Hobbies - Are More Really Better?

What do you do in your spare time? Do you stare at a wall and think to yourself? How about stare into an electronic screen? Or are you an active person and enjoy walking, hiking, and going to the gym, etc? Whatever it is that you do, make sure you enjoy it.

Hobbies are what keep us sane. Well, they are what keep me sane. Breaking away from the stresses of everyday life to be completely engulfed and attentive to one thing: your hobby. They feed a different part of our soul, usually one in which you are lacking.

Can you identify what each of your hobbies helps satisfy?

*Feel free to answer the this question and the ones below under this post in our Facebook page: Become Stressless.

Now that I think about it, you can likely tell a lot about a person based on these hobbies. For me, my most enjoyable hobbies fall into the category of staying active, whether it be going to the gym, eating healthy, or hiking. However, my other hobby for years (yes, years) has been video games (duh, I’m a millennial…). I have also relatively recently acquired the hobbies of self-development and growth, along with blogging (of course you know, you’re reading this article). So what does this say about me? Well, for things except the obvious, activity and health is a big part of my life. I enjoy the feeling I get, exploring nature and its beauty, being almost in a trance in quiet time. I am attracted to constant stimuli, strategy (based on my game selection), developing skills, and attempting to master them. As far as the writing and development goes, again, I enjoy developing my skills, as well as sharing my knowledge with others in an attempt to improve their lives as well.

What do your hobbies say about you?

There are some people who have a wide array of skills, hobbies, and things to entertain themselves - I am not one of those people. They’re the ones that seem to have everything that you could possibly want at home. However, what of these hobbies do they actually partake in on a regular basis? How many of these hobbies require materials and soak up the owners wallet and head and living space? It kind of goes against a couple of our previous blog posts (living minimally and budgeting). Are these individuals spreading their skills too thin?

Do you think it is good or bad to have a lot of hobbies?

According to John Maxwell, it is better to have fewer hobbies, especially at a young age. Why you may ask? Because it has been said (by Malcolm Gladwell) that it takes about 10,000 hours to master a particular skill. The fewer hobbies you spend your time pursuing, the faster and more likely you will master them. Simply put, would you rather put a lot of hours into one thing or few hours into many things? I will add in a disclaimer that the few hobbies chosen should match your natural strength and abilities, and you should fully enjoy doing it. Let’s take playing sports for example: John chooses to play soccer year round, while Nick opts to play baseball, football, and wrestles - in the respective seasons. Which do you think will become better at their activity of choice?

Despite how many hobbies you chose to have, I’m sure we can agree that they are good for you. Here are just a few benefits of having a hobby that you enjoy:

1. Network – Engaging in hobbies that allow you to meet and connect with new people and see the world in a different light. Even if this is a solo-hobby, you will be able to connect with others with this same interest.

2. Become Stressless – Focusing on non-work related activities not only challenge our brains, but also give them something else to focus your attention on.

3. Health Benefits – Partaking in enjoyable activities has been shown to lower blood pressure, stress, BMI, and many other attributes.

4. Become More Marketable – Acquiring a new hobby may later pose opportunities in the work force. You never know when a skill that you develop or the hobby itself will be able to make you more marketable in the workforce.

5. Make You More Attractive – Not better looking, but rather more inviting to other people. By having various interests and hobbies, you add another aspect to your identity. You will develop passions for the hobbies that you stick with and people like that. They are attracted to people with passions, interests, and stories.

6. Gives You Something To Do – Plain and simple and possibly one of

the most direct and important reasons: you will be bored less.

It’s not easy to find a new hobby. You can’t just pick and choose what you want to be interested in and good at; it has to come naturally. You have to naturally enjoy a new hobby. I’m not saying only choose the things you’re good at, because lets be real, we are rarely good at things the first time we do them. What I am saying is to be mindful of the activities that you chose. I, and John Maxwell, would recommend choosing hobbies that correlate with your strengths and who you are as a person. Find things that recharge your batteries, something that you’re passionate about, and more importantly, something that you totally love and enjoy.