What's in a name? Hobbies as personal development
One of the things we’re often told to do more of in retirement, or assume we must do, is to develop hobbies.
And quite often, a response I hear is “I don’t have any hobbies”, accompanied by looks of either resistance or concern.
The name “hobby” can be unhelpful and is often limiting and demotivating.
So many people jump to stereotypical hobbies – playing golf, tennis or bridge.
There’s nothing wrong with these activities, but they’re also not the only things a person can do.
There seems to be some stigma attached to the language of hobbies, that they serve no purpose other than filling time.
I came across a definition recently that I believe helps to reframe hobbies as personal development. (Thank you Deborah Riegel and Daisy Lovelace).
What if we see hobbies as productive and purposeful? Rather than something to pass the time?
Finally learning that new language that you can use on your travels or to read poetry in the original.
Training for a marathon to gain that sense of achievement that you can do this, whether you use this as a fundraising tool or not.
Picking up that paintbrush, crayon or pencil to put colour on paper, to develop your skills.
Or taking a creative writing class because you have a story to tell and would like to know how.
Learning anything new as a hobby, that you invest time, energy and maybe money into, can be a path for personal development.
If you’ve spent decades developing yourself as a professional, and perhaps a parent, now is the time to focus on your development as an individual, just for you.
What hobby do you want to focus on next and what do you want to gain from it?
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