Sitting in office desk… you dream of taking that trip around your favorite cities across the world that you have always wanted to, You want to give your full attention to your newborn baby, You want to give time to family, you want to reconsider your current job or You just want to take a break and just stay at home……. You want some time to get away from it all but the thought of taking leave or quitting job scares you. Taking a sabbatical from career feels insecure. Can you pick up from where you left? What if you cannot get back on same track? These questions haunt you and you just continue to do what you are doing.
A sabbatical does not necessarily have to be a forced leave. In fact, the less it is forced and more with the flow, the better it is for you. You are the best judge of your situation and if taking a break seems to be the most realistic and practical thing to do…… go ahead. You will regret not taking it later. There are lot many benefits of taking some time off from career. Here are few steps that will make you say Yes!!!!
- Rethink – Time to rethink gives you the opportunity to weigh your options and without any bias. In fact, this is the best time to research, read, travel, learn a new skill, reacquaint with friends and also look at your life with a different set of lens. A liner life routine often does not show us the curves of our life graph and we just continue accepting the linearity. A different lens will give a different vision…and who knows, maybe that vision is what you need to go for next.
2. Reset – Once you have thought about it, next step is to plan for it which means to actually put in your application for leave or resign. This is the toughest and the best part. In fact this step actually liberates you and you are relieved of the trappings. It’s a bold and a beautiful step. Resetting is a step out of the comfort zone but that is what gives you the wings to fly again.
3. Rejuvenate – Finally you are living what you had only thought of and no better happiness than doing it at your own will. Personally, a sabbatical rejuvenates you from all angles. You not only are physically more revived but mentally and emotionally too. This timeline will create moments, memories and milestones. You will treasure these feelings all your life.
4. Restart – Now that you have done what you wanted to. It’s time to restart again with new vigour and vitality. Few changes, few adjustments and new perspectives. Whether it’s your new role, new job or same role and same job, you are not what you were when you took that sabbatical. You are a new version of yourself raring to go.. And this positivity is well reflected in whatever you do.
Sabbaticals save you from stagnation and serve your senses. So, say yes to a sabbatical!!!!
You may also want to read other articles written by the same author ‘Decoding Stress‘, ‘Communication made easy…‘, , ‘Personal Finance Planning’, ‘Are you financially fit?’, ‘3 M’s… Mantra for Morale‘ , ‘Tips for effective interaction with management’, ‘Adapting to global work culture – locally‘, ‘8 Advantages of Online tutoring as a work from home career‘, ‘6 Tips for health management at workplace‘, ‘Marriage and Finance‘, ‘Passion with a Purpose‘.
About the author:
Padmaja Acharya – From the ancient language of Sanskrit comes my name ‘Padmaja’, derived from Padma (meaning lotus) and Ja (meaning to take birth from). A woman as created by the divine. An Engineer and MBA by virtue of education. A dance choreographer, teacher by virtue of passion. A soft skill trainer and educator by profession. An author and speaker as guided by my calling. This is what encompasses me.
(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)
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