National Hobby Month

National Hobby Month - Ep22 - Show Notes

Today’s featured holiday is,. National Hobby Month…

In a 2015 post entitled, “Six Reasons to Get a Hobby”, published in
“Psychology Today”, Jaime L. Kurtz, Ph.D., an Associate Professor
of Psychology at James Madison University, points to these six
reasons to spend time pursuing a hobby:

* Hobbies help you structure your time.
* Hobbies promote flow.
* Hobbies can foster new social connections.
* Hobbies can make you interesting.
* Hobbies can help you cope with stress.

For benefit #6, Dr. Kurtz added, “And the benefits can spill over
into other aspects of your life. If you can designate an hour a day
or even a few hours a week for something you feel truly inspired
and enlivened by, don’t be surprised if some of that newfound zest
carries over into your work and family life!”

Dr. Kurtz in right on target. Here’s the paradox: typically, the
more you look outside of your job and find activities you enjoy for
no reason other than they create a sense of satisfaction and fun,
the more professional success you’ll enjoy.

In my role as a success and anti-stress coach for Stress Solutions,
LLC, I see many clients who are focused only on professional
pursuits. “If I can get that promotion”, they say, “then I can be
happy.” “If I can make another $20,000 a year, then I can breathe
more easily”.

My first task is to teach clients stress and emotional first aid.
NO ONE can achieve peak performance when when their stress engine
is running at top speed. We’re simply not wired for long-tern
chronic stress. Chronic stress sets us up for physical illness and
unhappiness.

After clients learn, apply, and benefit from those self-care stress
mastery tools, it’s then time to let them discover that long-term
happiness and success begins with looking at and dealing with their
lives in a holistic way.

Helping them identify and engage in hobbies that give them a sense
of emotional satisfaction is an important part of my client
coaching work.

How You Can Discover the Perfect Hobby

So how can you identify at least one pastime, one hobby, that
you’ll enjoy?

First, think about what you enjoyed in middle and high school. Did
you play a musical instrument? Where you in chorus? Did you act in
school plays? Did you enjoy camping, rock climbing, hiking, or
other outdoor activities?

How about building model cars or planes? Did you enjoy model
railroading? This can be a wonderful pastime to share with your
children or grandchildren.

To often as we move into our adult lives, we get too busy to
participate in activities we enjoyed when we were young. Recall how
you felt when doing these activities so many years ago. Really get
into the memories. How do you feel when thinking about those
activities now? Is there a sense of excitement or anticipation
about revisiting those activities?

What magazines or online publications do you read? I’m not talking
about professional publications. Are you drawn to outdoor
magazines, boating, golf? Have you ever wanted to paint, but
thought, “I don’t have any talent”. How do you know? Try it and see
what happens.

Are you keen to learn about your family’s genealogy? This can be a
great pastime and a good way to engage with other extended family
members beyond Thanksgiving dinner.

Is there something you’ve wanted to learn, but never have? Martial
arts training is physically and emotionally rewarding for many
people. Adult or even regular community college courses can be a
great way explore a topic to see if it fires your interest.

Many years ago I took a six week TV and video production course at
D.C. University. That lead to me taking additional training to
become a volunteer TV producer for my County’s public access cable
station. It was great fun, and I still use the skills I learned
those many years ago in my audio, podcasting and video production
work.

This is a great time to explore hobby options. You’ll feel happier
and you may even become healthier. Your sense of purpose, fun, and
well-being will grow exponentially.

How to Subscribe for Future Episodes

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it with friends, family, and
social media. They will thank you for the gift.

To ensure you never miss an episode, visit our website at
http://WeirdWackyandTraditionalHolidays.com and select the
“Subscribe” tab. You can subscribe using your Apple IOS device,
your Android device, or through email.

This is your host, Stephen Carter, reminding you, this day is
special, and so are you. Have fun, smile, and enjoy your special
day.