I told one of my oldest friends (we go back to middle school) that I was planning to quit my job and take a sabbatical.
“You’re such a millennial,” was her reply.
(Technically, I’m an “elder millennial” – I barely make the cutoff.)
Rather than be happy for me, she thinks my plan is flaky. She asked if I was going to become a scuba instructor in Bali.
As much as that would be awesome, I’m not Elizabeth Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love.” Also, just the thought of scuba diving makes me feel claustrophobic. So, I won’t be transforming into a Bali scuba instructor anytime soon.
Instead, I plan to take my kids and spouse with me as I travel around the world.
But hearing the skepticism from my friend made me realize how hard it’s going to be when I actually quit my job.
Most people aren’t going to be happy for me. They aren’t going to think I’m doing the right thing.
Instead, they are going to be jealous. Unfortunately, that jealousy is going to come out in the form of judgment.
Having this conversation with my friend made me realize a piece of my sabbatical plan I haven’t yet thought much about – finding support. It also made me realize I need to focus on finding people over the next few months who will support me in my journey.
I need folks who are excited about my next adventure. Encouragers, not discouragers.
I’ve focused so much on planning for my sabbatical, on what I’m going to do, and how I’m going to fund it that I haven’t focused on my community. This includes the people (besides my immediate family) I’m going to do it with.
So that’s the next step as I prepare for my sabbatical – finding those who support me.
This post is part of our Sabbatical Sundays series. To read more, click here.
