Accidental Sabbatical

Earlier this week, a friend sent me this article that blew my mind a little bit. In taking the risk to leave my job and guaranteed employment behind, did I unknowingly give myself permission to take a sabbatical? 

At first, the notion that I had volunteered to be jobless seemed a bit absurd - I always intended to have another job lined up when my contract expired. And when that didn't happen, I panicked. The concept of unemployment is a terrifying one, especially for a single woman who supports herself. It was territory I did not want to explore. I won't lie - in the months leading up to my last day at work, I was so stressed/scared about not having another job that I didn't sleep through the night even once. But over the past few days, I've had an epiphany of sorts: unemployment doesn't have to be the monster under my bed. 

In the aforementioned article, the author spoke to Vipin Goyal, the founder of SideTour, who took some time off his old job before creating his company.

"Goyal planned the sabbatical with no set notion of what he'd do afterward or job offer waiting in the wings. Instead, he wanted to use the world experience to help him shape his new ambitions. ‘The goal wasn’t to have all the answers,’ he says.”

It's an interesting perspective. I certainly don't have all the answers, which is unusual for me - I'm the kind of person who likes to have all her ducks in a row, so to speak. But maybe my idomatic ducks are better off, out of order.

"'So much of our mind is occupied by our daily routine. Taking that time off created an open space that could be filled in with new interactions with new people who brought new ideas and new perspectives.'"

And that's exactly what I want: something new! A new career. To meet new people. New challenges. New victories. A new start.

What if this time right now is actually the best gift I ever gave myself? Time to really think about what kind of career would make me happy. Time to network and finally get to know some of the successful, inspirational people in this city that I've written about for work, but never met. Time to get involved in my community. Time to rest, relax and take care of myself, both physically and emotionally. Time to talk to friends in other time zones without having to schedule a phone call. Time to simply be.

I may not have any income or any certainty about what comes next, but there's something else I don't have: any regrets. Sure, I'm still nervous. But since beginning my accidental sabbatical, I have slept through the night every night. For the first time in years, I'm happy... and I'm hopeful.