Written by: Joshua Samsa| Fitness Specialist at Cummins Fitness Center | AdvantageHealth Corporation
“The arts are no way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower, dance to the radio, tell stories, write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” - Kurt Vonnegut
This quote may be about the arts but can apply to anything new we feel impressed to learn. Learning a new skill is about the journey and growing ourselves rather than being the best. Simply performing hobbies or learning something new activates our reward system by releasing the feel-good chemical, dopamine, into the brain. These chemicals not only make us feel better but make us want to continue doing our new hobby. As Kurt says, “write a poem for a friend, even a lousy poem.” So, start that DIY table. Even if it is the worst table in existence, you are farther along than when you started.
The hardest part is starting. You have probably thought you want to learn how to build a table, but you want to figure out where to learn the skillset besides YouTube. Developgoodhabits.com is a wonderful place to start. The article below, “101 New Skills: Learn Something New in 2023,” will give you ideas of activities to try and get you started on your journey. From woodworking, learning a musical instrument, to gardening links to videos, classes, and apps are provided to get you started on your journey. If you’ve thought of it, this article has it! So read through the article find something that interests you and get started with the resources available.
“Learning something new” does not have to be restrictive in any way. Find something you are either enthusiastic about or move towards something that can help your sense of wellbeing. Learning a new hobby can reduce stress, improve memory, build social connections, and possibly increase physical fitness. No matter your motivation for a learning something new, do not limit yourself. Pursue something you love. As Kurt says above, “Do it as well as you possibly can, you will get an enormous reward.” This month, get started with something new, do it as well as you possibly can, and gain an enormous soul-growing reward!
Sources
https://www.developgoodhabits.com/new-skills-to-learn/
Since 2001, Minnesota-based AdvantageHealth has been delivering award-winning employee wellbeing programs and fitness center design & management throughout the U.S.