"The most successful people know how important it is to have interests and hobbies outside of their work lives. Some of these hobbies are useful and considered important networking tools, while others are more focused on personal development and pushing themselves. Some are purely thrill-seeking and allow people in high-stress jobs to forget about their day-to-day responsibilities". TV host Bob Barker trained in karate under Chuck Norris for eight years.
Bob Barker also is a strong animal advocate. He is known for his work with animals. I don't think he is too well these days though. I am quite sure he is in his 90's. I didn't know he was a karate expert though. He probably was intimidating back in the day. I think he is about 6'4 or something.
Bob said: "I started doing karate when I was around 45, and I did karate until my early 70s, but to do karate, you have to be very stretched out."
I don't trust people who don't have hobbies. One of my pet peeves is when I hear someone saying they're bored. I don't have time to be bored, and never have. in my family, we were taught to have many interests, and that if we were bored, there was plenty of work that needed to be done, and were then assigned chores to do. One of my favorite things to do if I start feeling edgy, which is a signal for boredom, is to get up and move around. If I'm able, I go for a walk, and when I go for a walk, I almost always take my camera, because photography totally engrosses me. I enjoy taking pictures of my surroundings and the creatures I encounter along the nature trails, it shuts down the worries that often preoccupy my mind. When I'm at home, I enjoy cooking or baking, reading or doing crafts, and occasionally I enjoy puttering around in the garden.
We all approach hobbies differently. We should enjoy them. Actress Meryl Streep knits to clear her head. How does Streep stay so focused on camera? The secret may be her knitting between takes. Like many knitters, Streep does it for therapeutic purposes and admits to spending all her time on set knitting. "For me it was a place to gather my thoughts and understand the contemplative (life) ... it's a sort of clearing out place," she said.
I would love to do some knitting - tried a couple of times, always ended up with more stitches on me needle than when I started
I hate 'crafts' per se...knitting, crocheting, card making..etc...bores me silly, I just don't have the patience.. As I work full time, I have to have another interest to break the monotony and keep my braincells engaged rather than the constant work-home-work-home cycle. As many of you here and other forums know ..like @Diane Lane my passion is for photography..I take my camera everywhere with me in case of missing a great unexpected shot....altho' I do also have an iphone as a back-up I',m a great outdoors person and on the weekends I'm not working, I'm out and about on the rivers, and canals sailing or just walking along the rivers and towpaths that abound in this country... At home..I spend a lot of my free time on the PC mainly in research, and of course on the forums enjoying the company of friends, and keeping my brain in gear with quiz games.. I'm an avid competitor in everything I do so I love to take part in quizzes and competitions just for the fun of it.....also an avid reader, although these days I can only read a book in bed because I'm asleep in 15 minutes otherwise.. I also have a very large garden of which needs always a lot of upkeep... Travelling abroad is also high on my agenda...I'd do more if work wasn't in the way, but of course to be able to afford to travel, I have to earn the money... I have a second home on the continent and we get there a couple of times a year....going in a couple of weeks time ...and I cannot wait...
I think it is important to to follow the things for which you have a passion or deep interest: animal advocate, singing, knitting, computer games, painting, hiking, or riding a bike. We all have interests and now is the time to pursue them if you have the money to do so. One day, like Bob Barker, we will be older and physically unable to do things. Go forth and engage in your interests. Carpe Diem!!!
I played golf, photography has been a life long hobby, explore wilderness areas and the outdoors. But that's all in the past. Lotta memories though.
I totally love traveling, and every trip is an adventure to me. Of course, as most people know, traveling can run into money, so I haven't done much of it lately. Also, my car is not the best so I am hesitant to go too far afield. I like swimming, and kayaking...playing sports..and especially movies, and really anything with a screen..cooking is a passion, although i wouldn't say I am very skilled. I just kind of wing it.
Very interesting what people do in their spare time. We all need some type of relaxation in our life. Something to relax with in our spare time helps keep us healthy too.
You gave me a laugh with your first line. It reminds me of my immediate boss who is a senior vice president of the biggest bank in the country. He is a certified nerd. Even when we would have lunch (with his immediate subordinates), he would sometimes be using his phone not for games but for technical research. And during parties, he has his laptop with him so when there is a program and the performer is not good at least he's got something to do. There was his anecdote when he brought along his family to Disneyland Hongkong. When they were heading for the exit, his eldest son asked, "Is that it?" to obviously mean that his grade school kids did not enjoy Disneyland. So that goes to show that his children are also becoming a nerd like him. And before I forget, having a hobby, according to him, is just a waste of time.