How to Grow a Rewarding Retirement Hobby

The trick to really enjoying retirement is to find those activities that get you excited. You know, the activities that inspire you to get up and get moving in the morning. 

We don’t need to spend a ton of money and we don’t need to be experts. 

We begin with what we have and what we like doing or what we want to learn how to do. Some may have a leg up here. Perhaps you already know how to bake…or crochet…or work with wood. Perhaps you prefer to be more active and enjoy sports or travel. Perhaps you only have your smartphone or pen and paper. Begin with this and look for challenging ways to pursue these interests. 

It’s always good to start with what you have at hand. Let’s take, for example, your smartphone…You use it to take selfies? A great way to begin a career in photography. Take pictures of the limitless nature subjects around you: flowers, buildings, all the sites you enjoy in your travels. Or perhaps, you prefer to write. Pen and paper (or computer) are outstanding tools for beginners. Begin with writing your memoirs or try your hand a poetry.

Failing that, use your computer and research anything that interests you. There are thousands of tutorials online for how to do anything you can imagine. Just type into your browser “How to….” And enter a world that offers limitless options. Whenever the opportunity arises, look for mentor(s) and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. You’re not looking for things or people to copy. But you can really grow your hobby quickly when you look for ideas that set you on your own personal journey.

The trick is to start from where you are. If you want to aspire to be world-renowned. You may well become another Rembrandt or best selling writer. But that’s not what’s really important. Do what you enjoy and challenge yourself to make your every effort a bit better than the last. 

Practice, practice, practice.  And be sure to keep exploring ways to challenge yourself so that you become more skilled in the techniques that will set yourself apart.

Don’t be afraid, you’ll have many cases where you’re not totally happy with the results of your effort. Photographers and artists know well that they will have hundreds of pictures that they consider to be failures. But, every once in a while they achieve something they love and are proud of. Little by little spectacular works emerge.

The absolute best thing about exploring a hobby like this is the satisfaction you will experience in the journey. You’ll want to save examples of your progress so you can celebrate your successes. Before long, you’ll have pieces that make outstanding gifts…or maybe will be sale-able, if that’s your intent. 

Consider this interest your personal legacy…your gift to posterity…your opportunity to give back. Now that you’ve achieved your golden age and you’re no longer pushed and pulled by a 9-5 lifestyle and the need to earn a living, you have all kinds of time to do exactly whatever you find most satisfying and rewarding.

Share your retirement journey and suggestions in the comments.

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