Success and happiness are the two pillars of your life which stand firmly, as per the hobbies in your life. So it becomes very important to resist the temptation of trying to make some cash out of your hobby. It often kills your love for it. But the trick here is to keep a perfect balance between your hobbies and work while making constant long strides towards your career.

Many successful women are the living example of this pursuit of happiness. A basic hobby helps you to relax after a long tiring day at work and regular efforts and repeated actions inculcate leadership qualities in you like patience and determination. If you want to learn something from these wonderful women, following their hobbies can be a great kick start:

1. Michelle Obama (Running)

Busy women need to keep an eye on their metabolism and health. Early morning running can boost your day and you will also get a lot of personal ‘me-time’ to just think about things. Your blood is circulating upstream and downstream through veins. Your whole body is attentive and so is your mind. It is not surprising that former first lady Michelle Obama had been quite active to campaign this hobby and get people to move their bottoms from sofas and run.

2. Condoleezza Rice (Golf)

Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state, a political scientist, and diplomat, once reported, “I love to drive the ball and I love to putt. Everything in between is an adventure.” She developed a passion for golf though she took it up at a later stage of life. It has helped her in avoiding work stress.  Business tycoons find golf a potential networking tool. And so, Rice was into it and even played golf many times with former president George W. Bush. Rice’s fingers are also beautifully fluent with pianokeys and she commands respect for having a side career as a pianist.

3. Angelina Jolie (Collecting)

There are something ‘very-Sherlock-Holmes’ about collecting things like stamps, books or novels etc. You are on a mission, wherever you travel. Searching for things and being always on your toes for your favorite things imbibes sharp qualities in your persona. If nothing else, just for the sake of appreciating an art, to touch and feel the old book cover or stamps is in itself a great pleasure for the mind.

The fabulous and talented actress, Angelina Jolie, has a quite strange pastime i.e. to collect daggers. Her kids have also developed a similar kind of hobby. When questioned about such an odd activity, she says that daggers are a sign of positivity and defense. Pertaining to her interest in mortuary science, she collects knives of all possible designs and blades. Moreover, she has had a childhood dream of being a funeral director. Intriguing, isn’t it? Her collection displays a proud list of many first edition books. Apart from this, she is a pretty humanitarian soul and is extensively involved with NGOs and other social services. She is an avid tattoo enthusiast with 14 of them all over her body.

4. Oprah Winfrey (Reading)

Reading has always been popular among literates. Oprah Winfrey is smart, intelligent and highly literate and reading is one of her favorite hobbies. Get inspired by Oprah for her hunger to devour books. Not only that, she turned this hobby into a social gathering kind of activity by creating a fun book club. She inspires many others to get engaged in books through her ‘Oprah Book Club’.  (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is her favorite book.)

5. Nicole Kidman (Gardening)

Beautiful people like beautiful things around. But beauty is not as delicate as it appears. It often comes with baggage. Yes, gardening is a good hobby but it requires your constant effort to maintain. It can be demanding but Nicole Kidman has never quit this hobby even with her busy schedule. The trick here is to choose your plants carefully. But remember, greater the effort your hobby takes, greater your character will build.

6. Anna Wintour (Tennis)

The great thing about tennis is that, not only that it requires your hands, feet, and backbone to be solid but your eyesight too. Legendary fashion magazine editor for Vogue, Anna Wintour begins her day by playing tennis. You know that zeal and the competitive spirit you need to run in the rat race and grab that top-seat in your office? Well, if your answer is yes, you might want to get your guns  going for the tennis court early in the morning.

7. Meryl Streep (Knitting)

If you think only old people have a thing for knitting, then read about the award-winning actress, Meryl Streep, who enjoys her free time on or off the set knitting! She even claims that her calmness and sharp focus on her acting career has to do a lot with her time spent in knitting and also admitted that she often wears pieces like shawls which she made herself. If you still think it is an old timer hobby then Ryan Gosling, who is an avid knitter, might change your mind.

8. Beyonce (Reality TV)

At last but not the least, you can never get enough of alittle bit of cooked drama on TV, celebrity gossips or even playing mind-numbing video games at the end of your workday. Don’t believe in your idiot box anymore? But, if you adore Beyonce, you would know about her love for the show “Jersey Shore”. So don’t think too much. Just get your remote and pepper yourself with your favorite shows.

Leisure time is equally important as work hours. You unwind yourself timely from serious chores into these entertaining hobbies, only to find yourself motivated towards your job. And dear women, after investing your entire day into the service of your loved ones, would not it be feasible and justified to find a moment or two to just be with yourself. It is all about finding the right balance. This life is yours. Enjoy.