This week, I set a date.
That’s right. I set a date for when I will officially be starting my sabbatical. I’m not ready to share what my date is just yet, but suffice to say, a year from now, I will be taking a sabbatical from my job.
While I’ve now been planning for a sabbatical for some time, I hadn’t yet finalized some of the details – like setting a date.
So, what led me to set a date with such conviction this week?
Picture this: working all weekend and too many nights this week. Feeling beyond burned out and underappreciated.
I had set up some time about a week ago with my HR partner to talk through something I wanted to discuss with my boss. Instead of sticking to the script, I ended up breaking down into a blubbering fountain of tears. I was mostly incoherent at some points.
The one saving grace? Having the call via Zoom instead of having such a massive breakdown in my HR partner’s office.
Let’s just say the meeting didn’t go at all as planned.
The following day I had a job interview at a different company. In many ways, the position was a job I “should” want. It is intended to be a successor to a C-suite position. Theoretically, it’s the job that I aspire to.
But I’m not so sure anymore that I want that role. My head tells me to be ambitious. (Probably because in my head, money motivates me). But my gut tells me that’s not what I actually want.
I want to have time with my kids, with my spouse, with my friends. I want to have time to exercise and cook and do all of the things I enjoy.
So I told the interviewers I wasn’t interested. “Not right now” is what I said. Maybe someday I will want that role, but not today.
I’m not in a place where I’m ready to be taken off track of my sabbatical plan. While it is hard to say no to good opportunities, I believe that sometimes saying no allows us to say yes later.
That is why I had to set a date. I can’t keep saying no to opportunities if I don’t have a firm date in mind.
And you know what? Setting the date helps me finally feel free.
This post is part of our Sabbatical Sundays series. To read more, click here.
