Does having a hobby really matter?

“What are your hobbies?”

Asked every scrapbook I filled, every relative I met.

I have always struggled to answer this question. I never knew what my hobbies were. 

All the other kids used to have hours & hours of classes throughout the day. But I hated going to classes. I preferred watching TV.

I was never active in sports, school plays, art or craft. I never participated in anything. I did enjoy a few things here & there. But only for a short while.

I even tried developing and hobby. When I was in school, I used to love knitting. So I bought lots of materials. I started learning new techniques, only to leave halfway.

During the lockdown, I got into cooking. I tried lots of recipes. But today, if you ask me to cook, I will say no.

I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube on DIY Home Decor. So again, I got excited and bought some stuff. I didn’t even make a single article.

It was difficult for me to maintain interest. 

Interests came in short bursts.

Even though I didn’t have many interests, I didn’t have any preferences either. I think of myself as a ‘go with the flow’ kind of person.

Whenever I go to the restaurant, I am okay with any kind of food that is ordered.

I don’t have strong preferences. 

Whenever it comes to decision making, I am okay with anything. I prefer others to make decisions for me. 

Even when it came to choosing a career stream, my uncle told me to take Computer Engineering because it had scope. I did it without any research. I didn’t know what I wanted. There was no other career path that excited me. All of my friends had decided to take up engineering. So that made it easier for me to decide.

 

When I joined Enterprise India Fellowship, 10 months ago, I still didn’t have any interests.

I took up every single project that came my way, every single opportunity. Without thinking twice.

It didn’t matter what kind of project it was, I took it. I wanted to explore. But more than that, I was okay with any kind of project. I just wanted to work.

Today as I look back on my journey, I see so many projects I have worked on. In every project, I have achieved something & faced a new challenge. Every project has added some value to my life & vice-versa.

When I made the journey map of my last 10 months, it finally clicked! I wrote down what I had done in each project, I started thinking of what I enjoyed in each one.

It was crystal clear to me then. I had finally figured out my interests & strengths. It was right there!

Every project had some commonality that was pointing towards my interests.

One would think it is not a big deal. But for a person, who has never known her interests, it was a milestone. I wasn’t consciously on a hunt for my hobby. But regardless it came to me.

Nobody is born knowing their hobbies. But I am glad it took me so long to figure mine. It led me on this journey of self-exploration.