Hobbies aren’t just to pass time

Sometimes people ask me – what do you do to pass time? I never really understood that question. Why do we have to do something just to pass time? Wouldn’t time just fly by anyways? And there was always so much to do – mainly read. I loved getting lost in a good book, getting to know so many characters and living life vicariously through them.

I am of the belief that everyone should have hobbies – and while we are at that, it shouldn’t be restricted to just one. If we don’t try new things that capture our interest, how would we know what we enjoy? or what we are good at? Not only do they help reduce stress & anxiety, Hobbies also build skills & confidence and provide a great venue for self expression & discovery.

People usually laugh when I tell them that hobbies are important for leadership development but guess what? They always come around when I explain how hobbies help. If John learnt to express himself with a few artistic strokes or a dance or a song, he wouldn’t stop himself from expressing his thoughts at other places as well. If Caitlyn learnt to push herself to figure out new things in area of interest – Robotics and persevere in spite of the small challenges that it brings, she wouldn’t hesitate to take up opportunities that comes her way even when there’s a big learning curve. Teaching yourself to learn new things is a great skill by itself and teaches anything cane be learnt if I put in the effort. Sport hobbies help people learn to work together as a Team and handle emotions better.

There’s so much more to hobbies than just passing time.