Profession Versus Hobby

Your profession is what you do to earn money, make a difference in the world, and give yourself a social network to fall back on in the event your profession terminates prematurely. A hobby is what you do to forget about your profession.

Hobbies are a mental release from the daily grind; a way for your mind to rejuvenate itself doing opposite what it does during your work hours. A CPA, for example, may have a hobby of painting beautiful seascapes or views of places on other planets; reality versus creativity. The creative side of our minds needs exercise as much as our body, and if that portion is not taken out for a walk now and then it becomes stagnant and rusty; difficult to use, put in a small box and forgotten.

All day or night humans work and use their mind, body, their energy to perform mental and physical tasks for the almighty paycheck...Why? No-brainer here, to pay the bills, provide for our families, and make a difference. Employers want us to believe there is no one else to do the work, and if we were to resign from our position the job would go undone and the company and your coworkers would suffer. We all know that is not true, but is that not what the supervisors give you the impression of when they let you know your quota has been increased. There you have, stress. A real killer.

How can you combat stress? Creativity is the best outlet. Take up a new hobby such as painting, leather-work, needlepoint, basket-weaving, something to let your brain do a 180 and to give you a warm feeling of creative success.

I can't paint. As a matter of fact I can barely draw recognizable stick figures. I tried basket-weaving with the goal of teaching it to our Boy Scout troop. Bad result. My basket turned out looking like a bird nest, and that was not the intention. It did burn quite well and made an effective campfire lighter though.

I helped my son learn to stitch leather for a pair of Native American moccasins and found that (a) I enjoyed it and (b) I was pretty good at it. So, I found a local Tandy leather-work store and walked in not knowing what to expect, and harboring no preconceptions. I found I was able to create some pretty interesting items easily, at low cost, and give them away as gifts to be appreciated and admired by the receiver.

My specialty is leather key-chains (I try to sell them on Ebay with out too much success) that are stamped with a military logo; Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard. Just below the branch logo is the text of the branch. I sold a couple but I am not selling them to make a great deal of money. I spent a percentage of my life in the US Air Force and still remember those times as the best portion of my life. I appreciate and stand behind the US Military, ALL BRANCHES, and have given quite a few of these key fobs to active duty and veterans as gifts. If I make enough on them to be able to purchase more materials, the process has been a success. It is relaxing, entertaining, creative, and fun!

After taking up this leather hobby I noticed my stress level has gone down, my blood pressure is easier to control, and my anxiety is just about gone. So, find a hobby that is fun and uses the creative side of your brain. You may just learn something about yourself.