Don't apologize for your passions in life

I've met some people whose interests might make you flinch at first blush. One guy I met in college liked collecting bugs. Another had the most extensive collection of coins I'd ever seen. What's more, a woman I currently work with says she enjoys watching videos of people getting their hair cut.

However outlandish your interests may seem to the world, you should never apologize for them. They're one of the many things that make you you. You're a composite of various unique behaviors, quirks, thoughts, and interests -- ones you should never change for anyone unless you truly desire to.

As long as you truly love the activity in question, aren't being pressured into it by anyone, and aren't doing it merely to conform to societal expectations, you should never feel weird for calling it one of your passions.

I myself collect historical memorabilia -- from figures of presidents to books and DVDs to reproductions of historic documents. I've been called everything from weird to boring for this. Does it mean I'll ever drop this hobby? Nope. Not now, not ever.

We shouldn't care how others perceive our passions; all that matters is that they make US happy. That they enhance our lives. That they help us feel better after a long, stressful day at work. That they bring a smile to our face.

As I've stressed in so many other posts, if people aren't paying your bills for you, they have no right to tell you what you should and should not be interested in.

No, not all of us enjoy sports.

No, not all of us are into clubbing and drinking.

No, not all of us care to travel the world.

For some of us, staying at home reading a good book more than suffices. For others, nothing is more enjoyable than taking painting classes. Still others might prefer listening to or creating their own music.

People have no right to judge us for what we love to do. We should all appreciate being unique, as it allows us to learn from one another. If we all shared the same interests, this would be a very dull, cut-and-dried world.

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