Ok, just to set the record straight: Hobbies are a necessary part of a complete and fulfilling life. Furthermore, I have seen many instances where hobbies ARE what turns into the satisfying career or business. You MUST have your own hobbies, and you MUST continually expand your horizons.
Now, these do not have to be book-worm hobbies, like Stamp Collecting. They also don’t have to be adrenaline based hobbies, like Snowboarding. Finding a hobby should be easy. Everyone has their own interests, look at your list of interests, and pick out a few that you want to move forward with. The beautiful thing about this is, like business in general, you can approach it from the “Trial And Error” perspective. For most hobbies, you can go to a meeting or get together for free for the first time. You can meet the people, see what the deal is, and make your decision after becoming only slightly involved.
I have a lot of hobbies. Some of them are solitary, some are social. Some are easy to talk about in mainstream social conversation, while others are touchy topics. Below, I will divulge to you all of my hobbies, give you an idea of how much time per week/month I spend on them, what the assorted costs have turned out to be, and how they enrich my life. Feel free to steal from my list of hobbies, or to come up with your own, but be sure to go out and become involved in the things that are interesting to you. The TV is NOT the way to spend the bulk of your time.
Note: for a more comprehensive list of my hobbies, including references, resources, and other important pieces of information, take a look at my Hobbies page.
Bonsai
Grade: Very Difficult
Cost: High
Time: Intermittent
This is the hobby of my that is by far the most rewarding and interesting to me. It is surprisingly exciting for me, and the rewards are life-long. This is not a hobby that will get old or boring for me ever. This is not a hobby that will turn into a sore spot for me as I get old; no matter my age, I will be able to do Bonsai.
The significant negatives to this are the following: a) A couple of times each year, this is a very time intensive hobby. b) This is a very patience intensive hobby, as real results are not forthcoming for years after you have started. c) This does, unfortunately, require that you keep the plant alive and healthy. d) This is a rather expensive hobby. There are a long list of tools, dirt, potting materials, etc. that are needed for a success in Bonsai. And, each tree requires it’s own special care.
There are some excellent Pros to this hobby as well. From a development perspective, this hobby encourages patience, creativity, vision/foresight, goal making, and perseverance. This is also a very rewarding hobby in that once you have created, and nurtured a Bonsai into existence, and helped it grow into your vision, you will have a constant reminder of those personality traits listed above. That can be a very positive thing.
Blogging
Grade: Very Easy
Cost: None
Time: Low
As you know, this is a new hobby for me. I have always been a writer, of some sort. I have several pen pals that I keep in touch with (I will discuss this below as a hobby). I really enjoy creative writing (again, to be discussed below), as it is time appropriate. But, other than my pen pals, who are singular audiences, I haven’t before had either the occasion nor the desire to share my writing publicly. I certainly didn’t expect it to fall into the diary style of writing.
There are few cons to this activity. I suppose, if you are not careful, this could become an opportunity for someone to steal your identity. Other than that, I don’t see this being a downside at all.
This can be a significantly rewarding experience, as witnessed by the flooded marketplace of bloggers. Writing is a very important skill. Writing, and my capacity to do so, is a large part of my professional success. Perhaps, although I do not foresee it, writing will also be a significant portion of my business success.
Letter Writing
Grade: Very Easy
Cost: Low
Time: Intermittent
Having a pen pal, or several, can be an excellent way for you to keep your life in balance. I write about my thoughts, my experiences, my hopes and dreams. Writing letters, and having a response, is a great way to help you gather your thoughts around cohesive ideas.
The cons: It is very difficult to have a strong pen pal relationship without opening yourself up to your partner. Also, you must make some time for response when you receive the most recent letter. Making sure to keep your pen pal in your life is an integral part of keeping your relationship alive.
The pros: If you can keep a pen pal relationship alive, you are going to get better and better at the most basic of relationship skills in your face-to-face life. Communication, honesty, integrity, making sure that your relationships feel valued. All of these things are important in your face-to-face life, but they are fundamental in the pen pal life. Without them, a pen pal relationship will die immediately. Face-to-face relationships, however, can stumble along for a very long time, pretending to be fine. Also, and perhaps more importantly, it is a really relaxing feeling to have someone out there know your inner most desires, secrets, fears, beliefs, hopes, etc. Giving that kind of power over you away to someone can be a very nerve racking choice; but if it is someone who is not physically present in your life, that can be an incredible relief, and trust building experience in yourself.
Karaoke
Grade: Difficult
Cost: Low
Time: Low
This is a fantastic way to build self-esteem. Getting up in front of people, even drunk people, can be a very difficult thing to do. It is also quite exciting, and can be very addictive.
The cons: It is a very difficult thing to choose to do. Often people are simply not willing to participate, mostly out of fear. Also, it is commonly believed that you should be good in order to sing. This is just not true, but contributes to the fear people have when considering it.
The pros: This is a great way to get to know yourself. You will be surprised when you try this for the first time. Few people come off the stage without sweaty palms, or shaky knees; even after they have become seasoned veterans! This is also very cheap. Frequently, you are requested only to tip the DJ, so aside from the cost of drinks, this is quite enjoyable, and quite cheap. This is also a great way to meet people, and grow friendships. I have several very good friends whom I met and got to know over Karaoke.
Dungeons and Dragons
Grade: Easy
Cost: Moderate
Time: High
Don’t laugh, read on. You will be surprised by what I have to say about this. Now, I know that you are imagining that I have coke-bottle glasses, and can’t hold my liquor. You are dead wrong. I can go party with a group of investment bankers any night of the week, and hold my own without a hitch. I can go to the highest class bars and walk out with a beautiful woman on my arms. Dungeons and Dragons is not an activity reserved for the social outcasts.
Cons: This can get expensive as you add up the costs of transportation, snacks, books and dice, paper, printing, pens, etc. It seems like it should be fairly simple and straightforward, but there are a lot of nuances that end up adding to the bottom line. Other than the social stigmas,there aren’t really any other important cons. It should be noted that this will take a lot of time, 1 night per week. It should also be noted that this should NOT be mentioned to your girlfriend for at LEAST 6 months of dating. You may even want to wait longer.
Pros: This is a stacked list, but read through it. This is a great way to spend time enjoying, and fostering creativity. Remember what I said about creativity on the “Hello world” post? Creativity is absolutely the Entrepreneur’s most valuable asset. Further, this is a good way to build relationships with people who are also both creative, and likely, quite intelligent. Once you find a good group, with whom your chemistry is pretty strong, you will find that this activity is filled with laughter, fun, exciting stories (both real world, and in-game), and in general, a very good time. The people who are willing to play Dungeons and Dragons usually gather not for the fantasy, but for the fun; with the fantasy being the backdrop and foundation upon which the fun is built. This is very rarely boring, and it is a wonderful way to take the TV out of your life.
Creative Writing
Grade: Very Easy
Cost: Low to None
Time: As Desired
You should be noticing a theme here. Nearly all of my hobbies revolve around creativity. This is a fundamental theme throughout my life including my business, professional, and personal aspects of life. Creative writing is no exception. I write creatively to give myself a creative outlet. If you are wondering what you do if you believe that you have no need of a creative outlet, the answer is: write! Creativity is VERY easily suppressed, but everyone has it. You get your creativity to flow NOT by watching TV, and surfing facebook. You get your creativity to flow by doing the things that you are interested in. These could be simple, easy things to do, or they could be complex, time consuming things to do. But pay attention to your feelings of discontent when you have them, that is your body and soul telling you that your creativity is feeling neglected (or, perhaps some other aspect of your life). THOSE are the times when creative writing is so important to me. I use creative writing to get my creativity flowing smoothly, and keep it flowing. Creative writing, to me, is like taking my daily vitamins. I don’t do it because I am sick, I do it to keep myself from getting sick!
Cons: It is very easy to forget to take the time to write. It is also very easy to be critical of your product, and stop. Don’t. There is no need to be critical of something you have no intention of sharing. Critiques are for public appearances, and nothing else!
Pros: This is a wonderful way to keep your brain, and your creative side, both happy and clear. What more needs to be said?
Coin Collecting
Grade: Easy
Cost: Moderate
Time: Low
This can be as simple as collecting the US State Quarters, or as complicated as trying to get all dates and mints of a specific coin. This is a VERY broad subject, and has many many approaches.
Cons: As you get more into collecting, often the costs go up.
Pros: Unless you REALLY want to, there is little time consumption to coin collecting. This can be a very low-time investment. It is very interesting, as each coin has its own history, and culture. There is a reason why each design was put there. And, if you are patient and have perseverance, this can be a very lucrative hobby.
Running
Grade: Easy to Very Difficult
Cost: Low to High
Time: Low to High
This is one of those things that is very difficult to peg, in terms of the gradings posted above. It is easy to run a short distance for most people. It is hard to run a long distance for most people. But, every person has their own definition of what short and long is. I won’t try to quantify those for you. But there are some obvious pros and cons that I can begin with.
Cons: This can be hard to do, especially if you do it alone. The costs can be a little hard to swallow, but swallow you must, as they are necessary to a degree.
Pros: Once you are going, it is a great way to keep your body in the shape that you would like. This is a great way to stay healthy and fit. And, like Creative Writing, this keeps your body moving relatively freely for much longer than watching TV does.
Kung Fu
Grade: Very Difficult
Cost: Moderate
Time: Moderate
I have been practicing Kung Fu for over 2 years now. This has become one of the ways that I LOVE to spend my time. I go some week nights, and sometimes on Saturday or Sunday morning. I absolutely LOVE the workout, the stress, the mental and physical strains. It keeps me excited and happy, and helps my life move forward the way that I want it to.
Cons: There are some significant cons, but they turn out to be the pros as well. You will see. This is one of the most tremendous workouts you can imagine. I never leave there in any condition other than exhausted. It is also more expensive than most traditional Gyms. This is also a very time consuming activity.
Pros: This is one of the best workouts that you can imagine! Further, I have met a couple of incredible people there that I am really enjoying growing my relationships with.
In reading this, you may wonder how I find the time for all of this. Well, ask yourself these questions: What do you do with your lunch break? What do you do while you are traveling? How many hours every day do you spend surfing the web? How many hours of TV do you watch every day?
The reason I am asking these questions is because all of that time you spend doing those things could be redirected into planned productive time. I spend my bus time writing, and reading. I spend my lunch hours working my real estate business. I spend time in the evenings, instead of watching TV or surfing the web, working on my other hobbies. In the morning, instead of watching the news, I run. These are significant ways of turning idle time into productive time. Around that, I have to Schedule. This will be the subject of my next post.
Thank you all for reading!
