I’m going to come right out and say it. People without hobbies scare me. So what do you do in your downtime? Just sit there? Super Habit #46 is simple. Successful people have hobbies.
One advantage of having a hobby is that it’s simply a way of winding down after a long week of work. But there are many other advantages to having hobbies. You can learn skills that can increase your knowledge, creativity, and leadership abilities.
4 Reasons to Get a Hobby or Two
- You learn to be a leader: Sports and team-based hobbies can teach you how to become a better leader. Organizing team-based events or coaching kids’ teams builds both organizational skills and leadership skills. That’s a good payoff for doing something you love.
- Your creativity will improve: My two biggest hobbies are playing music and writing. These activities are both creative. By practicing creative hobbies, you become more creative. Many careers reward creativity. Movies, music, advertising, marketing, and a plethora of other careers looks for creative people.
- You gain extensive knowledge: Reading is a great hobby because you also gain knowledge. Studying a specific historical era also increases knowledge. You also learn to be more self-disciplined if your read and write every day.
- Your network increases: You’ve heard people say it’s not what you know, but rather who you know. Having a hobby can help in this area, too. It’s said that many business transactions are made on the golf course. When you actively participate in a hobby, you meet people. Sometimes those people can have a profound effect on your life.
20+ Hobbies You Can Start
- Individual sports such as running and cycling
- Team sports: softball, basketball
- Extreme sports: surfing, motocross
- Tech hobbies: computers, sound engineering
- Puzzles and crosswords
- Strategy games such as chess
- Mentoring hobbies
- Photography or film
- Playing a musical instrument
- Reading
- Gardening or landscaping
- Writing and journaling
- Cooking
- Hiking or backpacking
- Camping
- Hunting and fishing
- Collecting
- Boating and swimming
- Raising animals
- Investing
Hobbies Can Be Fun and Educational
We can learn a lot from hobbies. Practicing a hobby can also show potential employers that we have self-discipline and stick-to-it-iveness. Plus, I know that I have a lot of fun practicing music and writing.
If you already have a hobby, I encourage you to stick with it. If you don’t have any hobbies, I encourage you to find one.
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