Perseverance Hobbies
Hobbies and Perseverance
Perseverance is a key to success. It can also be a source of enjoyment and provide a sense of purpose. Nevertheless, we tend to associate suffering with perseverance and avoid it. That is likely because we tried to persevere at things we weren’t passionate about. Hobbies can provide us with the interest required to make perseverance beneficial. Hobbies can also foster mindfulness, further enhancing our perseverance.
The Benefits of Perseverance
According to research, perseverance is the most significant key to success:
Various studies have shown that perseverance is an essential quality for success in life.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth
Perseverance is also a source of enjoyment:
Scientists have identified higher levels of dopamine — also known as the “reward molecule” — as being linked to forming lifelong habits, such as perseverance.
And sense of purposefulness:
Perseverance cultivates a sense of purposefulness that can create resilience against or decrease current levels of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
We Tend Not to Persevere
As beneficial as perseverance can be, it is hard to persevere, and many of us are bad at it, or tend to avoid it.
Perseverance is synonymous with pain and suffering to many people.
We probably associate pain and suffering with perseverance because we tried, or were asked or expected, to persevere at things we are not passionate about and have no interest in. Persevering under these circumstances is indeed torturous.
Living in an era of instant gratification doesn’t make perseverance easier. In fact, in most cases, we don’t even get the opportunity to persevere, as many life circumstances encourage short-term thinking and demand fast results.
Creating a steady flow of dopamine is fundamental to creating a habit of perseverance.
Perseverance Requires Passion and Interest – Hobbies Can Provide Them
Passion and interest are closely related to perseverance, and together constitute grit – a term coined by Angela Duckworth and defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”.
Hobbies are activities we are interested in and passionate about, and that we do for our own sake and at our own pace free from external pressures or expectations. Thus, hobbies are a great and rare opportunity to practice and enjoy perseverance.
Mindfulness, Perseverance, and Hobbies
Mindfulness and perseverance mutually reinforce each other.
Mindfulness encourages individuals to act with awareness and intentionality, both of which are predictors of a consistency of interest, a key aspect in developing grit. Mindfulness practice also teaches us to observe and process our emotions, no matter how big or uncomfortable they may be, which helps us to remain resilient while navigating setbacks.
The Power to Persevere: How Mindfulness Develops Grit | Center for Responsive Schools
Hobbies, by promoting mindfulness, can further enhance perseverance.
Perseverance Hobbies Collection
Each hobby page is designed to inspire and help you get started.
