Living Alone with Confidence ~ Hobbies
Hobbies
Two Essays
Benefits of having a hobby
Obstacles in chosing a hobby
Obstacles to chosing a hobby:
You feel hobbies are childish and selfish in nature
You feel incompetent, as if you can’t do anything
You don’t have any money for them
You don’t have any time for them
You don’t like working on your own
Obstacle: You feel hobbies are childish and selfish in nature
No they aren’t. Most hobbies are done by adults; from 20 all the way to 90 years old. They aren’t just for artists, professional or amateurs. They are for everyone, rich or poor, in all walks of life. The huge breadth of the many types of hobbies can overwhelm someone new to them or looking for something to do.
Obstacle: You feel incompetent, as if you can’t do anything
Don’t judge yourself so harshly. A hobby - or rather - lots of divers hobbies - for people with this attitude is just the thing to restore their self confidence. You need self confidence for all sorts of things in life as a whole. There is something each of us can do - and do better than other. You might not be expert at it but you do have a gift. Hobbies cover a wide range of activities at all skill levels. Start with something simple and useful to you. What does your household need or what do you need - something useful or decorative.
Visit a craft store or head to a toy store - yes you grown up - and look into games for adults such as chess or bridge. There will be something there to interest you.
Obstacle: You don’t have any money for them
No one does. Don’t let this stop you from enjoying not only a hobby, but acquiring the benefits of having a hobby. True, the hobby will take a little more than you intended perhaps. For most of us, it does take from money set aside for groceries and clothes etc now and then. So the thing to do is to put the hobby on a budget right from the start. If you live a on a very tight budget look for hobbies that take little or no money. They are out there, though even the simplest can lure you to spend a little now and then. Even those that look like they don’t take much can start to drain your accounts. Be wary of this. When it starts to happen regularly - it’s time to put the hobby aside - perhaps not for ever - but for long enough for you to find a way to make it enjoyable without the expense. Try a different hobby in the meantime. Much of the enjoyment of a hobby is find out how to do something without purchasing the offered kit or offered supplies. This is creativity in itself.
Obstacle: You don’t have any time for them
Stop working so hard. Enjoy yourself a little. Some hobbies can be done while interacting with others.
One great actress knitted while waiting around on the set. Many such activities can be done while ‘waiting around’ or commuting on a bus or train. I did a notebook study of all the wildflowers along the highway I once commuted on each day. It turned out much more fascinating than you’d expect an urban highway to be. This hobby grew into studying wild plants everywhere I went. For a few, our work and hobby are one and the same.
In such cases, an extra hobby is nice to have, to get away from the one ruling so much of your life.
Obstacle: You don’t like working on your own
You need to overcome this. Build more self sufficiency and it will help you interact better with the world at large. Not every aspect of life should depend on a set of ‘cheerleaders’ egging us onwards.
Benefits of having a hobby:
- Develop self reliance
- Develop better interaction with world around you
- [Especially if you tend to be a bully to others or martyr yourself]
- Develop self confidence
- Develop self identity
- Instantly create a lively home putting an end to the static home
- Avoid depression and lethargy
Hobbies are more important than most people know. They develop personal sense of self:
self identity, self confidence and self responsibility. If you feel the only way to live is to constantly
leave home and ‘do for others’ or have others ‘do for you’ - then it’s time for you to stay home
and develop more personal responsibility. The more you learn to take care of yourself on your
own, the less of a burden you are to the world. There’s no honor in being a slave or slave master
in the world. Your sense of martyrdom isn’t as glorious as you might think. It’s a burden. As you
develop your personal life, your public life will improve.
If you’ve read my post on the problems of Static homes [see link info below] you’ll see that
resolving the problem involves developing hobbies. Without one, your home is static, lifeless.
You depended upon other people to ‘bring life to you’ or you’re always running out the door
to find people who ‘develop life for you.’ Put all that on hold, and start developing your own life.
Take more responsibility for yourself and stop demanding others do it for you.
See posts: [if not up yet, they will be soon]
Time and Happiness, and
Time and the Static Home, and
Ten Ways to Instantly End a Static Home
All in my Pursuit of Happiness Topic