Hobbies and Confidence

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about hobbies and my friends‘ abundance or lack of them. I’ve noticed that my friends that have a lot of hobbies are always talking about new things they want to try or new hobbies they want to pick up, while my friends with no hobbies are always talking about being bored and stress out about trying new things. I think this is an interesting phenomenon.

In my favorite influencer, Jaci Marie Smith’s, latest vlog, she talked about how she’s been really into going places by herself. She talked about how excited she was to go on a Barnes and Noble and chai date with herself when in the past she felt like she had to have a friend or her husband go with her. She said that going places and doing things on your own builds confidence in yourself. I’ve never thought about it that way, but it makes perfect sense.

I‘ve always thought of myself as a confident person. Not because I think I’m the most beautiful girl alive, but because I’ve always felt like I could accomplish my goals and bring my ideas to life. Of course, my running career has played a big role in my confidence, but as I’ve been surrounded by Divison 1 runners my whole college career, I’ve noticed how many of my friends aren’t on the same level as me when it comes to confidence.

Here’s where the hobbies come in. All of my hobbyist friends are more confident in themselves and all my anti-hobby friends are insecure. They always need someone or something to distract them.