LEISURE IN MY LIFE

A research on what leisure is and what my own leisure lifestyle is.

12 OKTOBER 2018
NURI BOERSMA /4534670 NHLSTENDEN
LT-LEM-INT1A
Summary
This report was written to gain insight into my own leisure lifestyle and to interpret my personal
purpose. In the report I will be answering the following questions: what is Leisure, what is serious,
project-based, and casual leisure, what are the rewards of the different types of leisure for
individuals and what are possible constraints? To answer these questions I have mainly used
research from Robert A. Stebbins. This is because he described serious leisure. Besides Stebbins I
have used Berlin and Meyers (Briggs). In this report I will explain what the different types of leisure
are and what the connection is between them. I than will apply the theoretical framework to my own
leisure lifestyle. In the report below you will see what leisure is to me and what role it plays in my
life.

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Table of content
Summary.......................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Chapter 1 – MBTI test...................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2 – Literature review ......................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 3 – Personal leisure lifestyle ............................................................................................ 10
Chapter 4 – Poster ......................................................................................................................... 12
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 14
References ............................................................................................................................................. 15

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Introduction
Leisure is something that we all do, no matter where we are or what time it is. Leisure is a big part of
our life. Who has the real answer as to what leisure really is ? Is leisure a thing that can be defined?
Knowingly or unknowingly leisure is almost always a part of our lives, it can be either in the small
things that we do or the big things that we pursue. Where does leisure start and where does it end?

In the following report I will be searching for answers on what leisure is and what leisure I pursue in
my personal life. The purpose of this report is for me to gain insight into my own leisure lifestyle to
interpret my personal purpose.

The first chapter of this report will be about what the MBTI (Meyers Briggs type indicator) test is and
what my results are. The second chapter of this book is about what leisure is, what meaning it has
and how we see it in general. In the literature review I will be answering the following questions:
what is Leisure, what is serious, project-based, and casual leisure, what are the rewards of the
different types of leisure for individuals and what are possible constraints? The last chapter applies
the theoretical framework to my own leisure lifestyle.

For me, discovering about what leisure is and then applying it to my personal leisure lifestyle was a
wonderful experience. I was able to learn about the different types of leisure and soon noticed that I
take part in more leisure activities then I thought at first.

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Chapter 1 – MBTI test
To know what the MBTI (Meyers Briggs type indicator) is we will have to go back to Carl Gustav
Jung’s theory. “Jung developed psychological types based on four functions, namely, Feeling (F),
Thinking (T), Intuition (N), and Sensing (S), plus four attitudes, namely, Extraversion (E), Introversion
(I), Judging (J), and Perceiving (P).” (Mallari & Pelayo III, 2017, p. 2) Briggs developed her own theory
before learning about C. G. Jung’s theory, she and her daughter Myers Briggs later on combined both
researches which resulted in the MBTI test. This test is to help you find to out what personality type
you are. It is based on assessments on how people see the world and on what they base their
decisions on. C. G. Jung’s theory was based on Introversion and Extraversion. Introversion is about
the things inside of a mind, for example: ideas, pictures, memories and reactions. With introversion it
is all about inner thoughts. An introvert feels most comfortable one on one or in small groups. An
introvert will spend more time reflecting on their thoughts to get a clear picture of the goal and how
they will achieve it. Extraversion is the total opposite of introversion. Instead of getting strength from
inner thoughts, you get it from all around you, for example; being engaged with different happenings
or activities. Getting enthusiastic when being around a lot of people and motivating those all around.
For extraverts often voicing, problems and getting different opinions, on them helps seeing them in a
new way and solving them altogether. (Foundation, 2018)

Instead of using the standard four acronymic format, the MBTI test I used adds an extra trait to it,
also known as big five personality traits or the five-factor model (FFM). The five-factor model consists
of: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Openness to experience: the key words for this factor are inventive versus consistent. This can go
either way. If having a high level of openness, one is more likely to go out and explore exhilarating
new adventures, meaning that they can be seen as changeful and erratic, taking more risks. When
having a low level of openness, one will achieve contentment through being persistent. They are
often seen as business-like.

Conscientiousness: the keywords for this factor are efficient versus easy-going. With a high level of
conscientiousness, one has a habit of being thorough, loyal, ambitious and rather have everything
thought out then be impromptu. Having a low level of conscientiousness is often identified with
being resilient and acting out on impulse.

Extraversion: the keywords for this factor are outgoing versus solitary. High extraversion is regularly
associated with being motivated and imperious. Low extraversion is seen as one being soft-spoken
and composed. This is also associated with introversion.

Agreeableness: the keywords for this factor are friendly versus challenging. High level of
agreeableness is being sympathetic and considerate when it comes to others. Having a low level of
agreeableness often means that one is competing and strenuous.

Neuroticism: the keywords for this factor are sensitive versus confident. High neuroticism resolves in
being very aware of others, a low emotional balance and being affected by what others do and say.
Low neuroticism resolves in having a high emotional balance, they come across as serene and well
collected. (Wikipedia, 2018)

From these core factors five personality aspects were made: mind, energy, nature, tactics and
identity. Each aspect has two trait marks to it. Mind is divided by introverted and extraverted. Energy
is split up between observant and intuitive. Nature has on one side thinking and the other feeling.
Tactics is divided by judging and prospect and Identity is split up between assertive and turbulent.

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From these personality aspects four groups were made; analysts, diplomats, sentinels and explorers.
Each group has four personality types in which anyone can identify themselves with.
(16Personalities, Our framework, 2018)

The test results showed that I am a ‘campaigner’ which puts me in the F (feeling) factor. Below I
explain how I feel about the results and how accurate they really are for me.

General
“The Campaigner personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party” (16Personalities,
Campaigner Personality (ENFP, -A/-T), 2018) So far this is true, I am a free spirit and do not like to
attach myself to either things, plans or people too much. This is because I like to be able to do things
on a whim and not to be tied down to other obligations. “Campaigners are less interested in the
sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional
connections they make with others.” (16Personalities, Campaigner Personality (ENFP, -A/-T), 2018) I
think on some level this is true but I don’t fully agree with it. I love the excitement and pleasure of
being in the moment just as much as making sure that I have that emotional connection with others.
“Campaigners, like all their Diplomat cousins, are shaped by their Intuitive (N) quality, allowing them
to read between the lines with curiosity and energy.” (16Personalities, Campaigner Personality (ENFP,
-A/-T), 2018) This I wholeheartedly agree with! I do not believe in black and white and I always look
for other hints, clues or hidden meanings. “Campaigners are fiercely independent, and much more
than stability and security, they crave creativity and freedom.” (16Personalities, Campaigner
Personality (ENFP, -A/-T), 2018)This might be how I would describe myself in one sentence. I do crave
freedom and creativity more than stability and security.

Strengths and weaknesses

Most of what I found on strengths and weaknesses agree with, but I did not agree with one of the
strengths that I read “Excellent communicators”. This is because I sometimes feel awkward in a big
crowd and do not feel comfortable. One on one I am good at communicating but in bigger groups I
tend to hold back. When it comes to the weaknesses I don’t agree with being “stressed easily” and
“highly emotional”. In fact, I love the stress it makes me perform better and push myself harder. I
don’t see myself as a highly emotional person. I don’t let conflicts, criticism or stress get to me.

Friendships
I do find that the results that I found on friendship apply to me, mainly because all of my friends
differ so much from each other. With some I had the instant connection and with others I had to put
more time and effort into the friendship. In the end every single one of them was worth the effort.

Career paths
I again wholeheartedly agree what was said on career paths. Every opportunity that has come my
way I have grabbed with both hands. I live for new ideas, experiences and challenges. This is what I
have done so far in my life and what I hopefully will continue to do.

Conclusion
My conclusion is that about 75-80% of the results apply to me. It was fascinating to read about it and
to discover new things about myself. It was good to do this and to read motives of why I am most
likely to make certain choices. All in all, I do think I am a campaigner and after reading it I am also
proud to call myself one.
“Campaigners know how to relax, and they are perfectly capable of switching from a passionate,
driven idealist in the workplace to that imaginative and enthusiastic free spirit on the dance floor.
(16Personalities, Campaigner Personality (ENFP, -A/-T), 2018)”

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Chapter 2 – Literature review
What is leisure and how can we define it? This is almost impossible to do as many different
researches have different opinions, different tactics and different reasonings on the why. In order to
define what leisure is we will have to go back in time. According to Hardwick “the term leisure first
came into use in the late medieval centuries, and 500 years ago the term already had the same
conceptual connotations as it does today: time free from work or other duties to pursue activities of
personal choice.” (Page & Connell, 2010, p. 51) Of course leisure in (ancient) history was mainly for
the upper-class, for the rich who had time to indulge themselves in these activities. We as humans
have since then evolved and leisure with us. Through time you can see how leisure has evolved and
how it has become a daily thing for us, it is not a necessity, we do not need it in order to survive but
it has still become such an important part of our daily lives. What is it that leisure can give us what
basic survival needs cannot give? Let us start with splitting leisure in three categories: serious,
project-based and casual leisure.

Serious leisure

Robert A. Stebbins from University of Calgary has done a lot of research on serious leisure. “serious
leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that participants find so
substantial and interesting that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a career centred on
acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge, and experience” (Jackson & Burton, 1999, p.
70). To put it simply: with serious leisure you try to gain and at the same time exercise your
knowledge and skills. As Stebbins already mentioned serious leisure is based on three types;
amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer. To start off with amateur, they are more focussed on the gaining
skills and usually exercising them at the same time. Amateurs have a professional alter ego to them.
They express themselves through art, science, sport, and entertainment. All these fields are
indistinguishably connected to a professional alter ego. Saying this, you cannot confuse the amateur
and the professional with each other, where professionals use their ’activities’ as a source of income
for their subsistence this does not apply to amateurs. With that comes that professionals work full
time when it comes to their ‘activities’ whereas amateurs only exercise it part time. Moving on to the
hobbyist, they show an absence of the professional alter ego that the amateur possess. Hobbyist are
split in the following groups: collectors, makers, tinkerers, activity participants (in a non-rival way and
with a clear structure of rules), players of sports and games (excluding professional equivalents). A
hobbyist can also be an admirer with regards to the liberal arts. Furthermore, we have volunteering,
volunteering is an act in where an individual helps others with varies things. This is not done in to win
or receive anything with it, or because you were compelled to do it. Its roots lie with the moral
standard that we uphold as a society. For volunteering to become an act of leisure it needs to be
done on a continual basis. For example, a single donation of either money, an organ or help will not
be enough in this case.

Stebbins has determined serious leisure by six distinctive qualities, the first one being preserve.
Dealing with adversity is never a pleasurable thing to do, but when you can see it through you can
make something positive out of it, think of an individual conquering fears or maybe discovering
something new. The second quality is finding a career in the endeavour either to aspire to do
something or be formed by accomplishments and positive changes. The third one is based on making
a personal effort. To excel in your leisure activity, you will have to gain the knowledge and skills. To
be able to gain those you will need to invest time which takes personal effort. The fourth quality is
focusing on the durable benefits or rewards. These benefits or rewards are not only material things
they are also focusing on your personal gain. It can be either self-actualization, self-enrichment, self-
expression or self-renewal. All these can-do wonders for one’s self-image which is by far the biggest

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reward one can give themselves. The fifth one is about identifying with the chosen leisure activity.
With serious leisure commitment to a certain goal is required. When doing something for a lengthier
time one needs to be able to connect with it, say identify themselves with it. The sixth and last
quality is that of the unique ethos and the connection it has to the social world. As I said before
during the year’s leisure has evolved and you can strongly see that in the social world. When there is
a new interest in an activity, new organizations will be erected, and events will be held, people will
want to participate and thus a new social world has started in which people have the freedom to
come and go as they wish. Without any of these qualities a leisure activity cannot be qualified as a
serious leisure activity. (Jackson & Burton, 1999)

Project-based leisure

Moving on to project-based leisure, after reading an article of (Stebbins, 2005) based on project-
based leisure it became quite clear that the research on this topic is far less than on serious leisure.
Project-based leisure is very simple. It can be recognized by the activity having a clear beginning and
end or it being short lived, one-shot or the occasional outing. The activity needs planning
beforehand, a certain amount of effort and where needed some skills and knowledge. This means
that the activity cannot be done spontaneously. For the activity to become project-based it needs to
have an end goal and when required money needs to be saved or raised for the activity. The activity
can only be and stay a project-based leisure when it is not developing into a serious leisure, meaning,
it cannot become a hobby or a career.

Casual leisure

Furthermore, we have Casual leisure, Stebbins describes with casual leisure that there is no need for
any set of skills or knowledge. It is being done pure for one’s enjoyment or pleasure. There are
different ways to reach that through, it can be either: play, relaxation, passive entertainment, active
entertainment, sociable conversation or sensory stimulation. It can be done at any given moment,
which entails this activity being a spontaneous one. The activity comes naturally, it is however less
substantial as it offers no career. The no career offering not mean that there are no rewards, in
contrast the rewards are almost always instant. (Groters & Hoogenboom, 2011, p. 4)

Rewards

Why participate in serious leisure? With the six distinctive qualities that serious leisure has I already
mentioned reward being one of them. Serious leisure is really focused on your self-development.
This focus means that you can enhance your self-actualisation, self-enrichment and self-expression.
Besides developing yourself you will also get a feeling of belonginess, have social interaction and
experience a feeling of accomplishments. If that is not enough for you, you can also do it for the
material gain, being that with some of the activities you can get paid. (Jackson & Burton, 1999)

The reason of pursuing project-based leisure is because it is relaxing, and you can catch a break from
your everyday life and routine. It is something to look forward to gaining new life experience. Once at
the destination you will be able to meet others with the same interest, meaning that the social life
will broaden. (Stebbins, 2005)

Motives of participating in casual leisure are: focusing on the state of mind and on the moment itself.
Also, when under stress one can relax and enjoy the free time they have. Another reason is to
connect with others and build on those connections. (Groters & Hoogenboom, 2011)

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Constraints

When wanting to either produce good services or participate in leisure, it is important to know what
constraints there are. It all comes down to an individual being restricted or prevented from
participating in leisure activities. This excluding restrictions with regards to order, safety or stability.
Having the freedom to choose whatever leisure activity you want is what makes leisure special, to
have that freedom of choice taken away is unfortunate. (Edginton, Jordan, DeGraaf, & Edginton, sd)
have come up with ten major constraints listed as following:

Attitudinal constraint: this focuses on the mindset of people. What was/ is expected from them and
what does the community think when those individuals are participating in certain leisure activities.

Communicative constraint: to be able to make any decision, information is required. Missing big
chunks of information leaves an unclear picture and makes it hard to choose anything. This can also
have the opposite effect, having an excruciating amount of information can make choosing difficult.

Consumptive constraint: to have work and leisure on the same level. Working too much may end up
in having no leisure life at all. Having a life with only leisure may cause those positive feeling towards
leisure to dissolve.

Temporal constraint: needing to make room in a daily schedule to be able to participate in leisure
activities. For some making time is a difficult thing to do.

Social/ cultural constraint: This refers to societies ladder and where the individual stand on it. Certain
groups or organizations only open their doors to a specific group of individuals.

Health constraint: for some activities a certain level of mobility is required. Having restraints when it
comes to their mental and physical state may prevent individuals from participating in leisure
activities.

Experimental constraint: having multiple and different kind of experiences may help with the
required level of skills and knowledge needed for that leisure activity. Lacking these experiences may
cause a problem when it comes to participating in these activities.

Leisure values and skills constraint: through different believes the value of certain groups can differ
from others. When having been brought up with those believes it may cause for a lack of skill when it
comes to leisure activities.

Environmental constraint: Having limited to no access to leisure resources either due to weather,
location or unforeseen problems.

(Edginton, Jordan, DeGraaf, & Edginton, sd)

Leisure

Coming back to my earlier question; What is it that leisure can give us what basic survival needs
cannot give? In the above literature review the word “Freedom” is mention frequently, this means
that this word has a lot of meaning within leisure. Why are freedom and leisure associated with each
other? I believe that leisure is a mixture between positive and negative freedom, let me elaborate on
what positive and negative freedom are. Positive freedom is freedom to dream, to set your own
goals and to work towards what you want to achieve. Here you are free in to choose whatever you
want. The constraint with positive freedom is that others can force their own opinions on you. That
the goal that was set is not good enough and that a better or higher goal can be achieved. The
constraint within this is that the goal that is set is not your own anymore. Berlin (Mcmahon & Dowd,

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2014, p. 66) also describes positive freedom as “autonomy” also known as self-governing. With
serious leisure you see the amateur, hobbyist and volunteer all having their own goals, they are all
choosing what they want to do in their free time. In their leisure time they get to decide on how they
want to achieve that goal. Positive freedom also applies to project-based leisure, as you get to plan
on how you want to spend your leisure time. Negative freedom is freedom from opinions, religions,
expressions and properties. This means freedom from any kind of constraint that might be holding
you back. As Berlin says it “By being free in this sense I mean not being interfered with by others. The
wider the area of non-interference, the wider my freedom”. (Mcmahon & Dowd, 2014, p. 66)
Negative freedom can be associated with casual leisure, this because you get to do what you want,
when you want to. It requires no planning and no guidance from anyone. This leisure can be achieved
on its own and therefore requires no interference from outsiders. Of course, this leisure can be done
with others who have the same interests as well, them not interfering but joining in the leisure
activity. (Mcmahon & Dowd, 2014)

Why I have concluded that leisure equals freedom is because over the years we have excluded so
many groups from being able to participate in leisure activities. These groups being; slaves, woman,
outsiders, LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community and many more. With
excluding those groups, they were never given a choice, an opinion in what they would like to do.
They never had the freedom to choose for themselves. With all the changes made during the years
and how the humans have evolved it is not crazy to think that leisure has majorly evolved as well.
Now that almost everyone can do and express themselves in any way they want, it obvious that
leisure is a big part of that. Doing what makes you happy, gives you a feeling of accomplishments and
belonginess is important to everyone. If we go back to serious leisure you can see that there are
many ways to express yourself in, then looking at the rewards you can see that it is worth pursuing
this kind of leisure. A big part of those rewards is about discovering who you are and developing
yourself. When having been suppressed, either yourself or your ancestors, it is important to be able
to discover yourself and let yourself grow. Therefore, nowadays leisure has become a major thing
and an important part of our lives.

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Chapter 3 – Personal leisure lifestyle
For me leisure is an important part of my life. It is so important is because I really value my alone-
time. I like to disconnect with the outer world and just focus on me. This is one reason as to why it is
important. The other reason is because I like to help other people, being able to understand them
and see them as who they are and not as society has defined them. I think it is important to be able
to find a balance between these two, as focussing too much on myself will make me blind as to what
is happening around me. On the other hand, focusing too much on helping others can make me
forget about myself. It can make me live my life through others instead of through me.

As pointed out above I have two kind of leisure that I really focus on, either time for myself which can
come in project-based or casual leisure and focusing on others which comes in serious leisure. As
project-based leisure I love to travel around the world, I already have my next trip planned when I
have just gotten home from my previous trip. Travelling is something that I usually do by myself. This
is because I enjoy the challenge of going someplace new and trying to fit in there, trying to make
friends and try to make it a home for me as well. I get excited by the thought of seeing the next
country, getting to face the next challenge. With casual leisure I enjoy reading and cooking, it is
something that I can do on my own and that I can do whenever and wherever. Reading brings me
joy, I love reading story after story, experience different kind of people and how they react to certain
things. Getting lost in one story to then be swallowed into another is the best feeling for me. Cooking
relaxes me, I experience cooking as focusing on the task beforehand and forget about other things. It
can be a creative experience as you can combine old recipes with new ones or try to invent new
things. Cooking for me can be either a top or a flop, no matter what the results are it is always a new
learning experience for me.

For me serious leisure entails volunteering, I love to give back to the community. My love for that
does come from my family. My parents and sisters are both working or volunteering within social
work. I help every now and then with my parent’s project. With that project they serve free meals
once a week for anyone who wants; however, the project is not about the food but about the
connection that people make there. It is about the then and there and not about anything else. It is
about bringing people together and giving them a place where they belong, where they do not feel
left out. I do several things with the project, I either help with cooking for the people or help cleaning
afterwards. Furthermore, I babysit for a single mother in our neighbourhood, I help her out with the
kids whenever she needs it. It is amazing how just “little” things can make a difference in people’s
life.

Why I participate in these activities is simple, the rewards that I get in return. For project-based it is
my life experiences, like I said before I enjoy a good challenge and with that comes learning about
new cultures and believes. Learning about these new cultures and believes broadens my horizon and
makes me realize how amazing this world is that we live in. For casual it is about the me-time that I
get, just focussing on what I want and what I enjoy doing. It is about being able to relax and just be.
Like Leo Tolstoy says, “If you want to be happy, be”. Serious leisure brings me a feeling of
accomplishment and gives me social interaction. It teaches me the values of people and that it does
not take much to make someone happy.

One of the constraints for project-based is money, to travel money is needed. I would love to travel
non-stop and enjoy meeting new people and discovering new cultures but unfortunately that
requires a lot of money. Another constraint might be gender, I am not naive enough to think that
woman can safely travel to all parts of the world all on their own. Being a single woman traveling can
constrict me from going wherever I please. For Casual leisure money is as well an issue, books when
thinking about it are quite expensive, hence constricting me from reading as much as I want to.

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Furthermore, when it comes to cooking you have certain obligations, for some people they require
their food at a certain time as they still have other activities to do. The constraint that comes with
serious leisure is time, you must invest a lot of time when doing volunteering work. This can either be
doing the work itself or the preparation and cleaning afterwards. With time also comes energy as a
constraint, this because helping others takes a lot of energy. This constraint be either conscious or
unconscious. As some people require more energy than others.

Coming then back to my MBTI test I can see a clear connection between my personal leisure lifestyle
and my personality type. In the first chapter I mention that I do not like to be attached to plans,
people or things too much but rather live in the now and just to see how things will go. Traveling is
for me about going to the next place never knowing for how long. The last few years of my life I have
spent living in three different countries. Going to and coming back from living abroad has always
been tiring but at the same time made me feel free. In the MBTI test it also mentions that I rather
experience the emotional connection with other than the sheer pleasure of just being in the
moment. As said in the summary I do not fully agree with that, just as in my leisure lifestyle I need to
have a balance between those two. As much as I crave me-time I also need time to spend with
others. For example, one week I can be holed up in my room just reading book after book but the
following week I will only spend time with others. The test mentions that the campaigner reads
between the lines and I could not agree more myself. I do not see things black and white and I like to
look further than just the surface of either people or stuff. When it comes to serious leisure and me
volunteering I rather not judge anyone around me, I like to get to know the people more, to know as
to why they made those decisions and what encouraged them to do so. Through living in different
countries and meeting new people I have learned to value freedom and creativity over stability and
security. Living on my own from the age of 17 has taught me to grab every opportunity with both
hands, I try to apply this to my leisure lifestyle as well. When it comes to traveling I try to go to new
places and to appreciate every change I get to travel. Grabbing every opportunity with both hands is
not only for traveling but also applies to cooking, trying new recipes or improving the exciting ones is
an opportunity that I would never pass upon.

For me a balance between all three of these leisure types is needed. I find it important to give all of
them the equal amount of time and energy that they require. This is because I think all of them help
me develop myself in one way or another. Every time I partake in a leisure activity my purpose in my
life becomes clearer. Living in this egoistical world that we call our own is hellish, it feels like no one
wants to help anymore and that it is each to its own. Why come together for help when you can just
as well help yourself? Nowadays not asking for help is the cheapest and most affordable option. Then
comes my personal question; is the world that we live in today worth living in? My purpose in life is
to connect people, not necessarily with me but rather with others. To get a community where giving
is normal again and no one is asking for a price when helping others.

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Chapter 4 – Poster
On the poster you will see the following: a girl pointing up towards the sky, an airplane, hot air
balloon, boat and a quote from Leo Tolstoy. A river runs through the middle of the poster and divides
the girl pointing upwards and the hidden meanings that the symbols have.

As explained on the poster the airplane stands for project-based leisure. I chose the airplane for
project-based because, when traveling by plane a lot of planning is required. The other reason is
because, the airplane has a clear beginning and end destination. In my point of view the airplane
perfectly resembles project-based leisure. For the airplane the following is mentioned: traveling as
my leisure activity, money- gender as my constraints and experiences-self-development as my
rewards. With this quote “I am a free spirit and do not like to attach myself to either things, plans or
people too much.” I am linking my leisure activity back to the MBTI test.

The next symbol shown on the poster is the ship which stands for serious leisure. I chose the ship for
serious leisure because, when sailing a ship skills and knowledge is required. Furthermore, with a
ship you can improve your sailing skills and move on to bigger boats and sail on rougher waters. For
me the ship clearly represented serious leisure. For the ship the following is mentioned: volunteering
as my leisure activity, time – energy as my constraints and belongingness – accomplishment as my
rewards. Linking this with my MBTI test I used the following quote “I love the excitement and
pleasure of being in the moment just as much as making sure that I have that emotional connection
with others.”

The last one I mentioned on the poster is the hot air balloon which stands for casual leisure. I chose
the hot air balloon for casual leisure because, when just floating in the air nothing is required. The
only thing you have to do is to just sit back, relax and enjoy. This is what strongly resembles casual
leisure for me. For the hot air balloon, the following is mentioned: reading and cooking as my leisure
activity, obligation- money as my constraints and relaxing- educational as my rewards. To give a clear
impression on what casual leisure for me means I used the following quote from my MBTI tests “I
crave freedom and creativity more than stability and security.”

For the campaigner I chose to put the following on the poster. “Campaigners know how to relax, and
they are perfectly capable of switching from a passionate, driven idealist in the workplace to that
imaginative and enthusiastic free spirit on the dance floor”. As I felt that this represented not only
the campaigner but also me in life.

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Conclusion
What is leisure? For me leisure connects to freedom. The connection is based on the freedom to
choose the kind of leisure, and on how you choose to pursue them. After applying the theoretical
framework to my own leisure lifestyle, I concluded that I feel a tension between me-time (casual and
project-based leisure) and making a connection with others (serious leisure). The realization of this
tension is a good thing for me as it helps me realize that I have to make choices and making
conscious choices gives peace of mind.

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