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If Your Heart Is In It, It's A Hobby
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In today's fast-paced stress-filled lives, everyone needs a diversion;
something like an eraser that wipes one's consciousness clean of all frustrations
and annoyances. People have always had what we call "hobbies" to do just that
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What is a Hobby?
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A hobby is a pastime or activity that one participates in as a relaxing
activity. It normally has nothing to do with one's job or regular daily activity.
It's a space and time for individual accomplishment. It can be as simple as
reading a book, or as demanding as training to run the marathon. Whatever form it
takes, it is something that an individual WANTS to do. It's effect is relaxing.
refreshing, reviving. It can be done in solitude, as knitting, quilting, or
painting, or with others, as a team sport. It is where your heart is.
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What kinds of Hobbies are there?
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Hobbies are as many and as varied as the people who pursue them. If you need to
categorize them (just to give you an idea) probably the most widespread is
collecting. We all know people who collect some very odd things--if you have
ever looked into E-Bay either to buy or sell, you can see that at a glance. But
what all these things have in common is their relationship to the collector. The types of
"collectibles" are far too numerous to discuss or even list in a small article. If
collecting appeals to you, by all means pursue it -- it will clear your head, it
will stretch your imagination, It will increase your ability to pursue a goal, and
doing that leads to increased self-esteem. Oddly, at a time when so many of us can
do so many things, self esteem is at an all-time low! From birth to death we are
constantly supervised, constantly called upon to do what others want us to do.
Pursuing a hobby is your time to do what YOU want to do,
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The Rewards of a Hobby
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When you are interested in something, you LEARN about it. Whether the learning is
from books, or through a process of self discovery, or uncovering a physical
capability (such as a talent for dancing) that had just never occurred to you
before, it is learning and it almost always prods you to further learning because
it is new, it is exciting and YOU can do it. You may never have thought you could
be an expert in anything -- but suddenly the possibility emerges and you are off
and running.
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When you discover an interest in something, you become more CREATIVE. You learn
how others have done the thing before you--and automatically you begin testing new
ways, or using materials available today that weren't around 100 years ago.
This is how many of the world's most important inventions came about. Someone was
curious, and tried something new.
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If your new interest is a sport, it encourages you to become more PHYSICALLY
ACTIVE, to test those muscles and push them to the limit. Obviously such activity
is good for your physical and mental health.
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Your desire to participate in this endeavor increases your DRIVE and ability to
pursue goals. You never give up on something you really want to do. It becomes a
personal test.
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If you become a real expert in your chosen pastime, it can and often does lead to
the development of a business. Most small businesses begin as very personal
interests that the doer just can't put aside and there is only one solution: turn
your obsession into a business, selling your creations (paintings, home-made
jewelry, for instance) or services (teach others to do what you have learned.)
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Having a passionate interest in something can increase your social skills. If it's
competitive, you learn to handle competition; if it's a team sport, you learn to
be a team member.
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There are very few if any downsides to having a hobby. The worst scenario is that
you become so obsessed that you neglect job and family responsibilities. But even
that will lead in a new direction; with patience and understanding of the effects
your new path may have on others, PROCEED!
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