Why You Should Keep A Hobby You’re Bad At
You don’t have to be good at something for it to be good for you.
Having a hobby seems to have become synonymous with having a talent. It’s your side-hustle or special skill, a topic you’re an expert in, and something you can show off about. There’s an underlying assumption that to call something your ‘hobby’, you have to be good at it, or at least aiming to be. If you’re not, then you might as well abandon it.
But that’s not what a hobby is at all. A hobby, according to the dictionary, is…
‘a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation’.
There’s no reference to any kind of skill or talent. It doesn’t have to be something you’re good at.
That doesn’t mean hobbies are pointless; for something to be good for you, you don’t have to be good at it. Having a hobby that you’re bad at, and that you are unlikely to master no matter how much practice you put in, can teach you valuable skills that can serve you in other areas of your life.
So, before you abandon your failing hobby, think about the following skills you might be gaining from it.
