Shall We Dance: Get Some Hobbies and Passions for a Better Life

Most of the time Hollywood remakes are terrible compared to the original versions. But for a change, I thought the Hollywood remake of “Shall we Dance” starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez aka JLo was much superior to the Japanese original. 

It’s a story about a married man in Chicago living a conventional life as a lawyer. He has a wonderful loving family and great career but he feels an emptiness, like something is missing.

Commuting every day on the train to and from work he looks outside one day. He sees a dance studio where he notices a stunning woman. He decides to take ballroom dance lessons secretly and he is entranced. The adventure begins as he becomes really good at it.  And his life is transformed as this sparks new joy for him. 

It’s a wonderful story and I think it captures the lives of quiet desperation many people live. Doing what they think they are supposed to do. What their families and society tells them to do. The conventional life. 

We’re taught to focus on school, to focus on our careers and our families. Yet we end up giving little to ourselves. That’s why it’s important to have passions and hobbies outside of the important spheres of work and relationships. It’s something that you can have to yourself. It’s an important part of self development. 

As Naval Ravikant wrote: "The ideal life would be one where you had a hobby that as a byproduct made you money, you had a hobby that as a byproduct kept you healthy, you had a hobby that as a byproduct made you smarter and more creative."

Hobbies teach you new things. Hobbies Give you new perspectives. Having hobbies makes you a much more interesting person. We have enough bland people in our world. So try to develop as many new hobbies as you can. It will also bring a new element of joy in your life. 

Paraphrasing the brilliant Luke Belmar: “It’s not ‘Jack of All Trades, Master of None’, ‘It’s Jack of All Trades, Master of All.”