When my cousin was born in 1992, she had a congenital heart defect and needed surgery when she was only two days old. My aunt and uncle were distraught as they had no warning that anything may be wrong with the baby. During the weeks when she was in the hospital after her surgery, my aunt and uncle had very different ways of dealing with the stress.
My aunt pretty much stayed with their child, deciding how she would deal with the aftermath of the surgery. She passed the time with her friends and relatives but stayed close. My uncle, like many men, needed to get away. He had always enjoyed woodworking, so he took up the hobby as a way to keep himself busy. And boy did he take it up! He got new tools and made all kinds of nifty wooden items from benches to china cabinets to dollhouses. He needed something to do with his hands.
Once their baby got out of the hospital, he had built up quite the collection of woodworking items that he had made. Since the bills had started coming in for the surgery, they started looking at ways they would pay for everything. My aunt suggested selling some of the pieces he had made. He agreed, and they sold quickly. Then my aunt started taking order from people with pictures of what he could make. He started working in the room they had converted to a shop night and day making everything people ordered. After about a year, he had to cut things back because he was exhausted and did not really appreciate the woodworking anymore. After all, it started as a hobby.
Many people find themselves in situations like my uncle discovered with his woodworking. A hobby can take on a life of its own, especially if it is something that other people enjoy. While he was being paid for its efforts, the expected output took a toll on the joy he should have gotten from the hobby.
Perhaps you have found yourself in this situation and are unsure what to do. While you may not want to disappoint others, you want to enjoy whatever hobby it is you had taken up. Your first step is to re-evaluate what you want out of the hobby. Perhaps you want to sell a few pieces here and there but do not want to make a full-time income. Chances are that you may even have been pulled in directions that you do not enjoy. You may have wanted to play a little jazz here and there but find you are being asked to perform other types of music less to your liking. Knowing what you want to get out of your hobby will help you to cut back.
You should fulfill all of your current obligations but be clear that you are not taking on anything new. You can tell people anything you would like. Say that you want to spend more time at home or that you need a break. You should not let others guilt you into continuing to work on projects that make your hobby less fun. If you have trouble turning others down, then have someone else field the calls for you.
Take a few weeks off from your hobby once you get through meeting all of the promises you have made. Just take some time to relax. Do not break out the equipment for your hobby for at least two weeks. That way when you do get back into the swing of things, you will be able to do so with a new fervor.
During your two-week respite, take some time to check out new things in your hobby area. If you do knitting, you may want to look at trying a type of sweater you have not made before. Artists may want to work with a new technique using that new set of brushes down at the art store. Take on something fun and new with your hobby if you would like.
Just remember that the next time you start getting hounded to provide for others using your talents that you should think about how much you want to do before agreeing to do anything.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Physical Fitness Hobbies
If you are looking for a new hobby, you should consider taking up something fitness-related. The United States is becoming a land of overweight people. Obesity rates are higher than ever, and more people are turning to convenience foods because of their busy lifestyles. Still there are only two real ways to lose weight: eat less or exercise more. If you like to have pasta whenever you want it and have the occasional soft drink, too, then your option basically is to increase your physical activity. That is where a new fitness hobby comes into play.
Now you may be thinking that you do not have any athletic ability or that you cannot possibly get into a team sport. That is not all there is to fitness hobbies! In fact, there are many individual physical sports you can get into. You can try out power walking, yoga, or even free weight lifting if you want something that you can do alone. For the power walking, all you need is a good pair of shoes. If you will be walking far, think about getting some ear buds to listen to music and a pedometer to mark your steps.
All you need for yoga is a yoga mat (which you can find pretty cheap) and some comfortable, stretchy pants. Although there are pants made specifically for doing yoga, you can wear sweats or other moveable materials to begin. Lifting free weights can be weird at the gym but try out an at-home system before you give up on the idea. You would basically get a set of dumbbells that come on a rack. If you are a beginner and are not very strong, you would be looking at 1 to 10-pound weights. Try using them with different techniques, even while you are watching television.
If you are into more excitement in your physical activities, then you could try hiking or mountain climbing. Mountain climbing itself may be a stretch unless you happen to live in a mountainous region, but you still may be able to climb some small cliffs or work on your skills at indoor climbing arenas. Hiking will allow you to spend some time outdoors while you are working on getting in shape. Though hiking is stop and go, it does require you to carry a pack and often teaches you to balance and have endurance.
Do water sports sound interesting to you? Consider taking up swimming. Like walking, swimming is one of the easiest physical hobbies to start as long as you have access to a pool. Check your local YMCA as well as your parks department. You may just find that there are pools available to you at little or no cost. Check their hours and begin going in once or twice a week. A bathing suit and a towel are the only requirements. Begin with doggie-paddling for five minutes and work your way up. You can learn other strokes slowly and begin making laps into the pool.
Kayaking, white water rafting, and canoeing are among other water sports that will help get you in shape. You will need some arm strength to begin unless you will be doing very low-key canoeing, but you can rent the equipment for all of these sports. You can take a day trip to go to a nearby body of water. Rent a kayak for a three-mile trip to begin. Though you may be tired at the end, soon you will be able to try more difficult currents and stay on them for longer.
There are also recreational team sports available in most areas, and the best news is that you do not have to be good at most of them. Unless you happen on a team of competitive people, you will find that adult league softball, bowling, and other sports are more about having fun than about winning games. That you get a workout in during the practices and games is an added bonus for you. Participation in any type of physical hobby will help you to get moving. Even if the hobby does not require you to break a sweat, you will not be on your couch watching television, which may be motivation enough for many people to be even more active.
Now you may be thinking that you do not have any athletic ability or that you cannot possibly get into a team sport. That is not all there is to fitness hobbies! In fact, there are many individual physical sports you can get into. You can try out power walking, yoga, or even free weight lifting if you want something that you can do alone. For the power walking, all you need is a good pair of shoes. If you will be walking far, think about getting some ear buds to listen to music and a pedometer to mark your steps.
All you need for yoga is a yoga mat (which you can find pretty cheap) and some comfortable, stretchy pants. Although there are pants made specifically for doing yoga, you can wear sweats or other moveable materials to begin. Lifting free weights can be weird at the gym but try out an at-home system before you give up on the idea. You would basically get a set of dumbbells that come on a rack. If you are a beginner and are not very strong, you would be looking at 1 to 10-pound weights. Try using them with different techniques, even while you are watching television.
If you are into more excitement in your physical activities, then you could try hiking or mountain climbing. Mountain climbing itself may be a stretch unless you happen to live in a mountainous region, but you still may be able to climb some small cliffs or work on your skills at indoor climbing arenas. Hiking will allow you to spend some time outdoors while you are working on getting in shape. Though hiking is stop and go, it does require you to carry a pack and often teaches you to balance and have endurance.
Do water sports sound interesting to you? Consider taking up swimming. Like walking, swimming is one of the easiest physical hobbies to start as long as you have access to a pool. Check your local YMCA as well as your parks department. You may just find that there are pools available to you at little or no cost. Check their hours and begin going in once or twice a week. A bathing suit and a towel are the only requirements. Begin with doggie-paddling for five minutes and work your way up. You can learn other strokes slowly and begin making laps into the pool.
Kayaking, white water rafting, and canoeing are among other water sports that will help get you in shape. You will need some arm strength to begin unless you will be doing very low-key canoeing, but you can rent the equipment for all of these sports. You can take a day trip to go to a nearby body of water. Rent a kayak for a three-mile trip to begin. Though you may be tired at the end, soon you will be able to try more difficult currents and stay on them for longer.
There are also recreational team sports available in most areas, and the best news is that you do not have to be good at most of them. Unless you happen on a team of competitive people, you will find that adult league softball, bowling, and other sports are more about having fun than about winning games. That you get a workout in during the practices and games is an added bonus for you. Participation in any type of physical hobby will help you to get moving. Even if the hobby does not require you to break a sweat, you will not be on your couch watching television, which may be motivation enough for many people to be even more active.
2007 With Your Hobby
While you may think only of weight loss, work, and other seemingly business-related tasks for your New Year’s resolutions, try not to forget your hobby. If you already have a hobby, then you should add some hobby items to your resolution list. There are great ways to encourage yourself (and allow yourself if you are a busy person) to take some time doing something you really enjoy. How do you go about setting resolutions for a hobby?
Your first task, as with setting any hobby or resolution or promise to yourself, is to come up with solid, measurable goals. You do not want to resolve to do 27 things related to your hobby, though it may turn out that you do. Instead you want to come up with something that has a definite measurable effort involved. For example, you may want to spend 8 hours per month working on your model train exhibit, or you may decide that you would like to research and visit six exciting rock-collecting locations this year.
Use numbers when you can because it will help you to know how often you will need to work on your hobby. Plus using numbers allows you to know how much you are investing. If you just endeavor to work more on your model train exhibit, chances are that time will not come. Something else always will get in the way, but if you promise yourself eight glorious hours a month, then you will be more likely to make time for it.
The second key to setting good goals and resolutions is to aim for a specific end result. With that model train exhibit, let us say that your end goal is that you want to show the exhibit at a local fair in October. Your eight hours a month is based on the idea that from January through September, you will be able to complete the exhibit by devoting eight hours a month to it. Your resolutions should include something you want to do or a milestone you want to reach. In my own life, for instance, my goal is to play my flute once this year during the special music session at church. Although I played flute for 10 years, I have not done so in about eight. This year I have decided to pick up the hobby again, so I have set a reasonable goal which will require to spend at least one hour every week practicing.
Keep in mind when you are making a resolution for your hobby that you may be making a fairly short-term resolution this year, especially if your ultimate life goal is to add something enjoyable to your life. This year, your resolution may just get you started on a new love in your life. No one ever woke up and climbed Mt. Everest. The people who make it to the top have worked hard, often for years, training. If you were to do something similar, you may start this year with basic hiking and rock climbing and learning. Perhaps next year you can make it to your first, much smaller, peak and then work your way up.
In returning to my flute revival, I recently developed a strong desire to record a CD of my music. I have no aspirations of becoming a world famous flautist, or even becoming a locally famous one. Instead I want to return to one of my childhood dreams, which was to play in a band. While I will not be in a band, I will be able to experience the joy and excitement of preparing and going into a studio to work on my music.
The final key is to make sure that you do not overdo your plans to work on your hobby. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy for its own sake, not something that you work on because you have backed yourself into a corner. Make sure that your resolution for your hobby is something that you can reach and that will challenge you a little but that will not make you resent your hobby by the end of the year. That would defeat the purpose, which is to work on something you love.
Your first task, as with setting any hobby or resolution or promise to yourself, is to come up with solid, measurable goals. You do not want to resolve to do 27 things related to your hobby, though it may turn out that you do. Instead you want to come up with something that has a definite measurable effort involved. For example, you may want to spend 8 hours per month working on your model train exhibit, or you may decide that you would like to research and visit six exciting rock-collecting locations this year.
Use numbers when you can because it will help you to know how often you will need to work on your hobby. Plus using numbers allows you to know how much you are investing. If you just endeavor to work more on your model train exhibit, chances are that time will not come. Something else always will get in the way, but if you promise yourself eight glorious hours a month, then you will be more likely to make time for it.
The second key to setting good goals and resolutions is to aim for a specific end result. With that model train exhibit, let us say that your end goal is that you want to show the exhibit at a local fair in October. Your eight hours a month is based on the idea that from January through September, you will be able to complete the exhibit by devoting eight hours a month to it. Your resolutions should include something you want to do or a milestone you want to reach. In my own life, for instance, my goal is to play my flute once this year during the special music session at church. Although I played flute for 10 years, I have not done so in about eight. This year I have decided to pick up the hobby again, so I have set a reasonable goal which will require to spend at least one hour every week practicing.
Keep in mind when you are making a resolution for your hobby that you may be making a fairly short-term resolution this year, especially if your ultimate life goal is to add something enjoyable to your life. This year, your resolution may just get you started on a new love in your life. No one ever woke up and climbed Mt. Everest. The people who make it to the top have worked hard, often for years, training. If you were to do something similar, you may start this year with basic hiking and rock climbing and learning. Perhaps next year you can make it to your first, much smaller, peak and then work your way up.
In returning to my flute revival, I recently developed a strong desire to record a CD of my music. I have no aspirations of becoming a world famous flautist, or even becoming a locally famous one. Instead I want to return to one of my childhood dreams, which was to play in a band. While I will not be in a band, I will be able to experience the joy and excitement of preparing and going into a studio to work on my music.
The final key is to make sure that you do not overdo your plans to work on your hobby. A hobby is supposed to be something you enjoy for its own sake, not something that you work on because you have backed yourself into a corner. Make sure that your resolution for your hobby is something that you can reach and that will challenge you a little but that will not make you resent your hobby by the end of the year. That would defeat the purpose, which is to work on something you love.
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