Hobbies are the perfect way to expand your view of the world but more simply, they’re also a great way to spend your time having fun and learning new skills. In fact, some studies even suggest that partaking in activities that you enjoy can have a whole range of benefits for your overall wellbeing.
With all this in mind, you may be asking when you should start doing a hobby or whether there is a right time in life to take one up.
More specifically, physical activities (such as skateboarding) tend to present more obstacles before people feel content in engaging with them, especially if there’s risk involved.
Is it better to start a hobby when you’re young?
Arguably, it’s advantageous to start a hobby when you’re younger, especially as it’ll allow you to develop skills at a faster rate whilst your brain is still developing — in fact, there is a term for this; it’s called brain plasticity.
The brain is more “plastic” (malleable) in its developing stages meaning it can learn and change easier before full adulthood. This makes learning a hobby when you’re young not necessarily easier, but definitely much better for developing a higher skill ceiling at whatever the chosen activity is.
What are the advantages of starting a hobby when you’re older?
Kids don’t always naturally want to partake in activities or skills that will be advantageous in life because they don’t always see the bigger picture as adults do. Having time and experience on your side can be invaluable as it allows you to fully comprehend the benefits of engaging in fun activities or hobbies.
In fact, we can bet there have been plenty of moments in your life, certainly if you are older, where you wished you could have turned back time to start something at a younger age whereby you would end up with some unique skills by the time you were an adult.
Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and that’s because we only realize what we missed out on when time has passed. However, this also means starting a hobby as an adult is a much more carefully crafted process whereby you can fully enjoy every little detail from start to finish (and beyond).
You also have more autonomy over the choices you make as an adult which means you can decide exactly what you’ll need, where you should attend, and what you’re looking to achieve with your new hobby.
Can you be too old for some hobbies?
Being told you’re too old for something is simply a fictional construct of the human mind whereby others try to impose arbitrary rules for you to follow based on anecdotal information.
These same people may even suggest or cite studies for you to look at further supporting their argument to suppress your desire to try whatever intended activity you wanted to engage in.
In most cases, hobbies that are observed as being risk-on or involving a high level of physicality (such as martial arts) are often recommended as being avoided if you’re seen as being too old. As with anything though, we recommend judging your disposition for yourself and consulting your physician if you have any concerns as ultimately you only get one life to live.
If you truly believe you can do something, irrespective of your age, we think it’s worth giving it a try with careful guidance from experts.
Conversely, some hobbies may not be hazardous at all, though, they may be stigmatized and seen as being reserved for certain demographics e.g. going out clubbing is commonly thought of as something that only teens and young twenty-something-year-olds should be partaking in.
We’re not saying these beliefs have no merit, though, in most cases, they’re overly exaggerated and shouldn’t be taken seriously if you have a genuine interest in doing something with full positivity behind it.
How long does it take to start a hobby?
You can get started with most hobbies straight away, though, for more complex hobbies you may need to include time for preparation or buying essential equipment.
For example, if you were planning to make camping a hobby then you may need to get the right equipment to keep you safe and relatively warm, but you may also want to invest some time in learning techniques that allow you to live off the land around you.
Complex skills like knitting also have a learning curve whereby you’ll need to learn various knitting techniques to help you make clothes or other types of material goods.
Simpler hobbies include things like collecting where you can basically start collecting things straight away — The only limiting factor with things like this are often money and being able to source specific collectible items.
It really depends on what your goals are and what types of skills or activities you find exciting — there’s no point in choosing a more complex hobby if you’ll get bored of it during the learning process.
Conclusion
Starting a hobby should not be limited by age, especially if you have a particular desire to try something in an effort of enhancing your life. If you can do something whilst you’re young, that’s great, but there’s no better time than the present or when the moment strikes to get fully on board with a new hobby.
Don’t worry about what could have been or what the future may hold — we don’t exist in the past or the future, we can only exist in the now so that’s why we think you should make the most of it by starting that new hobby you’re always talking or dreaming about.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t do a little preparation if you feel like it would be worth it but we also don’t think you should listen to the overly negative opinions of others if you have a genuine interest in trying something new. Just go for it!
The bottom line is that there’s no perfect time to start a hobby. You’ll never know if you don’t try it and by trying it you’ll get a better sense of where you are and what you can achieve. Sometimes the best way to learn truly is by making mistakes
Relevant Articles
If you still want advice on hobbies and best practices then why not check out some of these related articles?
- Here’s How to Get Back Into Old Hobbies and Previous Interests (Easy 5 Step Guide)
- 11 Reasons Why Hobbies Are Important (and Why You Might Be Missing Out Otherwise)
- 9 Must-See Solutions on How to Find a Hobby When Nothing Interests You
- 6 Top Tips on How to Prioritize Hobbies For Maximum Efficiency
- 5 Ways to Ask Someone About Their Hobbies (a How-to Guide)
