In essence, a hobby nurtures your well-being, while a side hustle contributes to your financial prosperity. This article aims to briefly elucidate the distinctions between these two endeavors. We hope you find it insightful and enjoyable to read!
What is a Hobby?
The term ‘hobby’ dates back to the 13th century. This historical fact indicates that humans have long harbored a natural inclination to delve into activities that enable them to explore their inner selves, comprehend their capabilities, and seek a form of leisure that allows them to rejuvenate their mental and physical well-being.
In his book Psychological Aspects of Hobbies, William C. Menninger illuminates two significant points. First, he underscores the notion that individuals are not mere machines and necessitate both recreation and rest. Recreation, in this context, entails engaging in activities distinct from one’s professional responsibilities and that one finds enjoyable. It ought to be sufficiently dissimilar from one’s work to enable a complete mental detachment from it. The ability to mentally distance oneself from work is the real essence of recreation.
This elucidation effectively underscores the essence and objective of pursuing a hobby. Our intention is to equip our discerning readers with a clearer comprehension of what constitutes a hobby and how it is differentiated from a side hustle.
Statistics of Different Hobbies in America – Reported by Statista
- Cooking & baking- 39%
- Reading- 37%
- Pets- 33%
- Outdoor activities- 31%
- Video gaming- 31%
- Traveling- 27%
- DIY and arts & crafts- 26%
- Gardening and plants- 24%
- Board games & card games- 23%
- Socializing- 23%
- Tech & computers- 20%
- Photography- 19%
- Doing sports and fitness- 18%
- Meditation & wellness- 17%
- Writing- 17%
- Cars & vehicles- 16%
- Making music- 14%
- Other- 6%
This research brings to light the creative ways in which Americans engage in leisure activities to improve their mental and physical well-being. Engaging in activities that bring a sense of achievement and contentment can significantly boost mental health. In a time when mental health issues are prevalent and often unspoken, there is absolutely nothing wrong with participating in activities such as reading, writing, cooking, gardening, walking, cleaning, or painting to improve your day.
Numerous studies have unequivocally shown that pursuing interesting hobbies fosters independence and reduces stress and depression amidst life’s chaos. For me, reading, writing, and cooking are particularly effective hobbies. What about you?
What is a Side Hustle?
Today, it’s challenging to finance your needs with one income. The rising inflation has made it impossible to survive on primary earnings. However, if you are affluent, that’s a fortunate fate, but people living from paycheck to paycheck cannot meet their requirements. Additionally, the higher rates and monthly payments of loans have already discouraged mass from pursuing them. But, in the end, you must put the food on the table!
Now, is there a way out of this tragic life? Thankfully, the human mind has always discovered solutions to improve its well-being—a side hustle! It’s a fantastic way to supplement your primary income and feed additional money into your bank. You can also interpret it as monetizing your skills or hobbies!
What are Some Examples?
- Start a Blog
- Work as a Virtual Assistant
- Drive for Lyft or Uber
- Become a photographer
- Cooking
- Tutor online
- Become a transcriptionist
- Join a focus group or take surveys
- Teach English
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Freelance writing
History of Side Hustle
The term “side hustle” was initially used in 1950 when conventional employment ceased, and people had to provide food for their families. The rest is history! Today, many people make a decent living outside their regular occupations through e-commerce, social media, blogging, and freelancing.
A side hustle is a side business that an individual pursues along with their traditional jobs. As mentioned in the examples above, it can be anything from creating a YouTube channel to even investing! A survey of 3000 Americans depicted how many individuals had engaged in a side hustle to appreciate their hobby or passion. In my case, writing! It started as a hobby but turned into a full-time job.
Side Hustles are Often Turned into Full-Time Jobs
To supplement a full-time job and pursue his passion for writing, Craig Brett of Freelance Writing Studio began his side business on the PeoplePerHour platform eight years ago. In addition, Craig was free to exit his primary job and now works for himself after six years of putting in 40 hours a week.
Craig claims that there were two significant motivators for me. The first was having the flexibility to work whenever I wanted, and the second was the extra money, which combined to make the shift seem effortless.
This example demonstrates that a side hustle has opened numerous doors of opportunity for many individuals; you can be among them, too!
Conclusion
After conducting thorough research and gathering facts, we have created this article with the intention of informing our readers about the difference between a hobby and a side hustle, which is often misunderstood. We genuinely hope that this article will enlighten you on this matter. It is important to understand the origin and concept of any term in order to comprehend the variations. This approach will help you gain a better understanding and easily grasp the difference, as applied in this article.
I hope you found this helpful. Have a great day! A side hustle is anything you do to make extra money while engaging in a hobby for self-gratification.
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