5 Reasons to Prioritize Your Hobbies

My Story

As a young homeschooler in 2003, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Pokemon.

For the next two years, all of my free time was dedicated to mastering the Gameboy versions of Pokemon Fire Red and Pokemon Emerald.

The objective of these games is to capture, train, and battle creatures that have special abilities with the ultimate goal of becoming a Pokemon Champion.

I played so much that I found that the play clock stops recording at 999 hours and 59 minutes. I found that out well before I finished playing.

My hard work paid off because when I was 9 years old. I traveled to Atlanta, GA, with my dad and brother to compete in the Southeastern division of the Pokemon 10th Anniversary World Tour Competition.

I ended up placing second overall, and I won a rare and limited edition Gameboy Micro. 

A month or two later, my game crashed and erased all of the data and Pokemon characters that I had spent years cultivating. This was devastating, but I figured that my time with Pokemon was closed. 

Around this time started playing the guitar. 14 years later, I’m still playing, and I have picked up other hobbies since then.

What are Hobbies?

Anything can be a hobby.

Cooking, video games, sports, crafting, or solving puzzles and equations, can all fall under the umbrella of being a hobby.

A hobby is an activity that you engage in for fun, education, or pleasure. They require focus and attention. Discipline of some level is needed to take up and develop a hobby.

For these reasons, I believe that having a hobby (or two or three) adds tremendous value to our lives. Here are a few benefits to hobbies that can be easily overlooked:

1. Hobbies add color to our lives

“What do you do?” is one of the top questions asked when two people meet.

The implication is that what you do in your vocation gives the person asking insight regarding your lifestyle.

Is this person fun? Serious? Boring? Are all surface-level generalizations that create a mental picture of your perceived lifestyle. 

For example: I am an accountant.

When I introduce myself as such, I am either greeted with “ew numbers” or “can you do my taxes?”

(I am not a CPA, and no I will not do your taxes).

However, stereotypes exist for a reason. Further along in the conversation, I may mention that I am also a barista or that I play guitar.

These facts immediately change the perception of me.

Is the other person wrong for using the accountant stereotype lens?

I don’t think so, because that’s all the information that was presented.

As I provide more detail into my life, we may talk about bands or concerts or our favorite cafes and thus create a deeper and more meaningful conversation.

Sharing your hobbies and interests opens a window into your life without giving away too much personal detail. 

2. Your creative side has multiple outlets

Every single person on Earth has an imagination, and the imagination can be viewed as a muscle. Hobbies are a form of exercise for our imagination.

They fuel a fire inside our minds, which spreads to our professional lives and family dynamics. 

When you work on a hobby, you let your imagination go wild. You dare to experiment and push your boundaries.

The fun part is that you get to make mistakes and mess up BIG TIME. However, when you mess up, you get to practice and improve.

You experience growth by screwing up in a controlled environment and eventually succeed in your endeavor. 

The best part is that this association with growth and learning with your hobby can easily transfer to your work and optimize the way you perform your job.

3. There is the potential to monetize if you desire

This is a very pragmatic reason to have a hobby. If you need to make money, why don’t you get paid for the activities that you do for fun?

I understand that some hobbies have the sole purpose of helping you escape the world and create a fortress of solitude where you can recharge, but I am referring to activities you wouldn’t mind sharing with the world.

A simple online search will reveal myriad ways that you can make money teaching, performing, creating, or solving problems for people.

Proficiency in your hobby gives you a massive advantage because you have a desirable skill set or talent that commands wages far above unskilled labor.

4. You have a great way to become a lifelong learner

When I get together with my friends from school, we always end up talking about the relationship between our work and hobbies. In our crew, we have photographers, medical people, corporate monkeys (like me), and food and beverage professionals.

Every time we get this group together, I learn so much that I can implement in my own life, like cocktail recipes, iPhone camera tricks, or where the hottest new restaurant is.

I contribute by sharing things that I have learned with coffee or my guitar. 

While these get-togethers are purely for fun, they are also a great place to learn new things.

Most of those listicles about millionaire habits or tips for a fulfilled life include a portion dedicated to learning. 

Hobbies force you to learn, AND hobbies are fun. 

5. Hobbies set you apart

Finally, having a hobby increases your intrinsic value.

Employers like diverse skill sets. I have a hobby section on my resume, and it helped me land my first full-time job because the interviewer connected with me over hiking. 

What does hiking have to do with accounting?

Nothing.

However, it showed that I like to explore, put myself out there, do something, I don’t really know. What I do know is that taking the time to learn something and putting some serious effort into mastering a craft will absolutely make your life fuller and way more enjoyable.