My father has played baseball every Sunday since the day I was born. He has only missed three games that I can remember in over thirty years. Once was when the shit hit the fan at work and everyone’s job was on the line. The second time was a close family funeral and the third time was when we were on a family vacation and there wasn’t a way, he could get home in time for the game.
He has made it a priority to do something he loves at least once a week. Everyone in our family knows that it’s not optional. His coworkers know that if they plan a meeting, he won’t be there. Sundays are for baseball and only baseball.
Your hobbies are not optional.
Find ways to incorporate those activities into your life. Never go a week without doing something that you love that isn’t work.
What gets you excited? What do you love doing? What is it that you can lose yourself to the point where you lose track of time?
If you say you don’t have time, I will tell you that you do have time. You are just choosing to spend your time doing other activities. You must make time for yourself.
Having hobbies makes you more interesting and gives you depth. It makes you fun to talk to and showcases your passion. It allows you to relax and recharge.
Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. You are not a machine that was built to work day in and day out. I think it’s an admirable trait to be passionate about your job and put in the hours, especially if you want to get ahead in your career. Working is necessary but it’s not the only thing that you should be doing.
If you’re not sure what you love doing, we already have a problem. It is, however, an easy problem to fix. You must take the time to try new things and find out what it is that sets your soul on fire. Here is an alphabetical list of activities that you can start working through to see if anything sparks a little joy in your life.
- Astronomy, Acting
- Baking, Blogging, Birdwatching
- Collecting, Coloring, Crochet, Crafts, Creative Writing, Crosswords
- Drawing
- Embroidery
- Fashion, Fishing
- Gardening, Gaming, Genealogy, Graphic Design
- Home Improvement, Hula Hooping, Hiking
- Interior design, Ice Skating
- Jigsaw Puzzles, Jewelry Making, Juggling
- Karaoke, Karate, Knitting
- Legos
- Music, Magic
- Needlepoint
- Origami
- Painting, photography, Pottery
- Quilting
- Reading, Running
- Stamp Collecting, Sports, Sudoku, Sewing, Swimming, Sailing
- Tennis
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Vehicle Restoration
- Walking, Working Out, Word Searches
- Xylophone
- Yoga
- Zoo Tours