Hobbies

My favorite hobby is fishing.  I can't think of a better way to spend a day than out on some lake or river casting a line for whatever swims in the waters around me.  Something about the feel of nature just calms me down.

Now I know everyone always says that you should do what you love, because then you'll never have to work a day in your life.  But let's be honest here, even doing what you love, you need a break.  The important part about a hobby is that you do it for yourself.  It doesn't matter if anyone else does it with you, or even if they approve.  The point is that you approve.  I know from experience that if you lose sight of your hobbies, you soon lose sight of yourself.  Take this past semester for example.  Sure, I was doing what I loved, I was studying to be a high school agriculture teacher.  It was something I dearly love and dream of doing.  However, I wasn't happy.  For whatever reason, I stopped going fishing.  Maybe I got too busy, maybe I didn't know how important a part of my life the sport really is.  The funny thing is, once I started fishing again this summer, I rediscovered everything about myself.  I was happy once again.

Everyone around me who is successful, who is being the person they wish to be, has a hobby of some sort.  Something just for them.  For me it's fishing.  For some it's reading.  It can be any number of things.  I leave you with this to think about: What are your favorite hobbies, and how have they helped you be the person you want to be?