What do you do outside of work?
Obviously, you can do whatever you want, but if your time is mostly spent scrolling social media and watching Netflix…you’re missing out.
You may also notice that your life has become rather dull. The days blend together and you just keep looking forward to the weekends. You may even feel a sense of anxiety and stress on a regular basis.
Outside of work, what do you do that fills you up? What feeds your soul and energizes you?
If you can’t think of anything, I encourage you to start implementing a hobby and/or creative outlet.
Hobbies and creative work come in all shapes and sizes. And you don’t have to be “a creative person” to experience the joy of doing/creating.
Personally, I have several endeavors. I write articles for my blog, I create videos for my YouTube channels, I recently started financial coaching, and I love to read books, work out, take really long walks, and cook delicious meals.
Everything I listed above adds value and happiness to my life. Sure, there are parts of each that aren’t so fun like writer’s block, tech problems, and washing the dishes, but they all still make my life better.
Below is a list of benefits that I experience from my creative outlets/hobbies, all reasons for you to start some too:
Gives you purpose (meaning, fulfilled)
There are many jobs that are meaningful and impactful, but let’s face it, most of us don’t feel that way. We clock in, do what we’re supposed to do, and clock out. Obviously, it’s not that simple and some days are better than others, but it is very common to feel unfulfilled.
However, imagine coming home and having the pleasure of working on something that provides value to others AND to yourself. Even if what you’re doing doesn’t involve other people, you’re fulfilling whatever it is that you need in yourself.
Finding fulfillment in life makes us happier and more positive. We can greet the day with gratitude and excitement rather than dread.
You do something for yourself
Unless you absolutely love the work you do, you’re not able to do things for yourself without hobbies/outlets.
This is something I emphasized in my blog post, How and Why to Uplevel Your Morning Routine. So many people wake up for work or other people. I wake up for me.
I do things that make me feel good and make my life better.
This is also SO important because otherwise you may seek happiness in other people. This is exactly why many people are afraid to be alone.
So whether your hobby is working out, painting, or designing websites, you are putting effort into you and your needs on a regular basis.
You can turn it into a side hustle
I write and film about my passions: personal development, health/wellness, and finances. I also make some money from my online content.
I took my finance hobby even further and started debt coaching. I’m creating businesses that help others and me.
You don’t have to turn your creative work/hobbies into money-making side hustles, but that’s an option available to you. There is an audience/customer out there for everything.
Eventually, you may even be able to turn it into your full-time job.
You increase your confidence
Through my work I’ve gained confidence in my writing, being on camera, speaking, networking, promoting myself, and overall just putting my work out there.
When you do things you love and know, it’s whole different ball game.
Sure, you may understand what you do at work. But what if you could share/teach/do something you’ve been doing since childhood? Or something you genuinely enjoy?
By doing something regularly, you naturally improve and believe in what you do.
RELATED POST: How to Build Confidence
You will connect with more people
Without my blog I wouldn’t have communicated with readers/viewers in Uganda, India, Belgium, Australia, and many more places.
I also wouldn’t have connected with dozens of people on their own debt free/financial independence journeys.
Even if you don’t have an online presence, by being involved with your hobby, you’re more likely to meet/connect with people who have similar interests.
It’s pretty amazing.
You can boost your mood/reduce stress
Doing something you enjoy will naturally help to reduce your stress and boost your mood. I often find myself feeling very accomplished when I get my writing done/videos published. And I feel really excited/fulfilled after a coaching session.
It’s also something you have control over.
Many of us tend to feel anxiety or stress when we do things we can’t really control. For example, as a microbiologist my experiments often go wrong or have setbacks. During the peak of that, I remember coming home and being excited to just work on my things that I had control over.
You develop resilience
Taking part in your hobby is often practice as well. There are times when things may not go as expected, but you come back anyway because you love it.
You don’t want to give up on something that brings you happiness overall.
With that, comes resilience. You keep showing up no matter what.
As I’ve mentioned, most of my hobbies have now turned into a source of revenue for me. Sometimes it can be stressful or upsetting, but I won’t stop.
If I stopped all these things, what would I do in my free time anyway?
Watching TV or being lazy are good in moderation. But I prefer to fill my time with things that actually matter to me.
Silly to say but it’s sometimes difficult to find something you enjoy doing, a hobby. For some people it comes naturally. For others, a hobby can quickly become something you realize you dislike doing. Maybe a hobby can be just doing random things all the time 🙂
That’s a good point!
A hobby can really be anything. I consider walking and drinking coffee some of my hobbies!