There are also many practical constraints which may influence your choice of hobby. Time costs are consideration. How much time can you realistically devote to this hobby? A couple of hours a week? A few days a month? Everybody’s life is different, with different demands and those demands can change over time.
Some hobbies can require significant time investments. If you are someone who had to travel for work, for example, bonsai may not be a great hobby for you. Bonsai can require almost daily maintenance and attention to flourish. Take a look at the tree behind me in the photo. It’s over 100 years old!
Aquariums are another example. The maintenance on an aquarium can be considerable. It may require several hours each week to maintain a large aquarium in a healthy state. If you cannot consistently devote that time, then it might not be a great hobby for you.
Other hobbies such as collecting baseball cards can be done on your schedule, when you feel like it. If you ask most serious collectors they devote significant time anyway; going to conventions and swap meets and stuff but the choice is yours.
Longevity is another consideration. Some hobbies can be life-long pursuits. Golf is a pretty good example. My father started playing in his 40s and played well into his 80s. Forty years is a pretty good lifespan for a hobby!
If you choose something like rock climbing or rugby it may not be something you can pursue your whole life. That’s fine, but understand these limitations before you commit.
Sometimes hobbies need to change because of circumstances. An example from my own life is aquariums. I had two planted aquariums in Japan. These aquariums were set up so that there were live plants in soil in the tank. Plus, a variety of fish and freshwater shrimp to create eco-systems. They required a fair amount of set up and maintenance.
When I moved, I had to give up that hobby. I gave the tanks and fish away to someone who could take care of them. Someone who had the time to devote to them like I had. I could start it up again in my new place, but it would require investing in new equipment. In addition, I’m likely to move again in a few years meaning I would have to give up any aquariums I purchased. I decided it would be better to put that hobby aside until I had my “forever home”.
You should also consider physical constraints when choosing a hobby. There may be activities that you simply cannot or should not do. Don’t sign up for rugby as your physical hobby if you have brittle bones. It’s not going to end well. In fact, you should probably discuss any physical hobbies you are planning on engaging in with your doctor before starting.
Cycling is another example of an activity I have had to give up temporarily. Shortly after I moved back to Canada, I got sick. I was diagnosed with stage 4 follicular lymphoma which required chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is exhausting. As a result, cycling was not an activity I could participate in anymore. Thankfully it is a hobby I can stop and start when I want, not like bonsai or keeping fish.
Also, I moved from the Japanese countryside to the city where cycling didn’t feel safe. I have already been hit by a bus once and I’m not really keen on repeating the experience. To further complicate matters, my condo building doesn’t allow bikes to be stored in the suites themselves. Which meant my expensive bike would be stored in a cage with other bikes. All of these reasons have required me to make some changes in my choice of activities.
Understanding some of the major constraints, time requirements, longevity, and physical limitations, will help you choose a hobby which is right for you.