In our free time, we want to do things that interest us. Over time, our hobbies change and our shifting outlook makes us want to pursue different interests. Here are the different stages of finding and embracing a new obsession:
1. Discovery
When you find a new thing that interests you, it becomes all that you can think about. After discovering this new field or hobby, you start thinking more in-depth about what you’re interested in. In this stage, you begin pondering when you can do with this new interest or when you can make time for it.
2. Consistency
As you delve deeper into your interest, you become completely and totally obsessed. For example, I try to limit the amount of TV I watch, but once I start, it is like I opened a floodgate and it just doesn’t stop. Later, I realize that hours and hours have gone by. Oops!
3. Disinterest
Any hobby or interest fizzles out in the final stage: disinterest. At this point, you lose interest in what you once loved. You may run out of time for it and forget about it or you might just decide that you don’t enjoy it anymore.
4. New Interests
After losing that interest, the next stage is that you start looking for something else to occupy your time. The process begins again and it never, ever stops!
Interests change over time and the cycle doesn’t seem to end. For your whole life, you will cycle through interests and hobbies. You’ll love them until you learn to either hate them or stick with them!