How to Become a Modern Day Renaissance Man
The Goal Is to Become a Competent Human Being
It’s never been easier than ever before to become a Renaissance man, and the reason why is that we’re all carrying smartphones in our pockets.
In other words, it’s never been easier to acquire information.
Let’s just say, for example’s sake, that you wanted to learn the skill of woodworking.
You could literally learn this skill in the comfort of your own home—you could watch courses online or you could watch YouTube videos, and so on.
You don’t even need to go to a class in the real world.
So before I start talking about the hobbies you need to be doing, let’s first define what a Renaissance man actually is.
That way, we’re both on the same page.
What Is a Renaissance Man?
So a Renaissance man, or as I like to call it, a well-rounded man, is basically a guy who’s cultured.
In other words, this is a guy who’s traveled a lot and is well-educated (self-taught.)
He’s also competent in a number of fields.
And if we’re looking at an example from the past, Leonardo da Vinci comes to mind.
Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, a scientist, a mathematician, an engineer and a philosopher.
He was competent in a number of fields.
If we’re looking at a modern-day example, Elon Musk fits the bill.
Not only has Elon been successful in the technology industry but he’s got electric cars that sell well around the world, and the guy is sending rockets into space.
He’s a very good example.
And this isn’t me saying that you need to become exactly like Musk or Da Vinci, because that’s more than likely not going to happen.
Those two are absolute freaks, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.
But what I am saying is that you can take a leaf out of their books and become skilled in a number of fields.
So let’s talk, about the five hobbies in more detail.
Hobby #1 A Physical Hobby
You can have all the money in the world, you could be a multi-billionaire, you could even be a trillionaire, but if you haven’t got your health, are you even wealthy?
I’d say the answer is a resounding no.
Health and fitness is truly the foundation to living a good life, because without it you can’t do anything.
And this is why a physical hobby is so important.
This could be strength training, this could be running, this could be hiking, this could be mixed martial arts, this could be yoga—you get the idea.
It has to be something that you individually enjoy doing.
Me personally, I would always recommend everybody—man, woman, and child—to do some form of strength training.
The reason why is because, from a health ROI, strength training gives you the biggest bang for your buck, especially when it is done properly and in moderation.
But like I previously said, it has to be something that you specifically enjoy.
Hobby #2 A Mental Hobby
What you’ll tend to notice with a lot of financially successful people is that they tend to be readers.
They tend to read books.
And some people might say that books are like software updates for the human brain.
Think of your brain like a computer, needing constant updates because the world is constantly changing.
Let’s just use the smartphone as an example.
Forty years ago, if you turned around and said to the average person that practically everybody on this planet is going to be walking around with a personal computer in their pocket, you would have probably been told no way.
That’s impossible.
But this is the reality of modern-day living.
It was Zig Ziglar—the personal development speaker—who said something along the lines of
“Rich people have big libraries and small TVs, whereas poor people have big TVs and small libraries.”
And what he’s basically saying is that the consumption habits of a poor person and a rich person tend to be different.
Well I’ll add to that quote:
Because you don’t even need a big library.
You can get a library card for absolutely nothing in most Western countries and rent the books free of charge.
So when it comes to books, I’d recommend starting with biographies.
Why?
Because these are some of the most powerful books you can read, because if you’re reading the biography of a high-level person, you’re seeing how that person thinks, how they act, and how they deal with problems.
It’s kind of like having a conversation with that person.
Put another way:
Reading expands your mental toolkit.
Hobby #3 An Artistic Hobby
What I’ve personally found in my own life is that I’m the happiest when I’m either building or creating something.
If I feel this way, there’s probably a high likelihood that others feel the exact same way too.
I would honestly go as far as to say that human beings are born to build and create.
And if you want proof of this, just go around your local town centre and have a look around—what you’ll see are buildings that are man-made.
The fact that you’re here on this planet should tell you something:
Mom and dad got together and created you.
But let’s just keep it PG here because I don’t want to start putting images in your mind and disgust you.
But you get what I’m saying.
So when it comes to artistic hobbies, what are we talking about here?
Examples might include creative writing, recording YouTube videos, painting, drawing, playing an instrument—you get the idea.
Like I’ve mentioned previously, this has to be something that you enjoy doing, because when you enjoy it, you’ll continue coming back to it.
Hobby #4 A Social Hobby
A well-rounded life requires relationships.
It requires giving back.
In other words, isolation kills the Renaissance spirit, because at the end of the day human beings are social creatures.
We thrive when we’re around like-minded people.
To put it another way, in the wild the lone wolf dies—he needs his pack to survive.
So when it comes to social hobbies, what are we looking at here?
This could mean volunteering at a homeless shelter, volunteering at a food bank, or volunteering at your local library.
It could also mean coaching a youth soccer team, mentoring somebody, and passing down your knowledge.
It could also mean attending Toastmasters and working on your public-speaking skills.
In numerous articles on this website I’ve talked about the importance of open and honest communication.
In this article I basically said that—alongside good sex—open and honest communication is really the glue that holds couples together.
Communication is so, so important.
A social hobby doesn’t just benefit you—it’s often a positive for society as well.
Hobby #5 A Hobby That Requires Working With Your Hands
I mentioned this earlier in the article, but it’s definitely worth repeating, and that is:
I’m the happiest when building and creating.
And in the artistic hobby section of this article, I talked about creating — in this section, I’m going to be talking about building things.
So examples here could be woodworking, blacksmithing, repairing stuff around the home… it’s basically anything that has you working with your hands.
And what you’ll tend to find is that when you build something with your bare hands, it’s extremely satisfying.