Remember when the wind blew past your face as you dashed down the final hundred meters of the race? Remember when your knees cracked and your legs ached, but you kept pushing through to get that first place medal? Don’t you remember crossing that finish line completely exhausted but aware of your accomplishment? You may not, but I certainly do.

Hobbies and activities outside of school and work have been giving people a sense of accomplishment and purpose for as long as we can remember.

My hobby was track and field. Finding it gave me a feeling of ambition for success. I found myself pushing my limits every time I was out on the track. To be among nature and friends was an amazing feeling.

“I do think hobbies provide a means of escape sometimes when life gets tough because hobbies are activities that people enjoy doing,”  Elmer Leon, a junior at Crescenta Valley High School, agreed.

Hobbies that have provided these means of escape from reality and the real world for Leon, included, “playing board games, computer building, and working out.”

“I believe hobbies are a great means of escape when times get tougher. They can relieve a great amount of stress and anxiety and let the person focus on hobbies rather than focus on the negative things in one’s life,” Air Academy Junior James Soroka says. 

These hobbies can come from anywhere, ranging from playing Battleship to practicing to become an all-star dancer.

“My main hobby was dance which then turned into my passion and has been now for twelve years. I started dance when I was four,” junior and teen dancer from Arvada West High School Jordan Albin informed.

Like Leon, Albin believes that “hobbies provide a means of escape. People enjoy dancing because it gives them something to watch and a way to escape for a few hours.”

So whether it’s for a lunch break or a weekend off with the family, these hobbies provide significant outlets for people to use to release some tension and stress and take a moment to enjoy life.

Even though dance, something that is traditionally observed by an audience, gives society something to enjoy, Leon feels somewhat differently about his own hobbies.

“I think that specifically my hobbies are purely for me and do not give back to the world,” Leon expanded. “Although, many hobbies such as cooking and painting give back to the world.”

We all know just how much Gordan Ramsay likes to give back. The ‘tough love’ approach Ramsay takes with his aspiring chefs in “Hell’s Kitchen” is definitely something the world can learn from.

“Some hobbies inspire us to tap into our creative side. This can be especially helpful for people who have no creative outlets at their work. Engaging in a creative hobby can help train your brain to be more creative in other areas of your life,” Kettering Global said in their article “Why Hobbies Are Important.”

Others happen to find these bits of inspirational creativity in other ways.

“A hobby can distract you from everything. Personally, art and literature relaxed and gave me a sense of calm when I might have hard days. When I draw and write my stories, It’s like I’m creating my own world where there is no limit to my imagination,” digital artist and writer Yana Shevchenko explained.

“My hobby especially helped me at school where everything is not always so light but too dark either. My love for Art and Literature manifested itself in my early childhood. I have always been attracted by beautifully drawn cartoons and exciting stories. It was thanks to them that I developed an interest in Art,” Shevchenko added.

“I would like that one day the world would see my arts,” Shevchenko wished. “I’ve always dreamed of becoming a famous artist or writer. After all, all the greatest and writers were once ordinary people like us.”

But where is the line drawn between hobby and passion? “When you wake up every morning and can’t stop thinking about that hobby/interest, that’s when you know it’s a passion,” Leon answered.

Albin also feels that “a passion is something that you do because it makes you happy and is something you want to do every day.”

“I think that passion manifests itself only when a person loves their job (hobby) and gets pleasure. For example, when other people appreciate the artist’s hard work and talent. When people appreciate the hard work of the artist, it only increases a person’s love for his work, something that is defined causes enjoyment to their hobbies,” Shevchenko said.

“A passion can be anything a person deeply cares about and is happy doing no matter what,” Soroka added.

For those who perhaps do not know the right direction in choosing a hobby, Kettering Global commented, “some people enjoy hobbies that give them the opportunity to improve their confidence level, boost their self-esteem, and improve their quality of life. If you are thinking about a hobby like this, consider whether there is something you would like to change about yourself or improve upon.”

Passions and hobbies can come from anywhere. They can come from the outside world or from the deepest depths of your heartily desires. Whichever the case may be, it is evident that these personal activities always hit close to home.

So, if you are ever in doubt, it is as soccer star Lionel Messi assured, “I never think about the play or visualize anything. I do what comes to me at that moment. Instinct. It has always been that way.”