I was one of those people that believe passion is a part of a hobby. Thus, I believed that I could milk some money from what I could do with my hobby. I then realized that they are much different and I’m grateful for not pursuing a career in my hobby.
What is a hobby?
According to dictionary.com, a hobby is an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. A hobby is something you enjoy and love in order to relax in your free time.
While it feels like it’s just something for fun in your free time, having a hobby is much important than you think.
1. Hobbies are beneficial for our mental health
As the definition suggests, a hobby should bring you pleasure in your free time. I always see it as an escape from stressful working days. It allows you to forget your problems for a moment and fuels your energy for the next working time.
2. Hobbies can improve your social connection
A hobby provides you with something that you can talk about. Joining a social media group that exclusively discusses your hobby and participating in the events in it can bring you new bonds and new opportunities.
3. Hobbies helps you to improve yourself
You will always gain something while doing a hobby you love. When you feel good at doing something or making a positive impact, you feel confident in yourself.
So, what about passion?
Passion is a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything. It is something that you can’t live without and you love doing it over and over. You also might want to improve in this certain activity and always have time to do that.
Both having a passion and having a hobby gives similar benefits. Those are:
- Creating motivation and confidence
- Bringing positive influence towards others
- Satisfying
- Developing creativity
How to differentiate between the two?
According to this Indeed article, I learned that the difference between them is intensity. You feel passion fuels you more than a hobby does.
Let’s think of activities you love and ask yourself:
- Can you live without them?
- Can you keep doing the same activities for a long time?
- Can you spare your precious time to do that?
- Will you strive to improve in these activities?
- Is this align with your value?
In a nutshell…
How to find your passion?
I found that passion is not something you have to find, but rather to be built. Be open and do something new. You might want to go extra like joining courses and decide if you like it or not.
Closing: did I choose to work as a website designer because of a hobby?
My answer: I didn’t.
It’s not like that my hobbies are not answering anybody’s needs. For instance, someone is probably in need of a high-quality coffee brewed properly and the coffee shop business is rising despite COVID-19, which I shouldn’t ignore.
But…!
Do I enjoy brewing coffee? Yes.
Do I want to keep brewing for a certain amount of time? No.
Do I want to buy thousands of empty plastic glasses and bottles just to realize they will end up in a trash can? I hate imagining that.
During my days as an entrepreneur, I learned that I love creating something, being productive, and becoming a problem solver. This really helps me feel myself is meaningful to my clients and connections. I want to learn more despite I was completely blind about website development.
So, yes, it’s my passion to become creative and useful to others.