When I think of hobbies, my mind wanders to things like knitting circles and mountain biking. Neither of these are my cup of tea. Nowadays, most of us spend our “hobby time” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I love TV, but has it gotten out of hand? Does it qualify as a hobby? Does walking around Target for hours count as one? Is playing solitaire on my phone time well spent? Are there other things I could be doing to better myself? Probably so.

When you’re a kid, it is easier to pursue fun. You don’t feel guilty about enjoying yourself, because you most likely aren’t worried about fulfilling your other responsibilities. Once adulthood sets in though, you find yourself bogged down with to-do lists of work, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. I had made all sorts of plans for my future and thought I’d constantly be doing awesome activities as an adult. Sure, I have fun nights with friends sometimes, but I’m not queen of interesting pastimes. I usually go to work and then go home. That is my routine. Am I actually a robot?

One of my favorite quotes from You First is in the chapter about hobbies:

“These don’t have to be dramatic activities either, or require a huge commitment of time or money. These are really about passion and opening yourself up to new experiences that you might actually come to love.”

I think for too many years, I’ve been intimidated by the word hobby and the phrase, “What do you do for fun?” I have been putting too much pressure on myself to find new activities I will be perfect at instantly. Groups usually make me uncomfortable and new things usually do as well. I’ve avoided so many things because I was afraid.

If you’re anything like me, I think we are sorely missing out. I think it is absolutely necessary for our wellbeing to ask ourselves the following questions:

What do I enjoy? 
When am I the happiest?
How am I making the best of every single day?
If I had more time in the day, what would I spend it doing?

Figuring out the answers to all of these will surely take some time. I think in the long run, finding something you’re passionate about, not to please anyone else or to make money off of, is directly related to our level of joy. Let’s band together to find those things. We’ll all be better for it.

Check out the rest of our Health & Happiness posts curated by our Guest Editor, Lea Michele, all week long. Also, be sure to get Lea’s book, You First, a book about, “respecting and understanding what you really want — and then going out to achieve it.”