LOVE AIN’T TOO LATE: HOW TO CHASE A LONG-LOST HOBBY OR PASSION

It’s been 2 weeks since Valentine’s, but it’s never too late to talk about love, especially when it comes to a long-lost “love” like a hobby or passion.

If you’re like other creatives with full schedules and busy days, chances are you have a couple of old hobbies or passions that you haven’t revisited in years. This could be that guitar gathering dust in your room, the novel that you said you’d write after college, or the marathons you missed out on.

“But there’s no time!”, part of you has always been saying, while another voice says “But you love doing this!” Over the years, that second voice has probably been rather quiet, only piping up whenever you clean your room, see old notebooks, or talk to friends who are still into that old hobby of yours. And this might have led you to the realization that yes, you want to go back and chase that old passion.

But is it too late to go back? How does one go back? You ask yourself. You worry about looking rusty, or foolish, beside all those who are younger yet more talented or advanced than you, those who didn’t abandon that dream.

It all starts with taking things step by step and easing back into the joy of your old passion. But while you’re going through this process, remember: this is something you loved, something that you probably still love!

Read on to learn the 7 steps to chasing that long-lost love!

1. Think about why you took a break or left that old hobby or passion

Was it a lack of time? A goal you didn’t get to accomplish? Or simply a lack of inspiration? Whatever the roadblock was (or is), there are ways to get past them.

2. Think about why you got interested in it in the first place.

Reflect on how you got interested in the hobby you loved. Was it something shared to you by a family member or friend? What are your memories of learning how to do it? Maybe it was learning to paint with your older brother, joining sports contests in school, or forming a ‘story-writing club’ with your friends. How did you feel back then, and how did you feel as you developed your skills in that hobby? This all leads to the question: why did you love doing it? Just like Simon Sinek said in his book Start with Why, “Working hard for something we do not care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called passion.”

3. Think of ways to get around the roadblocks.

Now that you’re inspired and sentimental about the good memories you have of that hobby, it will be easier for you to find your way around the roadblocks that stop you from doing more of it. After all, this is something that makes you happy and inspired!

You don’t have to force yourself to build your lifestyle around reviving your passion — all you need to do is take baby steps and make little adjustments — just enough so that you can bring the joy of your old passion into your current life.

For those of you with fully-booked schedules, maybe it’s time to take a step back and see how your passion fits into your priorities. If you really love it and it gives you joy, you should be able to set aside even an hour a week or 30 minutes per day for it.

If what intimidates you is a past goal that you didn’t get to achieve, maybe it’s time to try again. You can break this big goal into bite-sized chunks, and congratulate yourself for every milestone you hit.

And if it’s a lack of inspiration, remember that you can chase after inspiration. You just need to consciously, consistently run after it.

4. Set a big, SMART goal for your passion.

Think of a goal you want to achieve, and make it SMART — specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.

If you’re passionate about art, you can say that you’ll build a portfolio of paintings in 6 months.

Getting back to your fitness goals? Pick a marathon or triathlon to join, and focus on training for it.

For those with dreams of becoming published authors, you can promise yourself to have a published book by next year.

5. Forget about the big goal, and focus on HOW you’ll get there.

Next, get your mind off that big goal you just set. Focus on what you need to do to achieve it. Create habits and systems that function as ‘baby steps’ towards your target. Dedicate time in your schedule to pursuing that big goal — even just 30 minutes a day can make a big difference.

For example, you can paint for 30 minutes a day and post your best artwork for the week on your portfolio.

To reach your fitness goal, make it a habit to run or go to the gym for at least 30 minutes everyday.

And for the aspiring authors, you can schedule 30-minute writing sessions on weekdays, and 3-hour sessions on weekends.

Remember to calendar these “appointments” or “dates” with your hobbies! As they say, what gets scheduled, gets done.

6. Make your passion part of your system.

You can’t be a painter if you don’t paint. You can’t be a triathlete if you don’t train. And you won’t become a published author until you commit to writing regularly.

Integrate your hobby into your routines by setting up obvious cues to start the habit. Consider these things ‘alarms’ that wake you up and prepare you to work on your hobby.

Keep your painting materials on your desk where you can always see them.

Want to go running tomorrow? Prepare your workout clothes before you go to bed tonight.

Place your pen and notebook on your bed before you leave for work. Once you get home, you’ll be reminded to pick them up and start writing — instead of browsing the internet for another hour.

To make your new habits and systems work, you have to start the ball rolling by giving yourself obvious cues.

7. Set regular milestones, evaluate, and recalibrate.

Lastly, have regular progress check-ups. These can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly milestones. Ask yourself what habits or systems you need to continue, which ones you need to stop doing, and what you need to start doing. Then, adjust your habits and systems based on your evaluation.

Remember: it’s never too late to get in touch with your old hobbies or passions. There’s a reason you ‘fell in love’ with them in the first place. These “old loves” are ways for you to show the world all the potential that you have, and help you become the creative person that you were meant to be.