7 Golden Lessons I had from my sabbatical period

It has been a year and a half since I decided to stop my work activities and focus on all the changes that were happening and I knew would keep happening in my life. Definitely, the decision was hard to take. It was even harder to face that than when I decided to leave my country alone with my twin daughters to start a totally brand new chapter in my life.

The idea of having a break was exciting for sure, and I could not stop counting all the pros. Finally, I would find time for ME. But, on the other hand, it could cost me my career. I could become obsolete or an uninteresting person. Yeah, this was scary! But anyway, I took a deep breath and stopped working. My choice, my responsibility.

When I think back to try to understand all my fear of facing my decision, I remember a thought that would keep coming to my mind. "To go for a sabbatical will be like putting my career on a PAUSE." Now, after having already passed through this time away, knowing what I've gained with my sabbatical, and have decided that it is time to end it, I would complement my thought saying: "To go for a sabbatical is like putting the career on PAUSE, while your personal life starts going for a FAST FORWARD mode. " Or even better:

If going for a sabbatical is putting a career on pause, in the other hand, it is a chance to live and learn a lot more, in less time.

Every single thing you had allowed to escape, while fully dedicated to your professional growth, is out there waiting for you. That means that you have sooooooo much to work with. You need to adjust your eyes to realize that learning never stops. When you go deep to live an experience, it will bring you the more significant transformation that you can use any time, anywhere, in any challenge you are about to face - at work or in your life.

Going for a sabbatical is consciously choosing to live the life without any automatic pilot turned ON.

You are looking forward to taking part in absolutely everything that is happening in your life. It is a constant psychoanalysis session (if you never tried the psychoanalysis process, here I let my recommendation: go for it!). You want to see life coming, things happening, and face every moment realizing where you are entering and where it will drive you. It could sound like you have control of your life, but it doesn't exist for me. Life is an amazing improvisation, with plot twists all the time.

It is more about handling life. It is about being brave enough to be there, without excuses, managing decisions and not their absence (it is also possible to decide to not decide consciously instead of 'I can't decide'/'it is not my call' posture). It is knowing things are happening out of your control and acknowledging it. You start accepting that life is uncontrollable. You start forgiving yourself about your choices and your "not-choices" and start appreciating your journey until that moment when you need to decide if you should or not stop for a while. You also forgive yourself for deciding that. Any thought you could have had before, accusing yourself of being selfish, or impulsive, or blah blah blah (remember the accusing finger pointing to your forehead), is gone!

This is priceless... This is magical! This is the best learning I've ever had... or better: I've FELT! I've been collecting so many thoughts during this self-discovery, or self-awareness, that I realized I should have it written to register it, making all my abstract feelings and learning more real. Maybe it will be useful for me during hard times, and maybe it can help you think about it, too.

So, it is time to organize and translate all these "Golden Lessons" I had from my sabbatical and prove that there is, in fact, no career on pause when you live fully and consciously your life. Because, today, I know that experiences contribute to a lot of growth and development. Actually, there is nothing uninteresting or obsolete about me. I will always bring myself and all my experiences to my job, so if I am a better human being, I am a better professional! And my career, jobs, or functions I had or will have can not define myself, my happiness, my knowledge, and all that I can do and have to offer, to people, to companies, and the world.

If there is something unique I know about myself today is: I can do it! Give me a challenge and I will go for it, giving the best of myself to get it well done.

Here is my attempt to summarize some of my Golden Lessons so far. Enjoy it!

• Decisions are hard to take and be fully responsible for, but letting things "cool down" or go is just a way of passing the problem forward.

If you do not decide, someone will. And I can guarantee you it is better to be responsible for what you do than a "victim" of what you THINK you didn't do (yes, you think it, don't be naive, you did it: you decided to do not decide!). Saying "oh, it is his/her fault" is so weak! Be brave: take full responsibility for something today! Making mistakes will definitely not transform you into a bad professional...

• Learn to forgive yourself and to stop overthinking about the past. Believe: you don't make bad decisions!

You will always decide what you think is the best, in THAT situation, in that context, with the tools, knowledge, and information you have at that moment. Or do you really know someone that has intentionally chosen a bad direction at any moment? "Oh, turning to the right is good, so let's turn to the left!" Uh?! Decisions can show up 'as wrong' for you in the FUTURE, but this is only your mind wanting to convince you of that after acquiring the necessary background for a better decision. It is easy to think you should have gotten that question right in an exam AFTER the teacher teaching you the subject. If you didn't know the lesson, you would do it at your best with your sources. Being wrong was definitely, not your decision! Forgive yourself for your mistakes and stop thinking about them...

• Facing the unknown is not really scary. (Remember, I've exchanged a well-known work routine for a totally new one. Actually, I would need to CREATE a routine!)

Ahhh, this is defiant! Scary is being fired when you take all for granted. Scary is losing someone that you've forgotten to take care of. Scary is not knowing who you are and what you want. Scary is living without any purpose. The unknown...

• Your personal life is so important as your professional life. Having a balance between both shows how competent you are!

Repeat with me: you are not your job, you are not your career, you are not what you do for a living. Even though you still can (should) have pleasure and find meaning in what you do. The same pleasure and meaning you must have in your personal life, with yourself and loved ones. Also, you still should envision growing and developing your career, as much as all well being you envision for yourself and your loved ones. If you are spending all the gas you have at your work, maybe you are just showing that you can not handle your life (and maybe a task/assignment in the near future...), nor balance things and value yourself how you should. It also applies to those who want to take care of personal life, not caring about doing a good job! Have you decided to have a family, to study, to date, or whatever? So, DO IT WELL! It is your life; it is about YOU. If you have this as your core goal in life, you will transfer the same focus and passion to your work. If you are assigned some task, you must give your better for that! Not having regrets is the best solution for giving the most of you in any situation. Find the balance, find the peace, find your best. And you will give it to everyone, everywhere. Your job is PART of you and your life. If you do well to yourself and your life, you certainly do well at your work.

• Changing is good! Changing gives you empowerment.

I was able to let things behind and rebuild myself and my story. To change opinion, mind, feelings, perspectives, country...??There were so many things! And the best is the feeling that I have now when I look back and see the woman I became: I am proud of myself, of my choices. I've been able to plan, prepare, manage and organize a whole new life. I've been more supportive to my daughters, and I've learned how to change the sails and navigate according to new and unexpected winds.?I've discovered that I definitely know how to handle pressures and deal with hard times without losing the glitter in the eyes and the enchantment for life. If I can do it in my personal life, I can do it in any situation. What you learn in life will follow you forever. If this experience is not empowerment for you, what else is, then?

• Having time for 'doing nothing' can motivate you to do the most.

As I said, it has been one year and half of my sabbatical 'doing nothing' (cof cof cof), a long time waiting for being productive again. In fact, having this break made me understand how much I love to be committed to a cause and how much I’d love (and I am prepared) to take part in new and significant challenges with the right professionals to share goals and conquests. I discovered how much I've been missing a team to be part of! I am pretty sure that in my next endeavor, I will support and engage my colleagues, so together, we will be able to look back on our achievements and see we did something special and remarkable, without regrets.?I know I will be offering not only my best but giving the most of me.

• You always have something to gain when taking risks. Never stop trying!

This is my mantra: dare to do, again and again, reinventing and updating myself, my beliefs, and my knowledge.??If you keep taking risks, you will, at least, always have lessons to be learned, from where and what to evolve... and stories to share! In my case, as a communicative person (journalist, editor, writer, etc., etc.), my DNA smells words, really seems like a notebook... Everything sounds like a good story to me. I love to try other's shoes and taste their lives. A great story makes me feel alive. So telling and sharing them is my most forgivable and talented sin! It seems I have nothing to lose... I will keep training myself! Everyone has a lesson to learn and an inspiration to get when taking risks.

Well, wow! That was a long text, and if you were involved enough to read everything until here, I could be really thankful for that. I do APPRECIATE your patience and interest. I hope it can inspire you somehow.

For now, my biggest wish is to keep building my history as a productive person, someone who contributes to an inspiring company and project. In some way, I want to be part of peoples’ lives and stories, so I will face every single future job offer as the perfect opportunity for that, even if it will mean "the end of my career" as a Book Editor or journalist.?Remember, after all, I am not only this ;-)

Today, I don't mind at all to turn my career upside down and change my path for other directions. May the challenges come!