It’s a phrase people here from friends and family. Usually its in response to an incredibly strange and virtually useless thing you’ve done. This makes it more of a joke than an earnest statement. But regardless of the sincerity when you hear a friend say it after you’ve made the Leaning Tower of Pisa out of pizza boxes (and calling it “Leaning Tower of Pizza”, naturally), hobbies have multiple purposes beyond keeping you from doing other stupid things. So this is advice you should heed.
Depending on the hobby you pick, there are a plethora of benefits from it. Here, let me list them for ya.
- Making Friends
While some hobbies require you to be alone for long periods of time, there are usually other people with an interest in it. Who knows, there could be an entire secret society of double-decker birdhouse builders. The best part is, with the internet you could probably find them. If smutty fanfiction writers can find their peers en masse, most people can find their hobby colleagues in the far-reaching corners of the web.
- Making Stuff
A lot of hobbies involve creating things, from music to stories to those double-decker birdhouses mentioned before. This means that you have a way to share the hobby with others. You may not have many writing friends, but you probably have some reading friends that would love to look over your work. Or friends that you can guilt into it.
- Making Money
Admittedly, this one does not apply to all hobbies. While songwriting and woodworking may give you something that another human being would want to pay for, not many people would pay to watch someone play Dungeons and Dragons. However, in a lot of cases, making some financial gain off hobbies is an option. Although it would be wise to not assume it will happen or that you’ll gain enough to live off of, independent of other income sources.
- Making a Better Life
Yeah, it’s a cheesy reason. Admittedly, the money aspect is probably more appealing to most people. Or else getting friends. But doing something above and beyond the standard grind of school and work can give people a sense of purpose. Not everyone has their dream job. Not everyone even knows what their dream job would be. Which means a lot of people end up working a job they’re only okay with or even hate. But having something on the side, something that you can truly call your own, give a person a sense of meaning. And who knows, maybe those double-decker bird houses will turn into a lucrative industry someday.