How to Rediscover your Hobby when Life Changes
If you meet me in real life, chances are it won’t take too long for me to ask you what you do for fun. Recently I was at a conference and I asked one of the other attendees what her hobby was. Her answer was quite typical. She doesn’t really have time to concentrate on a hobby for herself. Life is just too busy with kids, sports, school, job and laundry.
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How to Rediscover your Hobby when Life Changes
Then I got to thinking about me personally. If you have known me for very long you know that I have always loved to read, play the piano and travel. There are other hobbies and things I love to dabble in as well – working in my flower gardens, learning new skills like canning, quilting or photography are just a few of those things. All of us have seasons of life where our hobbies change directions. It’s a different time of life with new job responsibilities, kids involved in more activities and other demands on my time. Hobbies have to change as we go through life changes
If you find yourself in a new stage of life with no time or energy for hobbies, maybe these tips will help you explore something new and rediscover some of those things that make life special.
What is the thing you used to love doing?
I recently talked to a work-at-home friend who has been swamped with life and work. Recently she realized that she has been developing an unhealthy habit of working through lunch. But now, she has started taking a full 30 minute lunch break where she walks away from the computer, turns off her phone, picks up her paintbrush and paints! This is the hobby she used to love but just got too busy. Guess what she discovered? There were no fires or emergencies that occur during her lunch break while she unplugged and focused on her hobby and passion.
That has inspired me to take a 30 minute lunch break each day and do something that helps me develop and enjoy my hobbies. Sometimes I spend those 30 minutes running scales at the piano or taking a walk along the creek with my camera looking for new perspectives, lighting or angles.
Tip: If your job has time built in for a lunch break, take it. If you don’t get a lunch break, then block off a few minutes after the kids are fed or before you start prepping for bed time and do something that you love. It doesn’t have to be long, but you will feel more like yourself after focusing just a few minutes on something you love. Read a chapter in your book while you eat a sandwich; Flip through a hobby magazine while the kids are watching a movie. Go out and pull weeds in your flower gardens for 5 minutes.
If you can’t do it, then DREAM it!
Let’s face it. Sometimes there are just too many demands on our time to actually pursue our hobby. If you have the travel bug, but finances and family commitments don’t allow for you to actually fly a plane, then follow other travelers on social media or create pinboards for the places you want to see. If you really want to go back to school for another degree but can’t afford it, read a blog post about your field of interest and learn something new today. It doesn’t cost a penny and can be done in 10 minute segments.
Hobbies and Pursuits Change with Time:
Remember the Disney classic movie, Follow Me, Boys!? The main character wants to be a lawyer and take the exam. His life takes other twists and turns and he ends up putting his dream on hold for years. He takes his law book with him on Boy Scout adventures, through life problems and ups and downs only to discover that his life has led him down a completely different path. He reaches the end of the movie and finds that his dreams changed, but his life and impact on others was amazing.
When I was in college, I wanted to be a pilot. I started taking flight lessons and dreamed of getting my private license. Now 20 years later, I have no desire to pursue that path, but I wouldn’t trade that time of dreaming. It was a passion at the time, but my path just changed. And that’s ok.
The classic passage from Ecclesiastes 3says that there is a time for everything. That is a constant reminder that life, hobbies and passions change. But don’t get so busy with living life that you forget to do things that make life special.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
How can you spend a few minutes today rediscovering your hobbies and passions? I’d love to hear!
