Bad Habit #6 ~ A lack of hobbies

Can you name things that you love to do, that are unrelated to your work or career? If not, and you’ve put all your energy into working, just how do you relax? What do you do that revitalizes you? How do you express your creativity? If you can’t answer those questions, it’s time to take a hard look at how you spend your leisure time and realize that you need more in your life than work to assure your life is fully rounded. So what do you do? Find a hobby or two.

Merriam-Webster defines HOBBY as:

• a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

You may enjoy your career, but the point of a hobby is to connect to yourself and relax. Find something that gives you pleasure that you can lose yourself in. Something that feeds your soul, makes you happy, stimulates your mind, and potentially sets the stage to meet other people outside your career track.

If you can’t answer the question, “What do you do in your spare time?”, it’s time to find a hobby.

Lee’s Challenge:

There are many things I like to do outside of my regular work. I love gardening. As a matter of fact, just yesterday, we cleared the right half of the front of our home we moved to in January of very old, overgrown and untended juniper bushes to allow a clean palate for a new garden design. I  can spend untold hours planning the design, selecting the right plants, and creating a wee bit of heaven on earth.

I also love birdwatching…something my Nana instilled in me when I was a kid. We’d sit on her back porch and listen to the bird sounds to be able to identify them. (I still associate cardinals with her!) I have several hummingbird feeders – and I suggest making your own nectar, it’s easy and FAR less expensive than buying it – and love to watch what I refer to as our little Quidditch players, darting and diving in the air.

Then there’s biking and hiking, reading, music, and well…I’m not at a loss for hobbies. It is these things that breathe joy and happiness into my life. I hope you have many things you enjoy, too!

Barbara’s Challenge:

One of the most dreaded questions I used to face was “So, what do you like to do in your spare time?”  I’d always think to myself, “Are you mad”?  Spare Time?  Is that a thing?  Being a (most of the time) single parent, as well as a career minded individual, I had no idea people had….this thing called…Spare Time!

I used to day dream in my office of all the things I’d be doing if I didn’t have to work, when I was at home I’d dream of all the things I’d be doing if I didn’t have to be at home.  When I “retired”, I decided to set out and find my “spare time” activity.  That was a whole lot harder than I had imagined.

Everything I thought of really was more of an extension of work….I research (my husband and I are  “need to know” people) and I’m a planner….I love to cook and experiment with new foods….I’m a techie – I LOVE technology (particularly anything Apple) and how it can make living so much more enjoyable.  These don’t really seem to fit “the mold” of hobbies.   If you must know, I’m an overachiever as well, so I feel hard pressed now that I’m not working (ok, let’s call it that) to develop some sort of hobby, people who are still working would sit around and dream of me and my new found passion.

I do love landscaping, but there’s no starting that until we purchase another house….OMG, and that’s waiting for the future to begin!

I do have a new resolution for hobbies.  Take piano lessons again.  I’m not sure if it’s something I’ll like, but it’ll get me over the ill feeling I still carry from my experience taking them as a kid.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

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