If you know me, which I feel like you do- you know I love all things personal development.

The other day I was scrolling through the ‘gram while sipping on my morning coffee and a post caught my eye. “You only need 5 hobbies.” This concept wasn’t new to me by any means. Ironically enough, I wrote a post about it back in 2018.

The main difference? A few years ago, there were three hobbies we were discussing. Today? There are 5! I love everything about this theory and felt we were due for a refresh. Let’s get into it!

The saying starts, “Find five hobbies you love”…

One to make you money. This hobby is usually referred to as a ‘job’ or a ‘career.’ I think one of the greatest feats in this world is finding something you adore and being able to wake up every day and do it for a living. Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Amen to that!

One to keep you in shape. At a very young age, my dad introduced me to running. It was an activity we would always do together. Just us, the sunny, tropical South Florida weather, and non-negotiable bonding time; it was perfect.

As I transitioned into adulthood, I continued running because it was something I really enjoyed. Whether alone or with a group, I love how it makes me feel and allows me to clear my head.

I believe the best form of working out is the one that you’ll actually do. Keep looking for an activity that makes you happy and map it out in your schedule. There’s a whole big world out there. You are bound to find something.

One to be creative. I believe having a creative outlet is one of the greatest stress relievers in the world. It allows you to get lost in what you are doing and truly live in the moment.

When I originally heard this saying, I thought of my mom, Vallerie. She worked as a Registered Nurse and retired years ago. However, while retired, she discovered an unknown talent and passion she never knew existed - she was an exquisite painter! She now has transformed a space in her home into her very own art studio. She creates every day.

I am very driven by creativity. For many years, I ran a business that didn’t necessarily allow me to utilize my creative abilities. It was then that I began writing again for fun. I started a blog called The Flawless Blogspot as a hobby. Eventually, I made a big pivot, and here we are today with the blog and podcast! But it all started and stemmed from a hobby that brought me creative joy.

One to build knowledge. “Knowledge is only given to those who are willing to seek it.” I remember watching an interview years ago with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and he said something that has always stuck with me - “I try to learn something new every day or else the day is wasted.” What a glorious thought. The best way to do this? Be intentional about learning. Figure out what type of way you enjoy consuming your material - podcasts, books, YouTube videos, etc. - the options are endless!

One to evolve your mindset. There are two types of mindsets; a fixed mindset and a growth mindset (developed by Psychologist Carol Dweck).

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities develop through consistency and dedication. These people believe that brains and talent are just the starting point. They feel they can always improve, even if they don’t succeed in the beginning. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for achieving greatness.

Individuals who embrace growth mindsets, learn more, learn skills faster, and view challenges and failures as opportunities to improve themselves. It’s easy to see why high achievers in any field have a growth mindset. They understand that “failures” don’t exist and, instead, use them as learning opportunities.

But depending on how you grew up, you might have a fixed mindset instead. Here is the difference.

With a negative (or fixed) mindset, you suffer unnecessarily by making failures much bigger events than necessary. With a fixed mindset, a failure means “You are a failure.”

But the most successful people in the world love to fail. They understand that failure is part of the process of success. Just look at Thomas Edison, who failed 10,000 times to create the lightbulb. If he had a fixed mindset, he would have given up, and history would have suffered.

To recap: find five hobbies that you love: one to make you money, one to keep you in shape, one to be creative, one to build knowledge, and one to evolve your mindset.

Do you have these five hobbies? If so, what are they?