I Am a Serial Hobbyist

and Why You Should Be Too

Jihoon Ha
Jihoon Ha
Nov 4 · 2 min read
Photo by Austin Neill

I’m always looking for new hobbies.

My first was fishing, and I was hooked :) by the simple joy of reeling in mackerel from a relatively young age. Only after many more years did I learn to appreciate the true beauty of fishing—time and space to get away from the noise of this world.

To be honest, I am a terrible fisherman even after all these years. Let’s just say if I derived happiness solely from the number of fishes caught, I would have stopped a long time ago. Fishing, along with other hobbies, provides the time and space needed to enjoy myself and recharge for the days ahead.

Of course, there are plenty of other upsides to having hobbies.

Fishing in particular taught me patience. From untangling lines at night with freezing hands or simply waiting for a bite, fishing requires a level of patience that has translated to the way I live my life.

Somewhere along the way, I picked up more hobbies like playing guitar, gaming, rock climbing, and surfing. Although they all carry valuable lessons of their own, there are three benefits to be had from all hobbies.

Generally, hobbies make good conversation topics, introduce you to great communities, and provide an opportunity to engage different parts of your brain.

As an introvert, it’s life saving when there’s shared enthusiasm towards a hobby. Talking about common interests is a great way to start conversations and make new friends. The more hobbies you have, the more you’ll have to talk about.

Speaking of shared interests, every hobby has a community of people who also love what you do. Connecting with these communities is a great way to be part of something bigger than yourself. The more hobbies you have, the more cool people you’ll meet!

Finally, hobbies engage parts of the mind that might be neglected in your daily routine. By balancing out activities that utilize both the left & right sides of the brain, it’ll become easier to absorb new information. The more hobbies you have, the more versatile you’ll be.

It’s easy to see the many upsides to having hobbies.

Looking back, I’m glad my first hobby was fishing. It most clearly showed me how powerful it can be to fully immerse myself in a peaceful, noiseless environment.

So, whether you’re studying hard to get into med school or working full-time for a cool company, take some time for yourself and see what happens :)

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