So… what do you do for fun?
We LOVE this question! StaySmilinLife is about many things, and fun is near the top of our list. If a person has a good grip on all of the other StaySmilinLife happiness pillars, but they don’t know how to have fun… we aren’t exactly sure what happiness would look like for them. So what we’re saying is, hobbies put the H in Happiness.
Not all things that are fun are hobbies, we get that. What’s the difference? The definition of a hobby is a regular activity done for one’s enjoyment, typically during one’s leisure time, but not professionally or for pay. For many, hobbies help fill the leftover time in a day that is not taken up by work and other responsibilities. Have you ever thought about how you spend your time outside of work, or school? Some of that time is spent eating dinner, but what about the rest?
If you have a full-time job, you spend somewhere around 2,080 hrs working in a year (40hrs a week X 52 weeks).
That means you are awake and NOT working roughly 3,224 hrs each year! (roughly 6 hrs a day X 5 days a week, plus 32hrs “weekend,” all multiplied by 52 weeks).
Do you take advantage of all those hours not at work? We get it, not everyone has the same schedule or responsibilities outside of work. However, there is likely at least some part of your day where a hobby is, or could be, happening. When you are old and on your death bed, do you think you will reminisce about all of the 10hr/day work-related chunks of time you have under your belt? Or will your memories be filled with whatever you chose to do during the roughly 3,224 “non-working” hours each year?
In other words: Do you work to live, or live to work?
Let us talk about some of those 3,224 “non-working” hours. Hobbies can be almost anything not work-related. They can be physical activities like playing sports, hiking, beach stuff, or collecting themed items or objects, engaging in creative or artistic activities, or pursuing some other enjoyable amusements. Some people say that hobbies require a person to be awake, so in that sense, sleeping would not be considered a hobby. We aren’t here to argue that point, but we are here to focus on what you do when you’re awake. What about TV. Can you say that watching TV is a hobby? It’s not a physically-demanding hobby but it is a hobby for some (just be aware that watching too much TV and feeling unproductive might move it out of the hobby category). So what makes a hobby a hobby?
We believe a hobby should be something that makes you happy, feel some joy. These good feelings can come at any point while, or after, you are participating in your hobby. Sometimes the happiness or joy isn’t exactly happening during your hobby… like a hard workout, in which the feel-good comes right after you finish. Hobbies that make you active are a bonus for your health, but is not necessary. Hobbies in which enable you to spend time with friends or good people is another bonus, as well as a hobby which helps your brain get in good shape (check out our Health and Mental Diet blogs for more information). In one way, shape, or form, most hobbies can somehow contribute to becoming a healthier you.
One thing about hobbies which can be a thorn in your side is that hobbies can have a big effect on your finances. If you have ever walked into a Hobby Shack, Michaels, or whatever hobby/craft store, you know that some of the supplies can add up! Love fixing up Cafe Moto bikes? Building cars? Fishing? Buying shoes? It may be hard to believe but some hobbies require their own budget to keep you from coming up short on rent or some other necessity. In our Finance 101 article, we speak to knowing the difference between a want and a need… if your hobby is a healthy coping skills and helps maintain positive mental health, it’s easy to argue for it to be more on the need side than want side. However, if you are stressed out because your hobby is causing you to be broke…. Well… you probably want to figure out a balance.
So what hobbies do you have?
It’s me Yoichi! And these are some things I like to do... My hobbies are playing soccer, playing golf, watching movies with my wife, going out walking (long walk along the beach), driving around, watching TV, and even sleeping in on the weekends. Hobbies have had a huge impact on my happiness and other parts of my life. For example, I play golf and think it is a great hobby. It helps me work on my patience, skills, physical activity, concentration, seeing the problem, finding the solution, and outlining the path to take to complete a hole successfully. But golf rarely goes as planned or how I want it to go (even the Pro’s end up in the rough and sand, and sometimes their balls fly off for a drink). That’s also the beauty of the game. Unfortunately, golf takes a long time to play and isn’t cheap, so it is also a great example of how a hobby can affect different aspects of life:
- Finances: You have to keep in mind any hobbies that need a start-up cost. Golf requires Golf Clubs, balls, shoes, clothes, accessories like tee’s and markers, and after paying, or finding, all of those, you need to pay for the round of golf ($60 a round) and practice range ($10 a bucket). Some people also want/need coaching and lessons ($50 an hr) to get better. I’ve learned to budget golf into my life and keep an eye on the expenses. 3 rounds of golf a month is about $180-ish + 10 days of practice ($100 a month for balls) + Lessons (optional $500 a month) + Beer after golf (taste better after golf) can come out to $500 – $1,000 a month just to play golf.
- Physical Activity: I love that golf gets me outdoors, enjoying the sun and spending time around nature helps melt my stress away. If you schedule your round of golf in the early morning, you can walk and play for cheaper than renting a golf cart. You can push your bag on a pushcart or you can carry it. With a round of golf, you walk about 6,000 to 7,500 yards… that’s about 3.5 to 4.5 miles in the few hours of golf.
- Strategy: Problem-solving and planning my attack for each shot helps keep my mind sharp and focused on the goal at hand on each hole.
- Exploring: Traveling to a new location almost always helps boost my mood. I’ve learned that traveling to a new course, even if it’s a 40-minute drive, can be the ultimate stress reliever.
- Building Community: Golf is a cool sport where you can go by yourself, meet, play, and get to know new people. Or you can invite friends and enjoy a day out together, connect through great conversations, and have some fun.
- Time Commitment: Golf requires planning. Golfers need to make reservations in order to play at a time that works for their schedule. Because I have a wife I schedule the start early tee times, about 6:00~7:00am in the morning, get my exercise in, and finish before lunch so I can enjoy the rest of the day with my family.
Tayari’s Two Cents: Looking back on where I grew up in San Diego and the variety of positive and negative experiences that I bobbed and weaved through, it was my hobbies that offered me an escape. They helped me find peace, solitude, and time to process and think deeply on things. It started with skateboarding, then to BMX and dirt jumps, to learning how to take said bikes/boards apart and put them back together. Basketball and baseball became a thing for me as well, and because they were within biking distance, I was proud I could ride to and from practices regularly. I still have a deep love for pedaling around and at the moment do so on my fixed gear bike around town and to work.
A huge part of why I always loved biking around was because of the physical aspects of it. The cardio, the conditioning, and the fresh air kept me in great shape for sports. Working out is a huge part of my life and provides a positive and healthy baseline. I’ve mounted a pull-up bar in my office, purchased a row machine, acquired a tractor tire, and a bunch of other equipment to keep me in the groove. So yes, working out is a huge pastime and hobby for me. I would even go as far as to call it a hobby now.
I say that because I have CROHN’S disease and one of the things that has helped me stay off all meds has been working out. I’ve worked out in reg gyms and CrossFit boxes alike. High-interval and high-intensity functional workouts are now part of my weekly/daily routine. Having a good group of friends to workout with to push each other is another great component to it.
When thinking back on all the hobbies I’ve had along with the current hobbies I have: Car enthusiast, Photography, writing/poetry, listening to and finding new music, reading, traveling the world, the list goes on… I realize that they’ve changed as I have over the years. One of the consistent ideas that comes to mind about hobbies is that I’ve always had the desire, courage, or whatever it might be, to be open to trying new things and seeing what I was made of. Can competing with oneself be a hobby? I look forward to growing the Stay Smiling Life movement to a place where I can kick rocks from my 9- to 5 to dive into my curiosity (Hopefully not too deep into my bank account) to try new things. In sum, I guess living fully within the ever-changing definition of how I continue to define that will always be a hobby & goal. Now If I can figure out how to get rid of this work thing that gets in the way of all of that…? LOL
Kristina’s Truth… My hobbies have changed over the years and a major part of that is driven by time commitment and financial goals. I used to spend a lot of time eating out and cooking elaborate meals from scratch. Now, the idea of prepping a long grocery list and a day in the kitchen sounds exhausting. One of the reasons that has changed is the time and energy I have available. A full-time job with some side hustles changed my view of that into more of a chore. I also don’t eat out as often because of my financial goals of purchasing investment properties.
What my hobbies look like now are reading, running, and playing board games.
I read many personal development books which I enjoy because I get a kick out of learning stuff that’ll be helpful for Stay Smilin Life, and life in general. I also really enjoy British romance books. It’s a fun escape.
The other thing I enjoy is playing crunchy board games with friends. I love strategizing and figuring out what move I should make even though sometimes I suck at it. This is the hobby that I also play with friends and my husband so it has a social component as well.
When I make time for hobbies, especially running, I find myself in a better headspace. When work overshadows and doesn’t leave room for these activities, that’s when my stress level goes up. At the end of the day, I know that it’s up to me to make time for my hobbies, and happiness.
Carlos’ Thinky Thinky… Hobbies saved my life. If it wasn’t for hobbies I don’t know if I would be where I’m at in life… which is extremely content. Hobbies kept me busy as a kid which was extremely important because I had/have ADHD. Hobbies taught me how to channel my energy into something positive and productive, albeit some hobbies got boring real quick so I had to try something else. I’ve learned how to play seven different instruments, none of them all that well anymore, but I do love to play music because it calms me down and provides me a moment of peace. So I’ve tried different instruments in search of the right fit and landed on learning Spanish classical guitar – thank you Antonio Banderas for inspiring me in Desperado!
When I lived on my own I learned just how important hobbies are. After college, I realized being an adult means I needed to make money somehow and pay my bills. Which bills a person has is varied… overall, as long as I had a roof over my head, a car, a cell phone, food… I was good. That’s it. That’s all there was for me in terms of being a basic and responsible adult. I eventually realized that outside of work, the rest of the time I had each day was up to me with what to do with it. So… if I could take care of all my needs by working 40 hrs a week… what the heck was I supposed to do with the rest of my time? Remembering how much trouble I got into when I was bored as a kid made me quickly realize I was destined for shenanigans or jail if I didn’t fill up my free time. When I wasn’t careful I ended up watching countless movies at home. I ended up drinking and partying and getting into some dumb stuff. I watched as the people around me did the same thing day in day out without questioning if there was something more to this thing called life. I started feeling depressed, unhealthy, selfish… I didn’t like those feelings. I found myself questioning life and the point of the human experience. I began paying attention to what made my soul happy, when I felt truly content in the moment, when I felt hopeful. I thought back on when I used to feel great about life or any given moment. It was then I realized it was usually when I was involved in my hobbies, trying something new, or helping others.
Up until my birth abnormality in my pelvis/back finally caught up to me two years ago and eroded three of my lower disks, I was playing 6 different sports a year: basketball, softball, flag football, outdoor soccer, indoor soccer, and several half marathons. Sports helped me get my energy out and have taught me countless life lessons, one of the most important being that I’m ok with losing as long as I gave it everything I had, and work on what needs improving until the next game. Sports taught me how to fail and bounce back. In addition to sports I also draw and paint, I tinker with things around the house, ride fixie bikes, work on my 1977 280Z and 2013 WRX, I read, etc. etc. All of those taught me perseverance, patience, and how to solve problems.
The more hobbies I participated in and tried, the less depressed I felt. I started caring about my health and find myself giving to others more. And the more time I gave to others, the more I received. The more I tried, the more I learned. The more I did, the more I felt like I was actively living life. Next thing I knew I became all about making the most of the dash between my birth date, and my end date, whenever that may be.
Conclusion
So, what is your hobby? We hope your hobby is something that makes you happy and brings joy into your life, if even if it’s just for a few minutes or hours. If you can find a mix of hobbies that you can do solo bolo and with other people, you give yourself the best chance at not finding yourself bored, or your happiness dependent on specific circumstances. No matter what your age is your happiness relies on your ability to bring out the kid in you again. And by kid, we mean the side of you that focused solely on what made you curious, laugh, and smile.
