February 22, 2014

How to find a hobby

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Everyone needs a hobby

Everyone needs hobbies. Even when working full time we need interests that keep us thinking and learning and that we just plain enjoy. In retirement, or even semi-retirement, this is even more important. A hobby can even allow you to fill in that blank space in life where maybe you say “I wish I had tried this or that!”

So how do you go about finding a hobby? Like a lot of things it starts out with some research and a list. Here are some ideas to get you started.

What hobbies did you start previously but abandon?

Let’s start with something really simple. Make a list of all the hobbies you started in the past but abandoned. Don’t skip anything, even those pursuits that now seem really dumb. Did you collect Beanie Babies or Pet Rocks? ( If you don’t know what a pet rock is look it up on Wikipedia.) Just make the list for now, don’t judge or pick anything yet.

What activities did you enjoy as a kid?

What kinds of things did you enjoy doing or reading about as a kid. Did you like trains, dolls, or making models? What were some of those ideas for careers that grown ups told you were not practical. I’m talking about becoming an astronaut, or a musician. Well, some of those youthful ideas can make great second careers and some can make great hobbies, so add them to your list.

Browse Amazon Books

A search of “Hobbies” on Amazon brings up over 143,000 results, with many sub-categories. Spend an hour or two browsing and add anything to your list that sounds promising. Don’t be too tempted by all those cool books! Wait until you narrow down your list a bit.

Browse the Internet

In a similar way to browsing on Amazon do a little surfing on the Internet. Try different search terms and categories like “Retirement Hobbies” or “Free Hobbies”. Use your imagination and add anything that grabs your interest to your list.

Look at magazines

Take a look at magazine racks – both those in stores and those on line. If there is a magazine for it then it is likely there are quite a few people that enjoy that hobby. Add any that interest you to your list.

Look at Blogs

Finally take a look at blogs. Take a look at some of the entries on Technorati (www.technorati.com) or others. A search on “hobbies” brings up over a million blogs! Again just add ideas to your list.

Brainstorm

Finally, try a little old fashioned brainstorming. Just write any ideas that come to mind, again without judging or considerations of practicality.

What hobby will you pursue?

Now for the fun part. Hopefully by now you have a pretty big list. Time to start categorizing and doing some eliminating. Maybe try some categories like “Great Ideas”, “Free or Low Cost”, or “Hobbies that could turn into an income source” Then give your ideas some time to settle for a few days and decide on a few winners. How many hobbies can you have? I would say it depends on you and the hobby, but you probably should start one at a time.

I hope this article has got you thinking about a new hobby. Give it a try and see where it leads.

Until next time…

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
February 8, 2014

10 Volunteer Ideas

There are hundreds, if not thousands of volunteer organizations that are desperate for your time and experience.  Retirement is a good time to give back a little to the world around you.  There are also obvious benefits for you.  Volunteering keeps your mind active, gives you another purpose in life, and keeps you in contact with other human beings.  All of those things have been identified as necessary to a healthy and fulfilling retirement.

Below are a few volunteer ideas to get you started.  Hopefully they will jog your brain to think of many more possibilities.

Your church

If you belong to a church you may have wished you could have helped out more earlier in life.  Retirement may be a time when you have more time and less responsibilities and you can now help.  Even if you don’t belong to a church local churches may provide opportunities.  For example in my home town a local church runs a food bank, and they are always looking for help.

The Peace Corp

Ever since the days of John Kennedy people think of the Peace Corp when they think of volunteering.  Retired people in the Peace Corp are becoming more common, and there is even a program called the Peace Corp 50+ Initiative that seeks to recruit retired volunteers.

SPCA

Animal Shelters always have a need for volunteers.  If you love animals then volunteering in an animal shelter may be just your thing.

Your local library

Do you like to read?  Libraries are changing but they still need volunteers for everything from caring for books to keeping their computers running.  Many run special presentation programs and are looking for new ideas and people to make the presentations.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army has a need for lots of people beyond those Santas ringing the bells.  Their website says they had 3.4 million volunteers in 2012.  I am sure they have room for one more!

Meals on Wheels

These programs deliver meals to senior citizens and others who may have difficulty making all their own meals.  Some are free and some charge a reasonable fee, but they all need volunteers.  I have personal experience here.  My Dad and Step Mom used a service a few years ago.  Both were in their nineties and they lived a couple hours away.  I was very grateful that I knew they were being delivered at least one good hot meal every day.

Red Cross

The Red Cross website says that 94% of their work is performed by volunteers.  With all the recent natural disasters they certainly need lots of volunteers.

National and State parks

If you like the outdoors then volunteering in nearby state and national parks may be the way to go.

Habitat for Humanity

What a worthwhile organization!  Can you swing a hammer or carry a two by four?  Their website shows all kinds of opportunities.

Your Own Cause

Last but not least do you have a cause you care about?  Is there a need where you think you could help?  Are you a good organizer and can you start a small organization around your cause?  You can probably start small with just a few friends.

How will you volunteer?

So how will you volunteer?  We’ll explore many other possibilities in future articles.

Until next time…

Filed Under: Things To Do, Volunteering Leave a Comment
December 27, 2013

What did you want to be when you grew up?

This article is all about some fun reminiscing and a little daydreaming.  You get to think about your younger days, from when you were a little kid until you were a young adult.  You know the time I mean: before the world made you conform to reality and beat you up a little.  Doing so can give you hints as to what will excite you in retirement.  What did you want to be when you grew up?

Did you want to be a Train Engineer, a Race Car Driver, Ballerina, or an Astronaut?

Tell the truth.  At some point you wanted to be one of the above!  Let’s use them as examples and see where they might lead to interests in retirement.

Train Engineer

Can you:

  • Take short or long train trips
  • Build a model train layout
  • Travel around taking pictures of trains and train stations
  • Collect and/or read books on trains
  • Start a train related website or small business.

Race Car Driver

Can you:

  • Go to races
  • Race model or RC Control cars
  • Visit famous race tracks
  • Restore a hot but old classic car
  • Start a race car related web site or small business

Ballerina

Can you:

  • Attend Ballets
  • Organize trips for others or seniors to attend ballets
  • Volunteer and assist a young people’s ballet class
  • Collect ballet slippers
  • Start a web business selling young people’s slippers and outfits

Astronaut

Can you:

  • Collect space exploration pictures
  • Build model spacecraft and rockets
  • Watch a real rocket launch
  • Collect books on space exploration
  • Build a website showing what prior and current astronauts are doing now

My Story – Astronomer, Park Ranger, Scientist, Storekeeper

OK, so its time to come clean on some of my young career plans.  At different points I wanted to be:

  • An Astronomer
  • A Park Ranger
  • A Scientist
  • A Storekeeper

So what could I do in retirement or semi retirement?

Astronomer

  • Get into amateur astronomy (great way to make new friends,) maybe get a new telescope
  • Collect space pictures
  • Start an Astronomy library
  • Visit dark sky locations around the country

Park Ranger

  • Volunteer in a state or national park
  • Visit every national park
  • Visit every state park in my state.
  • Build a very detailed guide of nearby parks and post it on the web.

A Scientist

  • Set up an amateur laboratory
  • Buy a microscope and learn how to use it
  • Collect science books
  • Pick a science subject I like and build a very detailed web site
  • Find a way to volunteer and introduce young people to science

Storekeeper

  • Open a small web store specializing in something that interests me
  • Open a retail business
  • Make part time income working in a store

 It’s time to grow up –  what dreams can you fulfill?

Now it is your turn.  Hopefully you get the idea from the examples above.  Start by doing a little of that reminiscing and daydreaming.  List a few of your early career ideas.  Then, instead of just a few activities try to list 10 or more for each.  Hopefully from that list you will come up with some that both excite you and are relatively feasible.  As you gain experience with the easier ones you’ll gain confidence to try the more adventurous!

Until next time…

Filed Under: Personal Development, Things To Do Leave a Comment