Why hobbies are more important than you think.

Your hobbies say a lot about you. 

Especially if you have none.

Although it may seem obvious, hobbies are a catalyst for personal growth and development.

Self Paved Development

It is easy to get caught up in life and relegate your hobbies to the sidelines. Of course working hard is important but developing your passion is equally if not more valuable. 

The journey of mastering a hobby instils patience, perseverance, and discipline. All these traits are invaluable to your character and will spill over into other areas of life.

Not only this but when you practise and dive into a passion, you often get lost on your own path of self development. Meaning you have to actually figure out how to get better, before you can put this into practice. Learning not only how to progress, but also how to: analyse your own actions; ask yourself tough questions; and learn your weaknesses before improving on them. 

Challenges and Competition

Your comfort zone is cosy but nothing substantial ever grows there. Hobbies compel us to step out of our familiarity and beyond the boundaries of our abilities. This forces us to adapt, learn and grow. Pushing these limits not only enhances our skills but also builds resilience, courage, and the ability to embrace uncertainty.

Competing in a hobby — fuels motivation and determination. Healthy competition fosters a spirit of striving for excellence, learning from others, and continually improving.

Plus who doesn't love winning?

The journey of self-improvement that comes from challenging and being challenged by others is a win for everyone involved though. Often your biggest losses are where you learn the most about yourself, how to improve, and how to mitigate similar failure from occuring again. 

The Allure of Attraction 

Being passionate about something exudes confidence, dedication, and purpose. These qualities naturally draw others towards you. Not only that but the drive, persistence, and skill you acquire is attractive in its own right. 

These qualities are like a magnet, drawing others with similar traits and characters towards you.  

Passion adds depth and dimension to your personality. They showcase facets of your temperament beyond the routine of your day-to-day working life. 

Not only this but the connection you can share with others who have similar interests can help form the foundation for strong connections and relationships. It's easier to bond with someone when you both share enthusiasm for a particular hobby or interest, over someone who has no overlap in hobbies.

Storytelling

If I were to ask you to tell a story or joke on the spot, it would be hard right?

Your hobbies provide stories and experiences that you can draw on to tell others. People are captivated by engaging storytellers, and your experiences with your hobbies offer fascinating narratives that can create connection beyond other standard interactions.

The Bottom Line

If you became rich overnight, what would you do with your time? 

You would dive into developing your passions full time right? 

As hard as it is, you need to make time to fit in the hobbies that you love. The value and fulfilment you will receive, far outweighs the time and cost that this will impede on you. 

Whether you finally sign up to that gym that is slightly out of budget, or you pull the trigger on getting 1-on-1 private classes for the Jazz Piano, it will be worthwhile. 

So stop reading, and start doing.