photograph of blank sketchbook and paint brushes
Procrastination

Find a new hobby

Isn’t it the strangest thing? Something that used to come so naturally to us when we were kids has suddenly become a challenge. That burning passion we had within slowly faded and it’s now hard for us to identify our likes & interests. What we used to do automatically that would bring a genuine grin to our faces is now forgotten. The term hobby lost its meaning and what now known is only the text book definition.

What are hobbies?

The google definition for hobbies is quite simple “An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure”. That’s all well and true but a hobby is so much more than that, it’s an abstract concept that can add so much value to our lives. Through it we forget everything that is happening around us, let go of our worries and stressors. It fills us with joy, freedom, and passion. Having a hobby adds color to our lives, it takes us on a new journey as we learn a new skill, gain knowledge and build new connections.

Hobbies come in many forms. There are so many options out there to choose from, with each hobby being so different from the next. It can range from quietly sitting in a corner doing a puzzle to jumping off walls during a parkour session. We all have a hobby out there that adds joy to our life, some of us just need to take the extra effort to find it again.

Pick and choose

It’s time to re-discover what we have lost. I procrastinated on this point as I didn’t know where to start from, with so many options it was just so hard to pick, and without having a clear direction, I was unable to act. With no clear decision doubt brought me to a halt. Let’s break this goal down.

Step 1. Take a day to yourself. Just be in the moment, notice how you are feeling. Whenever you notice yourself letting out a little grin, feeling relaxed or just lost in the moment, quickly grab a pen & paper and take note. What were you doing in the moment? What did you hear that made you curious? Where does your often mind wander? Just take note.

Step 2. Google search a list of hobbies. We need to identify our options, break this list down based on what you have learnt about yourself. Use your notes as the guidelines. Forget about whether or not you will be good at it as that’s not what matters. Just go over the list, does anything stand out to you? Can you see yourself doing it in the future? How do you feel about it? Highlight what stands out.

Step 3. From the options you have selected, lets now pick one. Which hobby do you want to explore first? Focus on just one. With this the adventure can begin.

To start, just google search your chosen hobby and do whatever stands out to you. Lets play with that hobby, dive into the different areas of it, you could join a club/ group, watch videos. Do anything you choose, however it’s not until you truly engage with that hobby, will you know if you truly like it. Try it out, test out what you have learnt. We need to actually test the waters to get the feeling of the waves. If you don’t feel that passion, haven’t gained that drive, after engaging in that hobby for a period of time, simply move on to the next hobby on your list, till you find that one for you.

READY- SET- ACTION

For me, I lost the concept of time while thinking up of different ideas, strategies and consuming content online. This allowed me know I want to start in the area of content creating. Something that tells a story.

Photography. What better place to start? I grew up watching my grandpa taking every chance he could to pull out his camera. With each photo he took I could see the joy that shown on his face, the happiness he had with each click, the more I saw it the more I got curious. What made him smile like that? Why did he do it so often? I now understand what he was doing was capturing a moment in time that he was never going to get back. Each picture told a story, it unleashed a memory in his mind. Thanks to my grandpa the interest has always been there but because I never really acted on it, it got buried at the back of my mind.

It’s time to experience the value having an hobby adds to one’s life first hand. To do that I need to take the action, time to find out if this hobby is my passion. Join me, take your pick and lets begin.