Why one should have a hobby!

If I ask any of my friends what their hobbies were, they would just plain laugh at me! Hobbies...seriously! who has it these days?!!

A lot of people take up a hobby or sport and then find an excuse not to carry on with it. - Bruce Dickinson

In today's day and age, it is so tempting to veg out in front of a screen - facebook on your mobile or Netflix and chill. I remember the saying, "Idle mind is a devil's workshop!"

It is such an easy excuse for someone to say, "Oh! I am so busy!" hmm..what about the time that you spend on snapchat or just getting lost scrolling through fake news on your Facebook feed?

The truth is, that it is an illusion of busyness that we hide behind.

Sometimes I feel that this generation is just busy being busy. Which is utterly pointless!

That brings me to the point of having a hobby...

When we moved to Auckland, New Zealand, I picked up a cheap second hand Pentax Mirrorless camera. Even though I was in the video business, I had never personally handled a camera. Which was kind of strange! So, determined to make some really cool videos that we are used to seeing on Instagram and Vimeo, I set out to capture the beauty of life in Auckland.

And then something magical happened!

I never realised that just the small garden around your house holds such treasures. And the park around the corner for that matter. As I started clicking more photographs and started experimenting with techniques, a whole new world has opened up to me. Now, my every waking hour is spent pouring over tutorials, lenses and salivating over new cameras :-)

I realised that I have become more observant of life around me. I am not that stressed out any more. It fosters better connection between your family and friends - I pull them along for my weekend photography trips. You know what they say about visiting new places, right?

Is there a scientific basis to having a hobby impacting your life in positive way? Apparently, yes! Here is what I read in Psychology Today - According to an article by Jaime L. Kurtz Ph.D. there are 6 reasons for having a hobby.

1. Hobbies help you structure your time - Hobbies seemingly create more time and improve efficiency. With long days during summer, you certainly feel doing a lot more than before.
2. Hobbies promote flow - Instead of slouching on the couch watching TV, hobbies put you in the flow and on the move through more active leisure activities. Hint - mindfulness! Adult colouring books are selling like hot cakes now a days!!
3. Hobbies foster new social connections - New friendships and relationships are forged when you join a community of fellow hobbyists. Hint - Photography club! Makes you much more happy having a great conversation and connecting with new people.
4. Hobbies make you interesting - Definitely you will have more stories to tell, the new places you have visited. Makes you a hit at the party! no kidding :-)
5. Hobbies helps you cope with stress - After a tough day at work, looking at a beautiful landscape when taking a photography drains all the stress away. Hobbies are not just a distraction, they immerse you in the act of doing it, which helps you re-energise yourself.
6. And the benefits spill over into other aspects of your life - Believe it or not, you look forward to the end of the day and the weekends when you can head out to the next great location to click pictures. You still feel enthusiastic at the end of the day as you were when you began.

[Credit - https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happy-trails/201509/six-reasons-get-hobby]

What more do you want! join the book club, learn bee keeping or learn pottery. You don't have to retire to get a new hobby! The time is NOW!

You have more time on your hands than you know.

Have a look at my photography portfolio here!