Serious leisure

Last month, I asked the question “What is leisure?” in my October 10 post. We know that the concept of leisure can have a multitude of meanings, from free time from obligations, spare time, non-work, etc. Leisure has three important functions: relaxation, entertainment and personal development.

A form of leisure that many people find themselves enjoying is “serious leisure.” This is the systematic pursuit of deep satisfaction through an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that participants find so substantial and interesting that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a (non-work) career centered on acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge, and experience. Serious leisure is further defined by its six distinguishing qualities: perseverance, sense of (non-work) career, substantial personal effort, durable benefits, ethos and social world, and personal and social identity (Stebbins, 1992).

Gosh, this sounds a lot like blogging!

What exactly is blogging? The…