Variety is the Spice of Life

by: Peter Jay
“Variety is the Spice of Life.” This is one of my favorite quotes, and how true it is. Is life not much better when it is filled with a “variety” of the things we like? Of course it is. It is inevitable that some things in your life will go wrong, so it is nice to have other things that you still enjoy to fall back on. Like investing, they always say, “Do not put all of your eggs in one basket.” The same goes for our personal lives. The way to be happy is to fill our lives with a “variety” of things that make us happy. If you have a variety of things that make you happy, this decreases the risk of becoming unhappy if just a few things go wrong. So, do not risk your happiness by not broadening your horizons and not finding and doing a variety of things that you enjoy. One way to fill your life with a variety of things is to get different hobbies. Hobbies can be as numerous as there are ideas. If you have an idea of something you would like to do, then go and do it.Many people do not fill their lives with the things or hobbies that they would like to do. Since it is so obvious that variety is the spice of life, what makes people not fill their lives with a variety of the things that make them happy? There are many explanations for this. Some are financial. People cannot afford to pay for all of the things they would like to do. Many people are tied down by debts; they have put on the golden handcuffs and cannot find a way out. This obviously impedes on their pursuit of recreational things. Another reason for people to not pursue personal hobbies or interests is a time constraint. People are so busy working or have other things to do that they just do not have time to pursue recreational activities.I have found, however, that if you just prioritize your time and money better, you should in the long term be able to pursue successfully, any interest or hobby you have. In fact, by pursuing personal interests outside of work, you can increase your effectiveness in the work place. Everyone needs a recreational break from working all the time. It improves morale and makes employees work more efficiently.Like I said, there are as many hobbies as there are ideas. There is not limit to what you can do if you just go after it. Hobbies by definition are recreational or leisure activities outside of one’s career or workplace. You can have hobbies that require exercise and can not just be something you enjoy, but they can keep you in shape as well, such as playing sports, mountain biking, lifting weights or working out. You can have hobbies that stimulate the mind, such as arts and crafts, chess or other board-games, reading clubs, crosswords, or other things. You can also have hobbies just to get away from things and take your mind off the world, such as playing the guitar or other musical instruments. Do not let money or time hold you back. Variety is the spice of life, and it is time to spice up your life a bit. Just sit down and think of anything you would like to do, anything you would like to pursue. Write it down. Write down how you can do it and what it will take, and then go after it. I have found that just half-an-hour a day of doing something can really make a difference. It might take some time to develop some new hobbies, but it will be worth it in the end. Find some new hobbies at Variety Access, your online hobby store and more.