Time for a Change? Take a Break!

TWO UNDENIABLE TRUTHS

It seems that there may be fewer immutable realities left in the rapidly-changing modern workplace. Nevertheless, I would offer that there are at least two undeniable truths that remain...

• Very few careers proceed in a simple, linear fashion forever. A career that proceeds on an 'ever-onward, ever-upward' trajectory is a very rare thing and most careers have at least one unexpected pause.
• Most people do not take enough time away from work. Many people even believe that taking vacation will impact their career negatively. Due to this way of thinking, many Americans are overworked and burned-out as never before.

If the above two observations are true, and I contend that they are, we can join them together and come to a third truth...

As and when you encounter a pause between roles, that can be the perfect chance to take some time off.

Simple as that - Consider taking time off between roles.

Perhaps you can take off only a single day, or maybe a few weeks, or even longer... but definitely take some form of a breather, if you can. You'll benefit from the break.

I took such a break recently.

After a bump in the road of my 'ever-onward, ever-upward' career, I was faced with determining what was on the horizon for me. Seeking 'what's next' is something that I've always loved. It's exciting. But, this time something was different. Something in the back of my mind kept saying, 'Not right now. Don't do it. Just stop.'

It was obvious that I needed a bit of time to regroup, to clear my head, to put a little bounce back in my step. Since my last role had been characterized by an intense mixture of cross-country flights, international travel, and a blend of East Coast and Pacific Coast hours, I found that I needed a little time to just... stop and breathe.

I decided to travel. I scheduled a trip that included time in Israel, India and Sri Lanka. I lived simply and traveled light. And I learned some great lessons. Each of these countries taught me something that will help me in the next phase of my career.

Here are the lessons that these three lands offered to me...

THE LESSONS OF THREE COUNTRIES

Israel

Lesson: You can get a tremendous amount done in a short period of time, if you stay focused on a clear goal.

From the sacred alleyways of Old Jerusalem, to the mystical synagogues of Tzfat, to the trendy restaurants along Tel Aviv's beaches, Israel is an absolutely spectacular country. Israel is a feast for the senses and for the mind, a place where you can ponder life's big questions or simply sit still while listening to the waves crash into the beach.

On the night before I left Israel, my friend on this leg of the trip and I sat on my hotel balcony in Tel Aviv. We took in one of the world's most impressive urban skylines. Tel Aviv is growing quickly. It made us consider how much Israel has been able to accomplish in only sixty-nine years. In fact, it's nothing short of amazing. The citizens of Israel have been able to accomplish this because they have had a clear goal of building a dynamic and modern state in a part of the world that is, candidly, not know for either.

Israel taught me that you can accomplish a great deal in a short period of time when you are focused on a clear goal.

India

Lesson: The best response to adversity is having a vision for a better future while gently influencing others toward it.

I have spent nearly a quarter of the last decade in India. My familiarity with the country is very high, but there is always something new to see in India. Prior to this visit, I had been to twelve Indian states. But I had never been to Puducherry, a former French colony on the southeast coast of India that is now one of India's seven union territories.

So, off to Puducherry I went.

I spent a good portion of my time in Puducherry at an ashram founded by a man named Sri Aurobindo, an Indian yogi born in the 19th-century who was involved in the fight for India's independence from Great Britain. Because Sri Aurobindo was a thorn in the side of the British Raj, he spent much of his life on the run, but he did not relent in his consistent and gentle advocacy for Indian independence.

Sri Aurobindo lived to see India's independence from Britain only three years before he passed away in 1950. Not only did Sri Aurobindo play a role in the eventual establishment of India as a republic, he also founded a school of spiritual discipline named savitri, which continues to have adherents until today. I took the above picture of a dragonfly at the Sri Aurobindo Institute, the heart of modern savitri.

In India, I was reminded that a peaceful and relentless persuasion will always win out against strength and bluster.

Sri Lanka

Lesson: If you seek to do one thing at a time very well, you will be both successful and satisfied.

Sri Lanka, an island nation off the southern tip of India, was the real surprise of my trip. A lush and beautiful place, Sri Lanka contained almost everything that I love about India without many of the things that... I like less about India (said diplomatically). Sri Lanka was clean, green, had reasonable traffic, and was filled with people who had a certain calmness to them that I enjoyed.

As I spent time in Sri Lanka, it occurred to me that I had never before been in a Buddhist-majority country. As someone who has been meditating daily for more than a year and a half, this was my first time in a culture that was infused with meditation. It was a very calm and peaceful place for me to finish my trip.

While visiting a temple in Colombo, I sat at the foot of a sacred bodhi tree and listened to a woman and her grandmother chanting Buddhist prayers together for more than forty minutes. Watching them convicted me that I spend far too much of my life trying to do multiple things at once... chat, text, e.mail, conference calls. Life's beautiful moments are best experienced one at a time. And working with a singular focus on one item at a time will also deliver greater success, I believe.

In Sri Lanka, I was reminded that being focused on one thing at a time is the best recipe for success.

IN SUMMARY...

Taking a break between phases of your career can be immensely helpful. The duration and location of the break is not all that important. If you take a couple of days to gorge on your favorite Netflix series, or you decide to get on a plane and see some foreign lands, just take some time to clear your head.

You'll know what is right. Just listen to that still, small voice and what it is telling you.

As I prepare to get the next phase of my career underway, I approach the horizon with a clearer head and a little bounce back in my step. I'm ready to swing for the back fences! Had I just gotten right back into the hunt for my next role without a pause, I am convinced that both I and my future colleagues would have been the poorer for it.

And now... onward and upward!

@TriquetraIT on Twitter