Uncoveries

Uncovering Your True Self - Energy Design & Energy Healing

Sabbatical

7 Reasons To Take A Sabbatical

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7 Reasons To Take A Sabbatical

To take a sabbatical or not to take a sabbatical—that is the question.

Taking a sabbatical may seem like a scary idea, one full of emptiness and the unknown. It can feel like a precarious venture, as most sabbaticals are periods of time without much inflow of income, stability and the other niceties that come with a full-time job and the regular day-to-day.

Yet the idea of a sabbatical is also exciting. It sparks dreams of exploration, adventure, and leaving the old behind. There’s a sense of intrigue that simply won’t shake itself, despite your best efforts to remain grounded.

Having taken a sabbatical myself, I know how scary it can be. I also know from retrospect that I’d absolutely recommend it.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. – Henry David Thoreau

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7 Lessons Learned The Year After My Sabbatical

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This is the last article of the series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). In my previous post, I shared nine areas I decluttered as I focused on my version of a high quality life. Below, I reflect on the following lessons learned the year after my sabbatical.

“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”

– Paulo Coelho

In early 2015, my six-month sabbatical drew to an end.

I’d spent the last three months building up the framework of and talking to people about Uncoveries, but as my funds drew low, I was once again faced with the question of how to earn a living.

The following months were frustrating. I went through a bad rut during that period as my limited perspective led me down a path that my intuition knew wasn’t right for me. But all things are transitory and pass in time.

These seven lessons learned the year after my sabbatical were invaluable.

I wouldn’t have learned them without taking the leap and experiencing what I did. My hope is these learnings will help you in making brave leaps or changes in your life.

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9 Areas To Declutter For A High Quality Life

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This is the fifteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). This week, I expand on how decluttering helped change my life by sharing the 9 main areas of focus.

“Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual.”

– Linda Breen Pierce

When you’re busy running from one thing to the next, it’s easy to miss a lot of things.

Clutter tends to hide more clutter.

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How Decluttering Helps You Change Your Life

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This is the fourteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Last time, I talked about how the most important aspect of your life is often a lesson we need again and again. Below, I share the role decluttering played in building up Uncoveries and crafting the life I really wanted.

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”

– Joshua Becker

I’d made big progress in quitting a job that wasn’t fitting.

The next contributor was key in how Uncoveries got started and how I embarked on the path I’m on today.

Before I left for Prague, Anthony and I attended a conference on simple living and met a likeminded community of folks who were questioning the pressure around the fast-paced and constant consumerism in mainstream culture. The conference inspired me to barely buy any souvenirs during my trip; the past me likely would’ve bought at least three times more.

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The Most Important Aspect Of Your Life

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This is the thirteenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Last time, I shared 10 ways to foster creativity in your daily life. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned to be the most important yet the most often neglected aspect of many peoples’ lives.
The Most Important Aspect of Your Life

“The only really important thing, at the end of the day, is your health. If you haven’t got that, then all the money in the world isn’t going to bring you happiness.”

– John Caudwell

I used to be really good at prioritizing other things before taking care of myself.

This was not only mentally—in terms of self-esteem, self-talk and other mental traps I fell into—but also physically.

I didn’t exercise regularly during college and the first few years of work. Although I never indulged in too many sweets due to my savory tooth, I didn’t eat well. Likely too much pizza and tator tots, as much as I’d like to believe otherwise.

During the most hectic periods of work, I’d continue working without getting up for a glass of water or bathroom break until hours later. I’d purposefully ignore my body’s signs. And so at some point my body stopped sending signals, which wasn’t a good thing.

A recipe headed towards disaster.

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10 Ways To Foster Creative Ideas

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This is the twelfth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Previously, I shared the process of how I came to realize the real purpose of a sabbatical. Here I share 10 ways to foster creative ideas from what I learned in my sabbatical and post-sabbatical days.
Ways to Foster Creative Ideas

“Creative activity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are located in the same individual.”

— Arthur Koestler

The creative ideas didn’t come initially.

While my sabbatical was meant to be open-ended and exploratory, I was secretly hoping that some revolutionary idea would shine down one day in all its glory and clarity.

Eureka—I’d know the answer to what was next for me. It’d have made a great story, but unsurprisingly that didn’t actually happen.

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The Real Purpose Of A Sabbatical

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This is the eleventh article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). In my previous post, I shared several realizations about the value of quitting from the day I turned in my notice to when I walked out the office building, never to return. Here, I talk about my early sabbatical days and the real purpose of a sabbatical.
The real purpose of a sabbatical

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” 

― John Lubbock

It was the first Monday after my last day of work. That Friday, my husband, cousin and I had gone out for a celebratory dinner and I tried my first (and likely, last) cigar. The cigar was a novelty act, more a symbol of the new chapter in my life than something I wanted to try out.

My cousin was staying with us during his internship, adding up to a household of three that summer. Every morning, he and my husband walked out the door for their jobs and left me to myself.

An introvert’s dream—or so I thought.

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Realizations From Quitting My Job

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This is the tenth article following The Irony of Quitting My Job to Take a Sabbatical, the first in a series on what I learned and what I’d recommend from quitting my job to take a six-month sabbatical (without another job in sight). Last time, I shared eight considerations I took into account prior to taking the leap. In this article, I share some funny details and key realizations from the day I quit my job to my last day of work.
Realizations From Quitting My Job

“‘Winners never quit,’ we’re told, when, in reality, winners quit all the time: choosing to stop doing things that aren’t creating the results they desire.”

– Jim Allen

The day I planned to quit my job, I switched back and forth between serenity and childlike giddiness.

I was fully set on the decision, but there were a couple tiny details.

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