I’m back from my radical sabbatical

I’m back. Yup, back from my radical sabbatical and raring to go.

Now, I know that most of us can’t just say “Gone fishing” or “Gone camping” or “Gone shopping” for a month. That is unless some difficult illness or family issue rears its ugly head. And that is certainly not a fun way to take a break.

I took the month off because I was starting to go in circles, and I was losing my mojo. Yup, it happens.

While I have always been known as the energizer bunny, what I used to do to keep on keeping on was no longer working. So, I took a deep breath to recalibrate.

Here is what I learned.

1. What worked in the past may no longer work in the present. Times change, priorities change, energies change, and those of us who have been successful using a certain formula may become oblivious to the need to find a different path. That is called “stuck.”
2. Patterns are meant to be transformed: You know the saying “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always gotten.” The fun in life is finding new and unique ways to keep your mind sharp and your body healthy. Transforming patterns is fun and fulfilling.
3. Ask and you shall receive: That’s right. Once you ask for new and creative solutions and you stand still long enough for the new to show up, magic can happen. That’s when the synchronicities come into life and every day becomes like a happy holiday.
4. You are worth it: Often we stay stuck because so many people depend on us. We wear the same type of clothes, we eat the same type of food, we watch the same series on television, we call the same friends and colleagues. We often saying the same things over and over without realizing we are in the rinse and repeat model of life. Taking even a short time to re-evaluate says you care about yourself.
5. Having an “aha” moment builds new excitement: Taking a different path to work, talking to people you might ordinarily ignore, reading a book that has been gathering dust on the shelf, these may all lead to opening the door to the next level of the new you that you have been yearning for.
6. You can be in charge of change: If you stay stuck too long something usually forces you out of the rut. It often comes in the form of disappointment at work, dissolving of relationships, or even having to deal with the challenge of floods or fires. If you have no real understanding of how to manage change you are at the mercy of others and often that is when fear runs rampant. When you learn to handle change, even what is difficult can be mastered more effectively.
7. Creative options can become the new norm: Once you clear your mind and have the luxury of looking at what is working and what is not working you can find the best path that has heart and meaning. Then joy shows up and its time for you to make your next best contributions.

In the past month, I have met some amazing people, often by accident that have helped me clarify what I want to be doing for the next period in my life.

I have hired some top-notch people to help with the webinars and e-learning programs that I want to replace most of the retreats I have done for so many years. I needed fresh ideas and they are arriving like beautiful spring flowers.

Once the programs are finished my focus will be on writing another book.

This one about some of the fascinating adventures that my husband Herb and I have had around the world. I want to write about what it was like to hike the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu in Peru, spend time in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil, Trek the Milford Track in New Zealand, walk the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, and meditate with the venerable Buddhist monk Thick Nhat Hanh in China.

This will not be a travel story, it will be about how each radical sabbatical changed me from the inside out. It is about the power of experiences over material goods. It is about moving from fear to you may have guessed it, from fear to love.

My recent radical sabbatical made me even more sure that this type of break from work is a great idea for all of us and should be part of a wellness program in all companies. It can be for a day, a week or longer. The number of days is less important than the intention. Like, taking a break and being adamant about no work during that time.

I hope all of you reading this will look at the opportunity to take some time to reinvent yourself. If you want some ideas on how to do this to find what you are looking for, give me a call.

I’m back in business.

Best,

Sylvia