Sabbatical Sundays Archives

07Nov 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

The Best Question to Help You to Find Your Purpose

“You cannot be anything you want to be -- but you can be a lot more of who you already are."- Strengthsfinder 2.0, Tom Rath As part of my work to figure out what’s next after my sabbatical, I’ve been doing a lot of reading in order to try to find my purpose. I’ll share a list of recommended books at a later point in time. One of my recent purchases was StrengthsFinder 2.0. For those who aren’t familiar with it, StrengthsFinder is part of Gallup. It leverages enormous amounts of data to help people uncover their strengths. I highly recommend it. In the intro to the book, Tom Rath challenges the conventional wisdom about trying to improve your weaknesses and, notably, that you can be anything you want to…

31Oct 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

The Great Resignation – Why We All Want to Take a Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

In case you’ve missed the news lately, one of the biggest talking points is “The Great Resignation.” It seems everyone is quitting their jobs these days and effectively leaving the labor force with undefined plans about what to do next. The Great Resignation As an “elder millennial,” here are my thoughts on The Great Resignation, why I plan to take a sabbatical, and why I think so many are in the same boat. 1. We Have Already Lived Through Several Recessions and Know Our Country’s Reslilancy One of the primary reasons to work is to make money. But, having lived through several recessions, I know that what goes down must come up and vice versa. What does this mean? We will experience another market crash. But it isn’t going to…

24Oct 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Quitting Your Job Without a Plan

Sabbatical Sundays

James Clear posted some timely questions in his weekly habits email recently. One of his questions was: “If you want to find a better path, you have to be willing to explore a different path. Sounds simple, but how often do you try something different?” I’m now just a few months away from quitting my current role. While I have some specific plans, I’m not entirely sure what’s next. That’s right, I’m going to quit my job and take a sabbatical, but I don’t have an exact plan. This has led to sleepless nights lately. I’ve Googled “what’s my purpose in life” (I’ll save you the time, Google can’t answer this one for you…), watched numerous Ted Talks, listened to podcasts, and have been reading books trying to figure out…

26Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Best Unique Travel Resources for Planning a Trip

Sabbatical Sundays, Travel

I remember a trip to Ireland about 15 years ago. We drove across the entire country. How did we know where to go? We purchased an Irish road atlas from a travel store. I also used Mapquest (yes, remember Mapquest?!) to pull up the step-by-step directions on my home computer, then I printed them out and brought the printed directions on our trip. Now, I often travel to cities and don’t even do restaurant research ahead of time. I just use my Google Map to find-top rated restaurants “near me.” As we plan our extended trip for my sabbatical, here are the top unique travel resources I’m relying on to plan our search. Top Travel Resources for Planning a Trip We have become so incredibly dependent on the internet, but…

12Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Where Should I Travel Next Internationally? 9 Unconventional Ways to Figure It Out

Sabbatical Sundays

When you have an extended period of time to travel, like I will with my sabbatical, or even when you are just planning your next week-long vacation, you have to figure out where you should travel next. Have you been considering traveling abroad and found yourself asking, “Where should I travel internationally?” If so, these tips can help you figure it out. Ways to Figure Out Where to Travel Internationally Figuring out where to travel abroad doesn’t need to come down to spinning a globe and going wherever your finger lands. There are some unconventional ways to find an international travel destination that you’ll enjoy visiting. Here are some out-of-the-box ways to answer the question, “Where should I travel next internationally?” 1. Consider Your Personal Bucket List Do you have…

05Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

How to Plan a Sabbatical Abroad

Sabbatical Sundays

Now that I have a plan for what I’m going to do during my sabbatical, I’ve really started getting into the weeds with more planning. Of course, taking at least part of my sabbatical abroad means a very different set-up than if I was taking it at home. But that’s part of the fun of it all. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to take you down my rabbit hole of planning a sabbatical abroad. How to Plan a Sabbatical Abroad Here are the four main steps to planning an international sabbatical and what you have to look forward to over the next few weeks. 1. Decide Where to Go As I previously announced, we are going to take our sabbatical in Europe. But, we have to…

29Aug 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

I’ve Got Job Offers. Now What?

Sabbatical Sundays

In the last few months, my job prospects have improved dramatically. I continue to get growth opportunities at my current job, and I have had numerous outreaches and offers for other great jobs. So what’s the problem? I want to take a break from my career in the form of a sabbatical, not climb the ladder. Or do I? All of these reminders that I’m good at what I do for my career throw me into a spiral of doubt. I start thinking about making more money, having more friends at work, and contributing more to the world through the work I do. I think, “Maybe I don’t need a break after all. Why was I even planning to take a break in the first place?” These feelings make me both…

22Aug 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

What I’m Going to Do During My Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to do during my sabbatical. This includes more writing, exercising, cooking, and spending more time with my spouse, kids, and dogs. But, recently, I’ve realized that COVID has allowed me the time at home to do all of these things. While I love it, I know that my sabbatical will need to be about more than just that. But what exactly is that? Now I know what that is. For my sabbatical plan, we are going to spend 4-6 weeks in Europe as a family. The details are still being worked out. Obviously, some of the COVID variants are throwing this into a bit of flux. However, in Europe, cases tend to be better than in the U.S. But…

08Aug 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

$100,000 Savings Goal Update

Sabbatical Sundays

This week, I’m providing you with an update on my journey towards saving $100,000 to take a sabbatical. As you know, I’ve chosen this amount based on a specific savings plan with my “why’s” in mind. At the end of this month, when some equity I have in my company vests, I will have reached my goal. There won’t be a big party or celebration. The calendar will just roll over, and it will be another day. In fact, I’m not even planning to take my sabbatical for some time yet. Why not? That’s a story for another post. So, what does this mean for my day-to-day life? Not much. Just like when people hit whatever goal they are aiming for, whether it’s a million dollars, a FIRE number, a weight loss…

28Jul 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

What Simon Biles and Naomi Osaka Can Teach Us About Taking a Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

When Simone Biles announced this week that she was dropping out of the team's Olympic gymnastic event and then the all-around individual event, I felt inspired. I was glad that she put her mental and physical health first and it made me more inspired and ready to take my own break. I felt the same way when Osaka declined a press conference for her mental health (and was subsequently booted from the French Open, which was outrageous). If you haven't read her article in Time, it's worth the read. These women are putting their health and well-being first, and it has been great to see the outpouring of support for them as well as the increased spotlight on mental health. I haven't seen much about the connection between mental health and…

Download the Fund Your Freedom Toolkit!