As kids, we were playful, used to try a variety of things, had lots of energy and did not think about the problems of life that much.
We became adults, and we lost our playfulness, a feeling of lack of energy, shut ourselves from trying new things and started to think more about problems of life. The kind of lifestyle creates a loop and ends up impacting our health, relationship, career and self-confidence.
A simple secret to experience more happiness – have more hobbies.
Depending on the hobby you are pursuing, hobbies can have immense benefits that include the following.
- No avoidable diseases at an early age and, in many cases, even when you grew older
- Reduced stress and depression.
- Less memory loss.
- Age slower.
- New learning and experiences.
- Explore and discover you better.
- Be more productive in personal and professional life.
- More avenues for income and, in some cases, could become a primary career.
- For hobbies, there is no retirement.
- Grow more confident about yourself.
- Create a new network of people and relationships.
- Solve problems in other parts of life.
Many of my conversations with adults show that they view their life with one point of view.
If they are in a job they do not like, they think their entire life around the job.
If they have one bad relationship, they think that their life is coming to an end.
If they are students and do not enjoy studies, they get stressed.
Hobbies can play a significant positive role in each of the examples. The hobbies could include arts, sports, collecting antique items, teaching, mentoring, social service, food, travel and many more but the more hobbies you create, you add so many “vitamins” in your life.
Adding more vitamins into your life could help you solve the challenges in other aspects of life in unexpected ways. Many people reported that the solutions for a problem or creative idea had come when they were pursuing their hobby.
Again, it is vital to spend some time before you pursue a hobby. Remember, “Want vs Should”. The more you want it, the easier it is for you to maintain consistency as close to 80% of days in a year and that is the key to seeing positive changes in your life and not one-off attempt.
Experiment more with hobbies as it is easier to move from one hobby to another, unlike career. Some people add one hobby into their life every six months or one year. Be playful and do not make a rule with the hobby.
Hobbies are the place to be a child and forget you are an adult. I have added a few hobbies into my life and have planned to add one hobby every six months. I make it a point to be with kids when I get training or getting coached in a few sports. Being part of the kids’ group a few days make me feel younger, more playful than I usually am and enjoy the present more.
See what suits your individuality and enjoy. The only point is, “No hobby is not an option.”
Reflections
- How many hobbies do you have in your life now? List them all.
- What were the hobbies that you had in the past but stopped?
- What new hobbies do you want to add to your life?
- How will your life be different if you add more hobby or hobbies in life?
Self-Evaluation
Please select what resonates with you after reading the chapter and reflecting on the questions. Evaluation is just for you, and nobody is going to look at this. So be honest in your evaluation:
- I do not have any hobbies in my life.
- I have a few hobbies but can work to add more.
- I have a long list of hobbies.
Small Actions
- List hobbies you had so far in your life.
- As a family, sit together and discuss if you can have a family hobby.
- Who is that one person who has hobbies as part of life and you can take inspiration?
- Name three highly successful people and try finding their hobbies.
- What can be that new hobby that you can start today (it could be from your old list or a new one)?