Daily Reading - Allen James' Daily Guide to Success series - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

Our reading for April 18th is taken from our feature books for 2013, "The Journey: A Calendar Book", "Have a hobby".

A few days ago I spoke of our not being so busy in our lives with the "necessary" we forget to LIVE. One very important aspect of having enjoyable time is to take on a hobby. After a long day at work or after a full week of caring for your home and children, it is time for relaxation, your hobby hour. Hobbies will keep you occupied between work and family, and cultivating a good hobby may have calming or helpful therapeutic side effects.

Hobbies are practiced for enjoyment and interest, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial knowledge, skill and experience, but the most important gain is your personal fulfillment.

What are hobbies for some people are professions for others: a programmer may enjoy guitar playing as a hobby, while a professional musician might enjoy programming. But remember that Linux began as a student's hobby.

A hobby doesn't have to cost a fortune to be enjoyable. Activities like sport fishing can be maintained for a reasonable amount spent on equipment and travel, paper-making requires little more than junk mail and a blender, and so on.

I have friends whose hobby is taking a metal detector out and just browsing fields, others whose hobby is scrap-booking and some who enjoy golfing. Participating in activities for leisure is also a wonderful way to reduce stress in our lives. It really is no wonder so many people in today’s society have become raging workaholics. They work long arduous hours on the job, and although most enjoy what they do for a living, these people need a more balanced lifestyle. This is one reason I write; I enjoy it and it doesn't seem like work to me.

Don't wait for an illness, or other signs of stress to force you to slow down. Instead of letting this happen to you, try a change of attitude! Don’t think of time spent leisurely as time wasted, unnecessary, wrong, or a misuse of time. If we don’t allow ourselves to take time out for recreation, the results could be devastating…costing us our health, friends, or even family. If nothing else, taking short breaks can be so rejuvenating to our mind and body, making our work much more effective.

Once you’ve decided to make leisure activities an important aspect of your daily or weekly routine, you will then have to decide just on how you’re going to unwind. This can be difficult for many people, but a good place to start is looking back into your past. What were some of the activities you enjoyed as a child? What were some of your hobbies, favorite sports, or interests? Is there something you’re interested in now but just haven’t had the time?

Take up a hobby...."live long and prosper" as our friend Spock would say (and I'm not talking about Dr. Spock).

Keep looking up. : ) AJ

www.yourhobby.com
www.everydaywisdom.com