What do you say when someone asks you to name some of your hobbies? Let me guess, you start with the most obvious things: reading, listening to music…maybe Tik Tok. Then what? How do you convince them you aren’t boring? The answer is: you can’t. Because, alas, you are a bit boring, and really, who even has the motivation to find interesting hobbies? Wrong. You do. Or at least you will if you follow these 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Nothing is off limits. (except the illegal stuff, which is in fact off limits). You’ve got to keep yourself open to whatever catches your interest. The next time someone mentions a sport or creative endeavor that piques your interest, go after it. If you see something cool your favorite Youtuber tries, give it a go. Get suggestions from friends or just people watch until you’ve acquired enough information to gauge what fun activities the average person does that interest you.
Step 2: Commit yourself. Don’t just think about how you’d like to try a new hobby, make solid plans. Ask a friend when their next game is or when they usually paint and ask to tag along. Commit to a day and time so it’s part of your schedule. It doesn’t have to be a long amount of time and in fact, I’d encourage you to keep it brief. Want to start reading? Mark off an hour for yourself in the week where you commit yourself to reading something. And don’t forget to be specific! Pick a specific sport or book or craft.
Step 3: Prep. Complete any necessary preparations beforehand, so that when your allotted time comes around, you don’t waste time gathering materials. Want to try bike riding? Make sure you’ve bought, borrowed or stolen a bike and found the perfect location to go for your ride. If the hobby is outdoors, make sure to check the weather beforehand. Forgetting to buy supplies is not an option, so make sure to stop by the store.
Step 4: Try the hobby out but don’t be afraid to quit. This is the biggest, baddest and best advice I have to offer. When you try new things, there’s no guarantee you’ll like it. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t click and don’t force yourself to keep going. It’s ok that you can’t crochet sweaters for all your friends (they probably wouldn’t wear them anyways). The point is, you gave it a go and now you have a new experience and learned something. Keep doing just that till you find something that brings you the most joy.Â
Hopefully, these simple tips have been helpful, and motivated you to give that one cool activity the ol’ college try. Go ahead and take that dance class or paint that canvas. Even if it takes a while to find “the one” you’re still accumulating new experiences and that is anything but boring.