Living in Seattle Washington, I can tell you first hand it’s difficult to pay the bills and live with the stress of a full time job. It’s very difficult to find the time to play sports or just unplug from work. We all want to enjoy our weekends right? I’ve heard other countries handle this aspect of their lives much easier than us. It seems like in American we live to work and miss out on just living.
We all know we need to do it better and that is unplugging and taking a break from our stressed out 9 to 5 jobs. This article goes into how you and I can and should use more recreational activities in our lives. By adding more recreation into our lives it can actually help improve our careers.
Lets look at someone who knows how to do it. He has seen it all and is at the top of his game. His name is Mark Hurd from Oracle. If you don’t know Oracle is a very successful company (billions of dollars) and even has an office just east of Seattle in Bellevue Washington.
Mark Hurd is a passionate leader and an accomplished tennis player. In 1979, Mark Hurd graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. As a student, Mark Hurd attended on a tennis scholarship and his passion for the sport never diminished. He remains a strong advocate for the sport, and encourages everyone to find a hobby or recreation to enjoy outside of work.
Hobbies are a great to enjoy life outside of work. Participating in physical activities is linked to many health advantages, but not all hobbies need to be physical. Hobbies can be enjoyed every day or every week, but all serve a positive purpose. What is more, hobbies enjoyed regularly can help recharge a person so they perform better at work.
Mark Hurd provides three main reasons participating in a recreational activity or hobby compliments work:
- Renewed work perspective: While engaging in an activity you enjoy, you have more time to think about your work. A vexing work problem may not look so bad once you’ve been disentangled from it for a few hours. Stepping away from the problem and not thinking about it for a while can also relieve stress and get rid of any negative emotions associated with work.
- Encourage greater creativity: Skills associated in your preferred hobby or sport might be applied to your career. Talking casually with another person while playing a sport might generate new ideas that can be applied as a solution for change or opportunity. A sport requiring strategy can also help generate new ideas for work once you are away from it.
- Career building: Not everyone will include hobbies on a resume, but it may help in interviews. Engaging in recreation is a great way to meet new people and build social networks. Hobbies may include volunteer work too, which can be highly beneficial to a person applying for jobs in the medical or service fields. How much a hobby helps with career building is only as relevant as it applies to the field of work you are interested in.
There are numerous reasons why participating in recreation is good for your career. Mark Hurd knows participating in a sport, like tennis, shows a capability of working in a team environment or individually. It demonstrates a sense of discipline and working towards a greater goal. Engaging in recreation also keeps the mind and body sharp. According to Mark Hurd, that may mean a person is better focused in every aspect of their lives, including their careers.
