We spend our leisure time by doing things that we find interesting or entertaining. Some spend time playing sports or watching others play or compete. Others play indoor games with a friend. While some write computer programmes to satiate their programmes to satiate their inventiveness and the rest of us may go through books by our all-time favourites.

Only a few of us realise in time that we should take our hobbies ‘seriously.’ At an early stage of life, we can unlock our passion and choose one special activity for ourselves that brings us excitement and happiness. It can be anything that we do well and can do endlessly and tirelessly.

It might be something like calligraphy to writing, martial arts to soccer, oration to poetry and so forth. Obviously, allocating time for that hobby on a regular basis would distract you from the hustle bustle of routine. There are fair chances that in the long run your hobby might transform into your passion. And when you get the knack of it, everything tends to go right and you could stand out as a valued future professional.

Devotion works, especially when you keep things simple, interesting and fun. Who knows an amateur hockey player from the very ordinary among us may one day represent the district team at a nationwide tournament or a doodler may evolve into a calligrapher, and a scribe who writes by fits and starts might become a prolific author?

I believe grand achievements correlate with one’s interests. Talent and life skills advance exponentially when you are eager to nurture your aptitude. To remove any doubt, let’s look at the childhood of few exceptional achievers who did what they wanted to do, and hence achieved what they wished to.

In his childhood, Albert Einstein perused books on geometry, algebra and physics with profoundness. As they sensed his craze for maths, his parents bought him an advanced mathematics textbook. During summer, he would ‘play’ with maths problems for hours. The exercise and other similar ones captivated Einstein and stimulated his keenness for exploring and propagating the laws that encompass nature.

Not less ambitious was the child who was engaged by the art of storytelling. At an age of six, she scribbled a story about a rabbit. Her mother — her first reader — found the story interesting.

The budding scribe discovered that writing delighted her, so she wrote to please herself. Soon she had made ideas and stories her best friends. As she gave them a story form, she would fly to cloud nine. Her zeal for narration made her popular among her friends. They enjoyed listening to her serial stories as much as she loved to narrate them.

She wrote well and effortlessly. In 1990, her passion made her conceive the Harry Potter series. She won global respect, which can be seen as the reward for identifying and pursuing her passion. The world now appreciates her as the ardent British wordsmith Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

And now the story of one of the best computer scientists. Designing communication tools became his motivation since childhood. To send messages from his father’s dental clinic to his home, he created a messenger, called Zucknet, when he was just 12.

He carried his childhood passion forward and kept working for innovation in computer sciences. His ingenuity and enthusiasm for creativity made him the Mark Zuckerberg we know today as the co-founder of Facebook.

Pardon me if I am implying that chasing your dearest passion would raise you to the status of a billionaire, a bestselling author or an Olympic gold medallist, but I strongly feel that if you keep sailing along with your passion, you might enjoy a spirited career ahead.

Never mind if you have not figured out the hobby that drives you to pleasure. The following steps would take you to the start of the journey that will take you through finding out what you aspire and admire, and join the lot of achievers to whom occupation does not mean drudgery; it is just synonymous with happiness. So here we go.

Know your motivation

Take a moment today to make — what I call — the greatest discovery. Explore the activity that leads you to happiness. It might be a talent you are proud of, or a skill that you often boast about in front of your friends and peers. It may be something that you enjoy and which offers you a serene interlude from spadework.

Passion comes first

Once you know which hobby you are crazy about, block time for it consistently. If you are actually passionate for your hobby, you will find time, energy and other resources for it easily. Errands, screen time, long phone calls and time-wasters would not repel you from your treasured passion.

Choose your favourite subjects

The subjects you study at school have to tally with your own passion. For instance, if you have a flair for reading or writing, it would be more apt to go for literature or journalism instead of medicine or commerce. You need to pick and choose the mix of subjects that would have you learn new things as well as entice you into studies.

Seek like-minded people

Find people who have similar interests, who can agreeably team up with you to transform your passion into a celebrated career. You might meet them in a club or a society. Meet them frequently, lend a keen ear for how they realised their passion and never hesitate to build upon their experiences.

Emulate a role model

Read biographies of illustrious achievers or look up to the life of a role model. Analyse realistically how you can emulate your role model, leaving your own footsteps in the sand of time.

Role models are inspiring, as they make you vigorously pursue the tricks to blend the ingredients of success. They make learning a fun-filled spree.

The bottom-line is that a passion is priceless. No educational degree or remuneration can outweigh its worth. Yes, education may push you to success, but following your heart too is equally important. A wise choice is to make enlightenment and joy go hand in hand. The decision lies with you.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 14th, 2019