ll probably never go pro with any of it, but I’m already better than most of my peers, and they love it.
Music
Here’s another one that’s really fun to get into. You can sing, play an instrument, produce music digitally, or be involved in any or all of the process. I’ve never met a person who said they don’t like music. I sing (poorly) and play the guitar (even more poorly) and yet people are always talking about how they wish I’d sing more.
Writing
One of the biggest attractive features of my wife was that she was a writer. She wrote poetry, short stories, plays, and more. She was in touch with the art of the word. And though I wasn’t keen on understanding a lot of what she wrote, I found it incredibly sexy. Writing is another art that is difficult to master, but again even if you’re never pro, practice will make you better. Start with a journal if you don’t write much now, and as you learn to identify what you’re feeling with words you’ll get better and better. Before you know it you’ll be charming girls/guys with your amazing ability to express yourself with words.
Cooking
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t find good cooking to be an attractive quality. We love a person who can delight us with their culinary skills. It’s art you can eat… what’s not to love? Again, you don’t need to go to a culinary institute. Start off with a good cookbook and make every recipe that looks good. Then move on to the next. Learn how to use your conventional oven, stove top, grill, and a few of those appliances you have on your countertop. Master a knife, and get some decent pots and pans. Before you know it, girls/guys will be begging you to cook for them.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
This one is definitely less artistic, but often just as skillful (or more). People who can do things themselves are often regarded as intelligent and skillful. There are plenty of things you can learn to do yourself quickly and easily just using the internet. Here’s a few that are great to know, and can help you save someone in a sticky situation. (Links are to easy places to learn each).
Fix a leaky faucet
Build & troubleshoot a computer
Home remodeling
Build a campfire
Find great deals online
Decorating
Perfect gift giving
BBQing
Gardening
Cosmetic Application
Web Design/Development
Repurposing (finding creative new uses for old products)
Sewing (Fixing a button, patching a tear, etc)
Investing
Fitness Training
There are plenty more, but these few will definitely get you started. Having a decent knowledge of each of these will make you the Renaissance man of your circle of friends. And everyone loves that guy or girl.
I’m sure there are plenty of other hobbies that would make me infinitely cooler than I am now. What are some that hobbies that you are interested in that you think make you cooler? Leave a comment below and let us know. I could definitely use them. =)
