Today, we have the great honor of hearing from one of the fine gentlemen over at WoodWorkBoss.com. Several weeks back, Paul Moore reached out to me stating that he had read one of our previous articles, “It Is More Important To Be Kind, Than It Is To Be Right“, and that he thought he could share some of his insight from his experience at WoodWorkBoss.com that would be beneficial to our readers as well. I took a look through their content and knew immediately I wanted him to write a guest article for us. Paul was gracious enough to lend his time and perspective to share the following words. I hope you find them as helpful as I did.
Thank you, Mr. Moore. You are welcome on the Modern Day Gentlemen blog anytime. You are a fine gentlemen, indeed.
If you are even the slightest bit interested in woodworking and all that it entails, look no further than WoodWorkBoss.com. Their content truly is valuable for all levels of skill and interest.
These days, many people make odd choices with their free time.
They choose to sit on the couch and watch tv, or slouch at a desk and browse the internet.
This is different from “back in the day”, when men would choose to explore hobbies and passions in their free time. Of course, there wasn’t the distraction of modern media back then.. but nonetheless, there is great value to be had in exploring more traditional hobbies.
There is a certain fulfillment that’s gained from partaking in a hobby that you find engaging.
It’s also healthy and satisfying in a primal way to be challenged by a hobby – to at first fail or struggle, and then over time improve.
Seeing improvements in your abilities after a struggle is deeply rewarding, and is for some reason very attractive to men.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this list of hobbies isn’t going to be crazy-difficult stuff that’ll have you tearing your hair out.
It’ll be a mix of mentally or physically engaging and challenging hobbies that every man should at least try in their lifetime.
You are sure to find one that “sticks”, and that you’ll get repeated satisfaction from for years to come, or possibly for your entire life.
With that said, let’s move on to the list!
Chess
The game of chess is thousands of years old, and has been played by men for generation after generation.
It’s not an easy game – although, that depends on the ability of your opponent.
It’s a great test of concentration, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
This is one of those things that will appeal to intellectuals amongst us – there is of course no physical challenge, but the mental challenge is great.
A challenging game that also hones skills which are beneficial to your life as a whole – this is definitely one to try.
Woodworking
What can be more manly than taking some raw materials, and using them to build something of significance?
The benefits to woodworking as a hobby are numerous.
Firstly, it’s a pretty good form of exercise – and if you don’t believe me just give some hand planing a shot, or try ripping a large sheet of lumber without a table saw, and you’ll see what I mean.
It’s also challenging and takes practice to make quality results, which means plenty of scope to see the fruits of your labour improve as you practice more.
There’s more practical benefits, too.
You can actually work on making things for your home, or as gifts, or for whatever you need.
The process of building furniture for your home, for example, is very rewarding. Not only because of the work involved, but also because at the end of it you produce something truly useful and valuable to your life.
You’ll find there’s a special connection to something you’ve built.. and every time you look at it or use it, you’ll be reminded of the process you went through to build it with your own hands.
Reading
This one, for most, is not challenging.
However, there are many benefits to being a regular reader.
We’re talking about hobbies here, so of course reading is first and foremost entertaining and very mentally engaging.
Beyond that, it also improves your vocabulary greatly, and lets you connect with some of the greatest thinkers of all time. For hundreds of years, world-shaping ideas and thoughts from the most respected men in history have been recorded in books – all waiting for you to read, learn from, and be a better man for it.
This hobby can also be entirely free. All you need is a library card.
Conclusion
These are my favorite hobbies that every man should try at least once or twice.
They’re all pretty easy to get into.. and I promise you’ll find more satisfaction in any of these over a weekend than you will from wasting away in front of the television.
Give them a shot, let’s see how you do!
- 3 Hobbies That Every Man Should Try at Least Once in Their Life - September 21, 2017
