Does the idea of taking a sabbatical seem exciting, daunting, or maybe close to impossible to you right now? No matter what stage you are in with your sabbatical plans — be it the initial thoughts or maybe you’ve already gotten the green light to start booking your travel — it’s important to know why you’re choosing to take this break.
One of the biggest reasons for most professionals to take a sabbatical is to spend time focusing on personal growth, not just for themselves – but for their careers too!
Want to learn how a sabbatical can help you grow your career? Click here!
A sabbatical can provide extended time to assess your personal and professional life. It can be time intentionally set aside to complete your career or educational goals that were put on the back burner. Or to reevaluate your career path completely.
When you think of taking a sabbatical, what words come to mind? Maybe rest, rejuvenation, adventure, travel? That, and so much more is possible.
Sabbaticals are the way forward when it comes to improving our mental health and wellbeing, both at work and personally.
A sabbatical is an extended break from your job (or maybe an extended time in-between jobs) with a specific purpose. It gives you time to maybe enhance your academic qualifications if desired, reflect on your career, and decide how to prioritize your life and career. It also can slow things down enough for you to recover from, or avoid professional burnout.
Feeling burned out already? What if the new word of our generation was SABBATICAL instead of BURNOUT? Click here to read more
The typical duration of a sabbatical is usually about one year, much longer than a vacation, which can range from a few days to a month. We use vacation to rest and relax so that we can return to work and ‘regular life’ rejuvenated. But what if you want (or need!) more than that from your sabbatical?
Short vacations vs Sabbitcal – which one do you need? Read more.
While we truly believe rest and relaxation are vital parts of the self-growth journey, we think the biggest value in taking a sabbatical is the mental and emotional clarity it can bring!
Gain a New Perspective
For some, extended periods of time away from work can provide a different perspective on the importance of career growth versus quality time with family, friends, and self. Some people even choose to change to a career that is less demanding of their time and energy, even if it means less income. Or to find a more purposeful career that feels more aligned with their core values!
On sabbatical, we get time to truly reflect on what is important for us, not just in the moment, but in the long term. This is where self-growth comes in. Part of the journey is realizing what you truly value in your life, so you know the steps to take going forward!
Self-growth IS career growth
Our career growth is intricately linked to our self-growth. How we feel personally relates to our work, our relationships, and well, pretty much every part of life. Even though we’ve tried for years to separate our professional lives from our personal lives (or vice versa), we can’t deny that we are the same person who is running both shows.
Growth is an umbrella term, and everything is interconnected. For example, if we improve our nutrition and exercise, our body may have more energy. And we can then do more with that energy, like improved productivity or creativity in our work.
But we need to give ourselves the mental space, time, and energy to allow for the growth to happen. When you do, the more you get to know yourself. And with more self-knowledge comes self-confidence and higher self-esteem, which can make you more equipped to mold your career into what you want it to be. You become the protagonist of your own story. This is why taking time away to focus on self-growth can actually be the foundation of your career advancement.
When you are deeply connected to your core self, you can more easily set boundaries, ask for what you want, and express your opinions… all of which are very important job skills too!
A sabbatical takes you out of your comfort zone, encourages you to meet new people, challenges you with new (and perhaps sometimes uncomfortable) situations, and most importantly – it allows you to discover resources within yourself that you didn’t know existed. All of these empowering resources will help you in all aspects of both personal and professional life.
Often a lot of the challenges we face in our careers – feeling burnt out or bored, feeling uninspired or stuck, feeling as though we aren’t moving forwards, or maybe just desiring change but not knowing what steps to take – can be solved through taking time to focus on self-growth.
The more you prioritize your wellness, the better boundaries you will be able to set. You can create an environment for yourself where you’ll know exactly how to take care of yourself when stress looms, or when you feel your energy or motivation decrease.
Take a break to check in with yourself
A sabbatical can be a wonderful way to truly take stock of your life and where it’s going. Having an extended time off to focus on yourself is something we all deserve and need. Self-growth looks different for all of us too! An extended time off work can offer up the opportunity to do everything on your to-do list or bucket list, or even better, to live without them for a while! Because if not now, when?
If you’re ready to stop dreaming about your sabbatical and begin the actual preparation, allow us to help you every step of the way. We’d love to help and inspire you to make it happen. Start planning now.
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