Hobbies are meant to unleash inner self, to provide recreation to ourselves and to discover our hidden talents. And I must say - the pleasure they give us - its priceless! A pleasure worth more than anything else. A hobby can also become a passion where you to continue to excel in it. A passion that makes your mind restless and you become desperate to free yourself from your routine.
A routine - what is that? A means to survive. A job at hand which earns you money for your livelihood. A work where your are forced to do irrespective of whether you like it or not. I don't know how many people agree but its a monotonous thing to do no matter how good you are at it. I, being an employee of a company, don't give a damn about my work. Who cares to which company I work for? Or what I do for living? Ultimately what matters at the end of the day is whether salary is credited to my bank account. Because I don't own the company, there is no pride in it. And my employer is only bothered whether I have delivered the goods correctly or not. I have switched companies three times to seek job satisfaction. The meaning of the word "satisfaction" for human beings is not finite. Frankly speaking, six years and I am already sick of seeking it. I got few "Top Performer" awards at work. The happiness lasted only for couple of hours. Then I begin to wonder "What is so special about it? I just did my job. That's all." There is pride where there is heartfelt happiness. And happiness is felt at heart when I do it out of my interest; when my heart is in it.
Well this is not the same with hobby. Not only I own it, I give life to it. I cannot be more happier or prouder than anything. Hobby is the very purpose of my existence and it is the very reason for my birth. I can openly showcase my skill. The pleasure is something really different and overwhelming! The kind of happiness it gives me is no match for any kind of recognition I get for my job at work. This one lasts forever. When the result of my hobby gets recognized and appreciated even by handful number of people, it gives me tremendous joy. Because I know I have put my heart and soul into it to bring it out nice and slick. Even if it doesn't get attention, I can proudly say "This is my child."
Now I don't mean any disrespect for those who are really enjoying their profession. Double thumbs up to them! This reminds me of a quote shared by Joel Goldman - a writer, author and active member of Google+ - which said:
It's a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together
This quote is so simple and yet it says a lot! I feel all of us must have hobbies. It keeps our minds busy and protects us from drowning. I can never imagine how volatile our minds are! Its possible of doing deadly things if not used constructively or if its not doing anything. There is one more thing that I would like to throw some light on. Based on my personal experiences I have seen that when money starts meddling in any relationship (especially between loved ones - friends, children and parents or relatives) then the relationship will be on a brink of disaster. It won't survive for long. To me, the same rule applies to hobbies. If I decide to make my hobby as my money making machine, then I won't be doing it with interest or passion. Writing is one of my hobbies and I love it. So, if I write for the sake of earning money, my writing might not have the natural ideas I really want to express. I am forcing my brain to work on ideas which aren't original although my heart is reluctant to comply with me. What's the bottom line? I am carelessly insulting my hobby by rating it by money rather than by its integrity. I won't let that happen!
You should see my father. He is crazy about gardening. He treats plants and trees with great love. He pampers them and nurtures them. You will no doubt find my house extremely beautiful. He is in his 60's now and yet he maintains our garden single handedly. Its not his strength but his passion for gardening that's driving him. My mother hates him for spending more time in the mud hole. Yet she wants our house to be admired by everyone in the neighborhood. How ironic! My mother is into literature. I guess its her blood that is flowing in me.
Well, all these thoughts came to me when I was talking to my friend and he said "You know, you should make money from your blog." I said "No, I don't want price tags attached to it. That will happen only when writing becomes my profession!"
April 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment