Welcome back everyone!
Are you looking for a hobby or a new activity to fill some empty space in your life, but can’t seem to figure out where to even start? Have you always passed your free time without any structure and are looking for something more outside of school or work? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you’ve found the right place! I was in your shoes not too long ago, and since then I’ve found plenty of hobbies and interests to occupy my time. Here’s my tips on how to figure out what you actually like spending your time doing, and how to get started pursuing it.
- Think about who you admire. Sometimes, thinking about the people you look up to can remind you of your personal goals. If you’re constantly keeping up with girlboss YouTubers who have their own podcasts, maybe you want to start your own YouTube channel or podcast. If you’re obsessed with certain fashion designers maybe you want to get into making your own clothes. It can be something simple or something complicated, but your idols can say a lot about you.
- Consider the things you do when you have free time. What do you do when you’re not busy and no one’s telling you what to do? Yes, even TV and scrolling through social media can count. Whatever you generally lean towards doing, find a way to channel that into a hobby. Sometimes, these things actually already are hobbies- I know a lot of people who claim they don’t do anything but are amazing artists who make these beautiful drawings in their free time. That’s definitely a super cool interest/hobby! If you’re looking to do something more with it, you can make a social media account and share your art with the world or do commissions though, for example.
- Take advantage of opportunities around you. What’s available at your school? Go to club rush, go to interest meetings, pick electives that sound interesting- these all might lead you down a path of something you end up loving. Talk to teachers or your counselor about possible things you might like or activities you should join based on what your favorite subjects in school are, and always look at bulletin boards around your community for opportunities outside of school.
- Think about your future goals. This only applies if you’ve set long-term goals for yourself, but I know in high school a lot of people have, so I’m hoping it applies to a lot of you. If you’ve always said you want to be a lawyer when you grow up, get involved in debate or mock trial. If you want to be a teacher, start tutoring people or join some other academic groups. Sometimes looking at the big picture can point you in direction of what you want to do now- it’s a win-win because you can test out if you’d actually like to go into that field when you’re older.
These are just a few ways to find some new interests; I know it can be overwhelming. I went from feeling like I wasn’t interested in anything to being interested in so many things I couldn’t commit to joining an activity dedicated to each of them. There really are so many opportunities out there- you just have to find them and take advantage of them, and if they don’t work out you can always make your own. I’m no expert on finding your passion, but I’m always here to help or offer what advice I can, so please let me know if you have any questions.
Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 