How do you choose a hobby in life that will benefit you time and time again?
I recently heard in a Bigger Pockets podcast that you should have 3 hobbies in life and I thought this is a great way to create a foundation to build the life you want. These 3 hobbies were:
- One to make you money.
- One to keep you in shape.
- One to stay creative.
Having hobbies can be a huge source of confidence, reduced stress, socializing and personal development . Hobbies can also help individuals achieve greater satisfaction in life while also aiding in good health, wellbeing and happiness.
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During life, you are going to be doing so many different hobbies. Some for short amounts of time, others for years. No matter what things you like to do, you should make sure to have varied hobbies throughout life.
This will help to keep you developing the different areas of your life. Taste and preferences in hobbies will seem to dip and wane throughout certain periods of your life which is natural.
But you should ensure that you are able to keep hobbies that will help you to continually grow throughout your life in terms of money, being in shape and creativity.
Hobby 1: One to make you money
No matter what stage in life you are in, you are going to want to be either making more money or saving more money.
Ensuring that you have a hobby in life that has you focused on improvement in your financial life will be important for you future financial wealth and success.
And even if even you don’t want to make more money, you need to make sure that you at least have an emergency fund set aside.
A hobby you could have focused around money could be as simple as having a saving goal and trying to beat it every day, week or month.
Or if you want to be more advanced it could involve hobbies such as:
- Investing in stocks (Robinhood, Acorn, Vanguard Index)
- Coaching a person or team
- Blogging/Writing
- Baking
- Buying and selling items
- Editing
- Catering
- Painting
- Social Media Marketing
- Investing in real estate/REITS
- and so much more…
Whatever you decide to do, there is no better time to take advantage of your finances than right now. The more time you have on your side, the better things will generally turn out so start now.
Also remember that you money hobby could be something that is focused on development or gaining knowledge about a topic. By this I mean you can have a money hobby that is reading a book about (insert topic here).
So if you aren’t actively making money with a hobby now, you should position yourself to learn as much about this area now.
Shia LaBeouf
Just remember at whatever stage of life you are in, it will always be rewarding to have a hobby that helps you achieve your financial goals and your financial future.
Hobby 2: One to keep you in shape
Keeping in shape can mean many things to different people.
For this article we will be focusing on ways that you are able keep you healthy and this will encompass both physical and mental health.
Being in shape could mean you are able to run for 10 minutes, or you could do 15 push-ups, or maybe you just need to be able to lift 50 lbs. boxes.
Finding a hobby to keep you in shape will have a ripple effect through your life because exercising is good for your energy, mood and productivity.
So why won’t you start a hobby that will help so many facets of your life today?
You’ll also have the dopamine high as you complete whatever physical or mental task you had aimed to. One of the greatest things about physical and mental health is that throughout life you can always have new hobbies to continually grow your overall health and well-being.
Here’s a list of hobbies to keep you in shape physically:
- Walking, jogging or running
- Hiking
- Cycling
- Cooking/Eating healthy
- Swimming
- Gardening
- Pole dancing
- Going to the gym or bodyweight exercises
Having a hobby centered around physical activity will allow you to not only be more physically in shape, but also it will strengthen your body to help ward off disease and improve your overall quality of life.
Here’s a list of hobbies to keep you in shape mentally:
- Meditation or Mindfulness
- Yoga
- Reading
- Exercise
- Puzzles and board games
- New hobbies/experiences
- Positive affirmations
- Stimulating conversation
Focusing on hobbies for improved mental health will enhance your life by allowing you to better control your emotions, to better empathize with others. Additionally, it allows you better control in choosing how and to which situations you react.
Hobby 3: One to stay creative
Being creative is severely overlooked in today’s society.
As children we are always so intrigued, interested and expressive. This sense of creativity seems to diminish as we age.
This is so sad as creativity can be an avenue for true self understanding, better problem solving skills, greater reduced stress, and improved mental health.
Whether you are being creative in private or sharing it with the world, it should be important that you are spending some part of your life doing creative and fun hobbies.
Having these activities where you can just dump all other obligations and focus on this “creative work or project” can lead to a more fulfilling life. When you are being creative and you are able to finish a project you envisioned, this can have a huge beneficial impact your overall confidence.
And if you have higher confidence and greater self-efficacy then you are more likely to take chances on new experiences or put yourself into more testing situations.
Having this creative hobby will also allow the skill of creativity to be spread throughout other aspects of your life. Creativity is becoming more of a needed skill in the workplace as employers want you to be able to think “outside of the box.”
Creativity can also be used as an avenue for you to grow relationships with your parents, partners, friends or siblings. As you can incorporate friends and people you love into learning and working on these new creative projects together.
Some of examples of creative hobbies you can have in life are:
- Photography
- Writing (creative or blogging)
- Painting/Drawing
- Acting/Improv
- Dancing
- Music
- Nail art
- Baking
Creativity is a skill that can be learnt doing one thing but transfers to other aspects of life usually in hugely beneficial ways.
Having a creative hobby or hobbies will allow you to continually learn and grow in this area of life. So whether you work on several different creative projects or just one big (or small one), make sure that you are developing the creative area of you life.
Additionally, having a creative hobby such as painting, writing, or baking could turn into something that can also make you money. And therefore could be a money hobby and a creative hobby combined. Win-Win.
(Related: 4 steps to secure a job after grad school)
Conclusions – 3 Hobbies in Life
Everyone is going to have hobbies during their life. If you are able to align you hobbies with money, staying in shape, and being creative you will have build a foundation for more growth and set yourself up for success in life.
Just remember in life whatever you do, you will have to be consistent to make progress. It’s better to run 1 mile every day than to run 10 miles every other month, be consistent and thrive.
Life is about growth and development and by having these 3 hobbies centered in your life you will always be growing in one area of your life. This will help so that you feel continually motivated throughout the challenges in life and set you up for future success.
What hobbies have you been working on in your life?
