10 Reasons Why You Need A Hobby To Improve Your Life

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In this article, I want to share with you the benefits of having a hobby.

I’ve had a lot of hobbies since I was a kid. I took classes in magic, jazz dance, choir, gymnastics, and painting when I was in elementary and middle school. Then I learned how to design websites on my own when I was 15 years old and use Photoshop for web design and fun “artwork”.

In college, I really started to get into photography and took classes while I was an exchange student in Mexico.

Then I started my adult life in Seattle and decided to take classes to learn how to write fictions to improve my English and because I love reading 😉

So now I would say that my main hobbies are:

• photography
• blogging
• writing fiction

Now let’s talk about why you should have hobbies.

1. Learning new skills

I have a good problem, I am addicted to learning!

When I was younger I loved learning things on my own like HTML, CSS, Photoshop, … At the time there were no classes to learn these skills, especially high school in France. And to be honest, I think I wouldn’t have taken more classes than necessary during my high school years.

The funny thing is that 4 years after graduating from college I found myself missing school so I started taking continuing education classes to learn about writing fiction and I loved it!

For one I was held accountable because I had to write a new chapter every week, but I also got to meet people who shared the same interest and get feedback from them.

And guess what? My writing improved a lot!

After all, you are currently reading a post I wrote in English while my native language is French 😉

There’s nothing like having a hobby you love. You will be passionate about how to become better at it and you will feel amazing when you do something new!

2. Meeting new people

There are so many ways you can meet people who share the same hobby.

Here’s how I met people with my hobbies:

• Evening classes at a community college
• Facebook groups, you can search for any hobbies and will find many groups
• Create a weekly or monthly meetup, every time I met someone who told me that they loved photography I added them to a Facebook chat that I had going on to meet weekly and take pictures.

3. Getting out of the house

Obviously, this will depend on your hobby, but you can always find a way to get out of the house like going to a trade show, taking a class or take your hobby to the beach when the sun is out.

When you spend your day at home or at work it feels great to get out!

4. Creating something beautiful

Once again that will depend on your hobby (BTW you can find a list of hobbies to inspire you here) but a lot of them will make you create something beautiful.

I remember how proud I was when I finished my first website! At the time we only had HTML and tables. But I thought it was beautiful. I am happy to let you know that my web design skills have improved in the last 16 years 😉

My husband is into painting and is so obsessed with it that he’s getting really good at it, so we framed a few pieces and displayed them in the living room.

Actually, all of the wall art in the house was made by the both of us. Paintings by my husband and photographs by yours truly 🙂

5. Taking a break from life

Having a hobby will help you stop always thinking about work or your life at home.

You will be so focused on your hobby that your mind won’t have the time to wander. So when you feel overwhelmed with life, take a break and try a new hobby.

6. Doing something for you

I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of not taking the time to relax and taking care of myself. Well, actually this is slowly changing by starting the day with a  10-minute yoga practice.

But having a hobby is a good way to spend some me time, you can explore your creativity, exercise, have fun, relax and more!

7. Feeling accomplished

Finishing a project you’ve been working on for a long time or acquiring new skills is so rewarding.

No matter your hobby, it will always have a way to make you feel proud and accomplished!

8. Having fun

I think what I love about having a hobby is the freedom to do whatever you want with it.

You are not required to attend classes or have deadlines. On the contrary, you are free to have fun!

9. Opening your mind

Trying new things, meeting new people, learning new skills will help open your mind! 

You will become aware of new things in your environment and see things differently. After all, we are constantly evolving.

10. Bringing new opportunities

Having a hobby can bring so many opportunities.

For one, it can turn into a  business. I am currently working on the opening of my photography studio La Parisienne Boudoir. For now, my plan is to only open the studio one day a week so I can spend more time working on Hello Peaceful Mind, which started as a hobby too!

Your hobby can also help you network with people that you would have never met otherwise. Your network is important to grow in your career.

But it will also give you skills that will differentiate yourself from others.

For example, you know how I said that I learned how to code HTML, CSS and other languages to create websites for fun when I was 15 years old?

I think that it was one of the reasons I was contacted by three agencies and landed my first contract job at Microsoft, which was Merchandising Manager for the  Windows Phone Store.

Knowing how to create a website helped me understand how to create applications. So I had very specific questions about apps during my interviews and market myself with double competencies: marketing and web designer which at the time was not that common.

Having a hobby can be complementary to your professional and student experience, giving you more opportunities.

Save for later

FURTHER READING

• 12 Hobbies That Will Reduce Your Anxiety And Make You Feel Fulfilled
• New Habits That Will Make You Happier
• 14 Pinterest Boards That Will Inspire You To Change Your Life
• Everything I Learned About Happiness In The Last Year
• How to Easily Sleep when your Mind is Preoccupied

Over to you

If you don’t have a hobby yet, check out this list!

If you have a hobby, tell us what it is in the comments and how it changed your life!