How LinkedIn unexpectedly got me many coffee talks (in real life)

I've been on my sabbatical for a little over one month now ... and it's better than anticipated (but also different from what I expected).

When I published on LinkedIn the 31st of October that it's my last day at the office, I didn't expect the network to react as it did.

I was overwhelmed by the many likes (always great for the ego ??) and the numerous nice comments. It affected me more than I anticipated and I realised that quitting a company after over 21 years is a process that takes time to digest (if you must know, yeah I had watery eyes reading comments ).

I also got many personal messages on LinkedIn from people I had lost contact with. Usually, I have many good excuses for not keeping contact (no time, other priorities, what should we talk about...). For my sabbatical, I decided to act and go and meet my network. Coffee talks ?? to catch up with people in real life! 

I've met people from three continents, from as far as 15 years back and even people I had never spoken too before (LinkedIn aquaintances). 

And it's fantastic! ??

• People have unexpected life stories (beyond the resumé - learning the why of their choices is incredible). Listening to them allows me to put my own experiences in perspective and I get so much food for thoughts (and also tips for further readings??).
• To listen, to be open and to have no agenda allows for meaningful conversations (my usual coffee meeting lasts 2 hours!... and we usually part with the feeling, it's only the beginning of the conversation).
• Many people are asking themselves relevant questions about their professional and personal choices (past, present and future). I realise that the stuff that made me decide to "restart with 50" is nagging many people - independent of age - and I often hear explanations of what they wish to do, but struggle with the acting on their wishes.

I planned to read a lot, do more sports and was afraid of doing nothing at home. I manage to do both reading and (a some) sports, but more so, I'm drinking lots of coffee, listen to podcasts while travelling across Switzerland to meet my network and I'm loving it!

I need to arrange my new job in a way to be able to keep up with meeting people, learning from them (and providing service to my network).

?? For now, I've still some "lazy" weeks ahead of me. If you feel like having a coffee with me and start a conversation, don't hesitate to contact me (comment or PM) for a coffee (ideally, somewhere in the Lake Geneva area).

Best regards

Kai

PS: I also spend many hours on homework with my kiddies + I went from basic heating up stuff to be able to cook (following cookbooks, but working up degrees of complexity).