into a rut , we become lazy , we conform to society and to norms , we seek escape in the non-important . We stop to develop and grow .
We become boring as we become bored . In empty moments , it is easy to turn to fiddling with our phones or computers in an endless , mindless cycle of web surfing and social media , or slumping in front of the television . We do not realise that we have not actually vanquished our boredom at all , but simply distracted ourselves from it , spending time in the not-urgent-not-important quadrant , wasting our lives away .
Churchill counselled that the hobbies that are most effective in restoring equilibrium are those that “ call into use those parts of the mind which direct both eye and hand , practising a handicraft for pleasure ”. This bit of advice is perhaps particularly important for information workers like many of us , finding an activity outside of our jobs where we can use our hands , giving ourselves the opportunity to create in a tangible , and not only a mental , way .
Churchill dabbled in bricklaying and landscaping . He bought an overgrown property ( Chartwell just outside of London ) and then expanded the house , constructed new buildings , created ponds , added a waterfall and an island to the lake , planted orchards and gardens , and laid the bricks for the walls around them , all with his own hands . He also painted , creating more than 500 artworks during his life , winning critical praise for his talent .
Admittedly , not even his most fanatical admirers would call his works masterpieces . But people might be drawn to his works exactly because they were not . He was at least willing to try , to court ridicule , to make mistakes . He was grateful for the effect painting had on his psyche , how it was an outlet for the many stresses of his life . “ If it were not for painting ,” he said , “ I could not live . I could not bear the strain of things .”
But the hobby that most excited and challenged him was writing . He wrote more than Dickens and Shakespeare combined , and was even awarded the Nobel prize for literature . He said : “ Writing is an adventure .
To begin with it is a toy , then an amusement . Then it becomes a mistress , and then it becomes a master , and then it becomes a tyrant and , in the last stage , just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude , you kill the monster and fling him to the public !” And as a contributor to The Professional I can sympathise !
It is fascinating to note the hobbies of some world leaders . Our own Nelson Mandela was a boxing fan saying : “ I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it . I was intrigued by how one moved one ’ s body to protect oneself , how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat , how one paced oneself over a match . Boxing is egalitarian . In the ring , rank , age , colour and wealth are irrelevant . I never did any real fighting after I entered politics . My main interest was in training ; I found the rigorous exercise to be an excellent outlet for tension and stress . After a strenuous workout , I felt both mentally and physically lighter .”
Madiba also read extensively and studied . After his university degree and a two-year diploma in law , he practiced law , but always
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