Why You Need A Hobby
There are countless benefits associated with hobbies. If you need to kill some time, clear your head, or just unwind after a long day of work, you need a hobby that will help “get you there.” Studies show that participating in hobbies can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and sharpen the mind. They can decrease the risk of dementia, depression, and even delay Alzheimer’s. There are also social implications. Hobbies allow people to connect with each other while exchanging new techniques or ideas.
Choose Your Hobbies Carefully
If your hobby includes the accumulation of stuff, do yourself a favor and consider a new one. Stamps, coins, baseball cards, comic books, books, cds, or anything else that involves accumulating things is going to cost some serious money over time. I’m not suggesting you completely give up your collection hobbies, wait, maybe I am…
Instead, take up a hobby that encourages personal growth or development, or one that can be monetized.
Learn how to play a musical instrument. There might be small upfront costs associated with purchasing an instrument, but it’s a hobby that costs almost nothing when the hours spent playing are divided out over one’s lifetime.
As a musician, I can personally attest to the many benefits listed in The Top 10 Benefits of Playing a Musical Instrument. I learned how to play the piano at the age of 5 and literally spent thousands of hours just playing as a percussion major in college. It was awesome. I can personally attest the following are all very real benefits that musicians enjoy:
- Better Intellectual Capacity
- Discipline and Patience
- Relieve Stress
- Communication of Your Emotions
- Emanate Your Personal Style
- Teamwork
- Phsyical Workout (especially for percussionists)
- Bragging Rights
- Fun
What Is Your Favorite Hobby?
If music isn’t your thing, there are countless other hobbies that still meet either the personal development/monetary criteria. What about quilting, woodworking, or photography? It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it isn’t getting in the way of the other facets of your life. If your hobby is prohibiting you from reaching your financial goals, find a new one.
What are some other hobbies that you enjoy that don’t require an ongoing stream of cash?
DID YOU ENJOY THIS ARTICLE?
Please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. If you prefer to receive new articles via e-mail please know that your address will only be used for mailing you the articles, and each one will include a link so you can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for visiting The Broke M.B.A.!
I can certainly agree that one needs to find a hobby that makes money rather than spends money.
I have learned many home renovation techniques as a hobby that have allowed me to do odd jobs that I enjoy and earn some extra cash while doing them. Also, it comes in handy when it’s time to do your own renovations and you don’t have to shell out cash for expensive labor!
@Tyler – Excellent idea for a hobby, if you have the patience! I just bought an older home and am trying to enjoy the updating and renovating process. Not that I’m surprised, but my patience often wears a little thin. But, I keep reminding myself that it’s cheaper to do myself and that I have plenty of time since the house isn’t going anywhere.
I think a lot of people would be a ton happier if they had hobbies, but are either afraid to try new things, think they can’t, or are just too lazy to do so.
My hobbies are – piano, scuba diving, weight lifting, travel, and web development! Makes life so much more interesting and gives you things to talk with other people about, especially online!
What other hobbies do you have beyond music?