Diversion – Hobbies that are appropriate for your age

[Note from Mantic59: every now and then Sharpologist likes to venture outside of men’s shaving and grooming into something that may still be interesting to the reader (and I like to give freelance writers and other bloggers an outlet).  Here is an article I thought you would like.]  Everybody needs a hobby, in fact having just one might not be enough. Life can’t be all work and play; every man needs a list of things that he can do that will better his prowess, make him more skilled, and to direct his energy in his downtime.

Sure, you might have a kickass electric train collection or an assortment of beer-bottles from around the world stacked up on your kitchen counter, but what do these sorts of hobbies have to do with you as a person?

So, if you are looking to develop yourself as a man’s man through the hobbies that you indulge in, why not look at some of these age-appropriate activities that you will not only find enjoyable, but will also enhance your abilities as the man of the house.

Become a master griller
Cooking is an art, and a very useful one at that. So why not spend some time refining your culinary skills around a barbeque. Becoming a master of the grill is about more than just preparing delicious food during a football game, it’s about developing your cooking prowess in an all-round fashion.

Cooking up steaks, hot-dogs and burger patties is easy enough, so if you are a complete disaster around the grill, why not start practicing on these simple dishes first. Once you have the hang of things, try your hand at some advanced meals like smoked sweet potato, grilled fruits or smoked salmon to test your abilities.

Why become a grill-master? There are a good number of reasons:

Firstly, you’ll always be able to feed yourself and your guests with an assortment of different and delicious meals, a good enough reason if there ever was any.

Secondly, revel in becoming a barbecue hero at parties which will make you a social hit. Learning to cook like a culinary master will also give you a new appreciation for the food that you eat, and lastly, a lot of women find a man who is an artist with food to be irresistible.

Become a strategist with chess
Chess is an age-old game of skill and strategy that few people have put time and effort into mastering, usually because they feel like they are not good enough at it to be competitive. And while the likelihood of you ever becoming a grand-master is pretty darn slim, that is no reason why you shouldn’t start trying anyway.

It might make you feel a little stupid at first, but the more you keep at it the better and more competitive you will get, and the best thing about chess, is that you should never have a hard time finding someone to play with.

It also gives you the opportunity to develop your abilities as a strategist, making you more able to take a logical approach to difficulties, challenges and opportunities that come into your life. This will make you an expert at thinking ahead, making plans, and executing them when the time is right.

Besides that, chess is a genuinely enjoyable game to play, and it is not just for geeks. So don’t knock it until you have put in a considerable number of hours playing it.

Test your prowess on the stocks
Playing with investments might be a little risky for some, but there is no doubt that there are plenty of advantages to developing your ability to work your way around the stock market.
Having a relatively passive income is the dream of just about any man, which is something that stocks can provide.

Spend a little time learning the ins and outs of investing, and be prepared to make a few mistakes in the beginning. Because of the high risk associated with the market, it is wise to begin with small investments so that you can give yourself room for error.

However, as far as hobbies go, playing the stock market should be entered into tentatively and with extreme care, at least until you get better at assessing risks and making the right calls.

The internet is loaded with websites providing useful tips and information on how to best play the stocks, but it really comes down to personal experience. So, spend some time with low risk investments until you feel comfortable.

Get it right, however, and you may pick up a very lucrative hobby to enjoy.

Become a master locksmith
Every young boy wishes they had the ability to pick locks, or simply just to work with them; but so few of us take the time to actually develop the skill as we get older. So why not make amateur lock-smithing your next hobby.

Besides being a really awesome skill to have, being able to pick standard locks will make life much easier for you the next time you lose your keys, lock them in your car or damage a lock on your door at home. There’s no need to use this skill to become a master thief however, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t benefit from some locksmith skills.

Bear in mind that working with locks is no easy task, and so in developing these skills you will teach yourself patience and finesse. Besides, it is a hobby that you can spend the rest of your life getting better at.

Make your body your temple
As you get older, you will no doubt find that keeping in shape gets more and more difficult as the years go on; this is unavoidable. Or is it?

Staying shape has many advantages, but motivating yourself to do it is exceptionally challenging. Unless of course you make your personal fitness a hobby.

Whether you get involved with bodybuilding, running marathons, doing Cross Fit or mastering the art of Yoga and meditation, involving yourself in activities and lifestyle choices which directly benefit your health is and always will be extremely rewarding.

This is especially advantageous if you work at a desk job where you don’t move around much, are a smoker or have particularly unhealthy habits. If you make being healthy a lifelong adventure, you will always be in great shape.

Master the art of survival
If an EMP had to go off in your neighborhood now and knock out all of your beloved electronics, how well would you survive the aftermath?

While an all-out war with our robot overlords and the zombie apocalypse might not be a realistic enough motivation to master nature and survival, there are always plenty of advantages to knowing how to navigate using the stars, starting a fire without contemporary tools, or simply knowing how to splint and bandage a broken leg.

The fast-paced reality of life makes for a world of technology dependent people who don’t know the first thing about surviving without a packed lunch and a GPS, but the skills are out there and ready to be learned.

Making survival an art also gives you a perpetual excuse to go out into nature while taking epic camping trips, and will teach you how to do it in style and with ease, so why not get on it?
Become a literary master-mind

They say that knowledge is power, and who would I be to disagree?
Getting involved in the world of literature, whether reading, writing or both, is an exceptional way to broaden your world-view, and once you get into the swing of things is an exceptionally enjoyable way to spend your time.

Using newspapers and blogs is a fine way to keep up with world events, but so much more can be learned from reading actual books, whether they are biographies, short stories or epic tales.
Keeping your mind sharp can only be done by constantly challenging it with new ideas and actual work, which makes literature an essential hobby for any man who wants to stay on top of his game.

Author Bio:
“Terrence Kennedy is the man’s man on a journey to self-discovery. A traveler, extreme sports aficionado, an observant wanderer, a DIY man, an ultimate outsider and documentarist of culture, sex, dating, relationship, fashion, style and gentleman’s etiquette. He has learned a lot through his escapades, and is happy to pass that knowledge on to you.”