5 months into my career break 5 key learnings I have to share

This week will be 5 months since I?stepped away from my career and embarked on a self-prescribed sabbatical* and to live outside of societal norms, which has been an incredibly?liberating and equally challenging experience.

What was my “WHY doing it”??

I NEEDED FRESH AIR – I spent my last 35 years at desks, in offices around the globe, in airplanes, in meeting rooms, and in many inspiring conversations and training sessions with lots of brilliant people.?

I loved it!?And with that immense joy came working hours that were above average. Don’t get me wrong, I truly like what I do, enjoy hard work and stressful environments,?but I had to take that break?…?

What first started as a brain break soon morphed into a discovery journey that guided me down paths I wouldn’t have ventured down before. I learned a lot about myself, my beliefs, my gifts, my faith, my areas of growth, and the power of gratitude in what’s there.

I indulged myself in simple pleasures like sleeping in, eating the most amazing food, meditating, embracing nature through travel, and exploring new cultures and places.?

Let me?summarize my past months and draw lines to my profession.?

I have been privileged to??…

1.???.. learn the ART OF DOING NOTHING?

Many of us live life at an unrealistic pace that glorifies busyness.?

Our days and nights are filled with rolling to-do lists that just keep getting longer. While doing nothing felt painfully odd at first,?sitting still became a learning practice that allowed me to focus on other things.?

What’s my key take-away:?Doing nothing is hard!!!!?You don't work while others work. You’re?free. More than a third of the day is determined to work.

Having idle time creates a vacuum, but also trains your brain to focus, re-wire, and “breath”.

So - get off the hamster wheel,?if only for an hour,?and slow down. Schedule time on your calendar and enjoy the art of just being. Take your holidays and times off seriously – ignore the fear of missing out (#FOMO) and clearly communicate this to your team and manager.

#timeoff #donothing #learning #boundariesarehealthy

2.????.. learn that SAYING “NO” IS A COMPLETE POWERFUL SENTENCE

And I needed to start saying “yes” to things I wanted to do for so long.?

So, what’s the lesson learned:?Start to protect your time and brainpower. We all need it much longer than we can anticipate today. There’s only so much we can do, and if we are not selective in how we spend it, we?diminish the value of our time.

Yes - “No” is a complete sentence without explanation needed.?

Get comfortable saying no to help you set healthy boundaries at work, in life and everywhere in between.?

#sayingno #health #worklifebalanced

3.???.. GIVE BACK and volunteered in animal rescue, helped non-profit organizations that aim to provide access to knowledge and financial support to the poorer population of South Africans and guide them to better understand how to manage career and grow.?

A big Thank You goes to Sandras Phiri Piri from the?Pranary, who confirmed my belief that?helping by sharing know how is simple?and made me realize how well I know my business, that sharing and giving back feedback it is an easy task. #enablement?

I cleaned up beaches almost daily and filled at least 100 large bags of waste dropped by humans and washed into the oceans.?

#knowledgeshare #support #volunteering #safetheplanet #growth

4. …to EMBARK ON LONG-OVERDUE ENDEAVORS, such as learning a new language, (slowly) climb Table Mountain, learning how to do pottery, how to tint textiles and being courageous to drive on the left side of the road (while sitting on the wrong side of the car in South Africa), and drive with no final destination.?

So, what’s the lesson learned??We need to keep?training our brains,?

learn new things like job skills or personal stuff stimulation for success and quality in life –?keep LEARNING!

#lifelonglearning #newchallenges #qualitytime #enablement

5. .. to IMMERSE MYSELF INTO ANOTHER WORLD AND CULTURE to gain an understanding of other traditions, values, ways of working, and learning. These other ways of life broadened my perspectives and reminded me to embrace new and even scary situations – Thank you South Africa!

Concluding Take Away?– being open and curious coupled with relentless learning is an investment in one’s professional career. We often think we only belong to the industry we are in, but I have seen brilliant and successful people coming from outside my industry who stepped up in no time!?

#curious #courage #lifelonglearning ?

The free time I still enjoy today allows me to?navigate the world at my own pace, to choose what, when, and how I engage with it.?

Time also provides space to contemplate?how I give back to the world and humanity.?

Most importantly there is not only a?new attitude towards life, I also notice that my thoughts, perspectives and ideas are changing.?

Why not taking the essence from the last 35 years of my career and develop new ideas and break new grounds??

I'm excited to see how my journey continues - I will definitely report back .. But for now, I am still “sabbaticaling*” (is this even English ;))

Dear reader - thank you for spending some of your valuable time reading this. I would love to hear your feedback.?

And if you?like to learn more about what to consider when taking a sabbatical* in the midst of your career??

Reach out – I am happy to advise and share my thoughts, or visit back here in two months or so - I will write a summary to encourage everyone to consider at the least a short break to refresh their brains and recharge.?

(*)The term “sabbatical” (from Hebrew ??? schabbat, German 'stop, rest'), originating from the USA, after the Shabbat or Schmita year in the Torah (Bible), was used by professors at US universities as a term for a research semester or free semester.?