Life seems to be work-eat-sleep on repeat, interrupted by a brief vacation every now and then. But we do need something to break the humdrum of modern life, something which can help us disconnect and even if for some time, enter another realm, which allows us to use our faculties differently to how we usually would. Enter hobbies, a great and simple antidote to everyday monotony, and something to add a bit of variety to life as we know it.
Learning new things, especially in the context of work can feel intimidating, but when you approach this with an open mind and little or no expectation, it can feel incredibly rewarding. There’s a little pot of creativity deep down within everyone, which is just waiting to find a way to express itself, whether it’s art or craft, cooking or singing, yoga or even collecting everything from coins to stamps and even perfumes! It also frees your mind to approach things in a whole new way, rather than feel encumbered or led by the usual way in which you do things, experiencing the simple elegance of a beginner’s mind!
Once you’ve found something you like doing, it’s natural to want to collaborate and discuss with others who have a similar interest. Social media has become a collective brain of sorts in our times, and most interest groups are within reach. Even if you’re someone who’d just like to see or hear other people’s experiences and learn through watching, there are videos available on a social platform of your choice that you can explore.
You can never tell when serendipity is waiting to reward you for your enterprise in the guise of a hobby. Take the case of an unsuspecting 16-year old Michael J. Kittredge, who made his first candle as a Christmas present for his mother, when he couldn’t afford to buy her anything. He made his first candle by melting crayons, and this soon developed into a hobby, and the genesis of a small business where he began to make and sell candles from his family home’s garage. This was the beginning of the now world famous Yankee candles, which makes some of the world’s best candles, and made Michael a cool 500M$ when he sold the business in 1998. Of course there are other famous stories that started in garages, but this is such a simple story of how a hobby went on to become not just a career, but an enterprise!
So if you’ve had enough of living life in a loop, take some time to find a hobby and invest some time in it. Not only does it provide an outlet for your creativity, it also helps you relax, disconnect and rejuvenate and explore a facet of yourself that you didn’t even know existed!
