Hobbies are a great way to get your mind off of things and relax. You can give your brain a break and engage in something you enjoy, while, for once, not having to stress about your duties.
However, some people believe that hobbies are just a waste of time and they keep you from reaching your full potential in being productive. I, personally, would like to think of hobbies as an *oxymoronic ‘productive leisure‘. Everything you do has a meaning and an impact on your life. Hobbies can bring out great potential hidden within you if you choose the right ones. Here are 5 types of hobbies everyone should have:
One to make you money
First of all, you need a hobby that will make you money. This hobby has many advantages, from which the most obvious one is getting paid and subsequently being able to buy things that we need, want or neither of those.
This hobby will teach you how to get around in the world and give you an introduction to the basic economy. Depending on the specific hobby, you can gain personal qualities. For example, the ability for time management, you will get more practice and skill in making conversations with strangers. This hobby can also provide you with new friendships, connections and give you an overall idea of what you want or don’t want to do in the future.
Examples: part-time job, starting an organisation, getting a paid internship, summer job, selling things online, ...
One to keep you in shape
Sport is an important part of human’s life and physical activities can help to keep you sane in this rushed world. Even though you may be getting enough exercise just from walking to and from your work/ school/ commuting from place to place on a daily basis, it’s not enough.
This hobby will not only keep you in shape physically, but it will also help you relax from your daily tasks and the stress they cause you. Such hobbies are a great way to start changing your life for the better. Therefore, if you do not have any hobby like this, don’t hesitate to explore your options.
There are so many things to do and you have countless options to choose from, so if you don’t like something, don’t waste your time on it and try something else!
Examples: any form of sport; yoga, martial arts, home workout, gym workout, ...
One to keep you creative
Our minds can connect a scent, colour, taste, noise or feeling to a certain object while experiencing only one of these impulses. Our minds are truly complex and fascinating. After reading this, I think we can all agree, that in every human being, there is creativity that needs to be awakened and cherished to flourish into something beneficial for both our body and soul.
If you are not immediately good at something, don’t quit! As I mentioned, you have just awakened your creativity and it needs time and consistent care for it to flourish. You will get better eventually.
Examples: drawing, painting, writing, sewing, playing video games, photography, ...
One to build your knowledge
All of us have something in common. We have all spent (relatively, will spend) around 3 to 5 and a half year of our lives in school. How did I come up with this number?
Approximately 180 days of school a year, 7 hours a day, for around 13 years, add outside school activities, clubs, homework, etc. Depending on your choice, you may also be visiting college; another 4 years of your life. Let’s multiply it!
180 days x 7 hours x 17 years = 21,420 hours + the after school activities = approximately 30-50,000 hours (of course this number differs from person to person, country to country and so on).
We spend a big part of our lives on passive studying and expanding our knowledge in fields that we are completely disinterested in. However, knowledge is important and as our bodies crave food, our minds crave knowledge.
As I have already shown, we spend a lot of time on pointless learning that gets us nowhere, therefore, let’s try something different. Pick a topic that you like, a subject you are interested in and start researching about it. Find an author that you like, watch history movies, documentaries or just keep up with the news on what is happening in the world at the moment.
And finally, my personal favourite, learn a foreign language. There is this phrase I once heard and it’s been stuck with me since then.
„As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being.“ -Tomas Garrigue Masaryk
I am going to let your imagination decide on the meaning.
Not to mention, knowing an additional language is extremely beneficial in today’s global business world and it may help you get into your dream college, get your dream job or impress someone with this remarkable quality of yours. There are lots of languages to choose from and the choice is completely yours.
One to evolve your mindset
I have noticed mainly two types of people around me.
The first one, a more common one, is people with fixed mindsets who think of themselves as failures and don’t think they can improve in anything. They want to feel adequate, thus when they succeed, they view it as a demonstration of their intelligence and vice versa. When they fail it indicates that they themselves are a failure. These people are terrified of failing, subsequently, they don’t even bother trying.
The second type of people are people with a growth mindset, a mindset that always pushes them to achieve more and improve. When they fail, they take it as a chance to learn from their own mistakes and become a better person. Understanding the fact that your desires can be achieved by effort, practice and commitment is the first step to a growth mindset. Evolving your mindset and growing as a person puts you on the right track to self-development.
I hope this gives you a clearer insight into what you want to do further in your life. You might be experiencing outburn at this moment and don‘t know how to proceed in achieving your goals and dreams. Try developing these types of hobbies and I guarantee you will get a clear picture of yourself and what’s up ahead.
*oxymoronic - adjective formed from oxymoron - figure of speech in which contradictory terms are combined