Yesterday I went to a Hobby Workshop hosted by Sligo Leader. It was a very informative couple of hours. We heard from people involved in different hobbies and how it enhances their lives, we also heard how certain hobbies can help with finding a job. What stayed with me though was the personal stories.
Before the event I got chatting to a lovely lady who I would have known briefly. She told me she quit the day job and is now running courses exploring hobbies – there is a lot more to it than that. This got me very excited because it’s only recently I’ve discovered art and this lady was telling me we are never to old to try something new. That’s exactly right. I’ve signed up for her course 🙂
Two other speakers told similar stories. Both quit their day jobs and turned their hobbies into a business. One man was in IT and got burnt out. He said from a financial point of view he was doing really well but not from a mental health point of view. So he quit, retrained and now combines his love of music, history and tourism into running tours for visitors.
A lady told us how she trained in social care and spent years working in that sector but in her spare time she was always in the garden. She had people telling her she should set up a gardening business.
“When one person tells you something you don’t really pay any heed but when all your friends tell you there must be something in it. I did what I call the Rocking Chair, I imagine myself as an 80 year old and look back on my life thinking of the things I’d regret if I didn’t try things. So I quit the health service and set up my own gardening business. I’ve never looked back.”
Listening to these people reinforced my theory that when you are working at something you love it’s never a chore. This is why I started Sligo Hub. For many years my passion has been promoting Sligo. One day Kate from Refreshing.ie not only listened to me but she teamed up with me. To have the support of one other person makes a tremendous difference and even though Sligo Hub is very new to have the support of sponsors who also believe in me makes it all worth while.
One day I hope that Sligo Hub will provide a wage so that at least I can buy petrol and carry on exploring the county I love so much and telling the world about it. One day I hope I will be the person standing up in front of a room telling them my story. For now it’s just a dream but one day it might be a reality.
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