woooo 6 months! I'm gonna try to write something like this for my one-year anniversary, it'll probably be quite long haha, also it's interesting how you remember the quote and I barely remember saying that. I've seen it happen to me too many times with other people. I guess that's the power of language and stories
can't wait for your one year reflections! hah, that's funny you barely remember saying it – I've referenced it many a times in the last few months. it's the exact sentiment I've been feeling and may not have been able to articulate otherwise
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece! I did a 7-week fractional/mini-Sabbatical earlier this year - it was wonderful. The "Collab with me" sneak peak is excellent. I'm highly interested in at least 2 of those topics!
I have been without any work for almost a year now - and after reading this I got a good reminder that it is not the end of the world (even though it is becoming financially and logistically annoying).
Ironically, I have also been trying to start writing here on substack about "cutting-edge" wellbeing methods that we are missing, with a good sprinkle of Zen Buddhism thrown in, for the same amount of time.
Thank you for showing that it ain't really that bad to be without proper employment. Even clearly highlighting how much can actually be done for ourselves and others at the same time.
This greatly goes into one of the "big 5" for wellbeing: spiritual wellbeing.
Although people think this has to do with religion, it is more a matter of identity, values and purpose. I think your journey highlights how some people might take some active steps to design, build and carry out things to do for their spiritual wellbeing. So they then are aware how it matters to them and how they can build that "spiritual wellbeing capacity" every day.
really loved this reflection! thanks for sharing :) I'm glad to hear this piece resonated with you. it's really unimaginable everything that's on the other side of the standard 9-5 day. who would've thought! I certainly had no idea
I resonate with the piece on spiritual well-being – so much of the last 6 months for me has been an exercise of introspection and connecting more deeply with who I am (and who I've always been underneath the layers)
I'd be interested in read more on the intersection of well-being and Zen Buddhism – two very important topics that aren't often intermingled and both interests of mine!
Haha, well now you are adding to some "external motivators" to finally get my writing out there. The Zen-Wellbeing fusion will be written about very soon!
Glad to read you recognise the importance of introspection and the "spiritual aspects" of our wellbeing/lives.
I think we had a small window during the last 3 years where this has been increasingly brought to our attention, mainly through some of the 2020 COVID developments, and through some of the increased popularity of Simon Sinek's "Start with why?".
It feels though to me (pure subjective, ultra-biased personal view) that this has slowly trickled away while most of us "got back to normal" - whatever that means.
The more I read Cissy the more I feel a deep kinship to your exploration and discovery. I wonder how much of our zombie-should lives is driven by our inability to think, really think and consider. 💕
really well said, Elizabeth! the culture of grasping at shoulds we all grow accustom to truly keeps us out of the deep connection to ourselves that's possible
Thanks for posting this Cissy! It's been awesome to see your journey as a writer and see you grow during your sabbatical.
I remember first meeting you back on Sundays at Writing Club and looking back, you've shifted so much! I'm glad to see this unique facet of you emerge over these past months and I look forward to where the future takes you 😄
grateful that you've been along for the ride since the start of my writing journey – appreciate your support since the beginning! throwback to identity workshop days :)
I'm in 5 months of sabbatical already, still not sure of going back to my previous identity working at tech companies :)
Been enjoying my wandering lifestyle.
It's been one of best decisions I had in recent years!
Ran for half-marathon race, went for hiking for days in my hometown (Indonesia), Japan and Portugal, been publishing my essays every week, never miss a single day of journaling, read books, made new friends, joined some online writing courses, etc.
I might also following your direction to publish the essay, thanks putting all these together.
One last thing, I'm taking 10-day vipassana too by end of this year, so looking forward what sort of experiences I'll be having and what will I become next :)
sounds like an amazing 5 months, Wyndo! thanks for sharing your Threads post – I'd love to see it in essay form :) particularly love the list of questions you outlined.
good luck on your Vipassana retreat – hope it's a deeply meaningful 10 days going into the new year!
I’m 6 months into my version of the unknown, so I related to all of this! I have a question! What do you say when people ask “what do you do?”. One time I wrote “adventurer” for occupation as a joke on the declaration form you get when I returned to New Zealand - I ended up being pulled aside to ask if I had any hiking books 😆 (NZ are strict on bringing in things that could damage our flora and fauna)
First thing, usually I told them I just quitted my job and now been traveling and exploring places while doing my own small project, which will continue to building my newsletter on substack by writing things every week. But not many people know about Substack so most of the time I got to explain what it is, lol :)
glad to hear this resonates, Mika :) that's a good question! it usually depends on the person I'm talking to – if they get the general concept of a sabbatical, I'll share that I'm on a sabbatical and rabbit hole into a convo from there
if it's for more formal forms (like your declaration form 😆), I've written Writer before. it's interesting as I've untangled myself from one sole work identity, noticing how often occupation is a mandatory field to answer. love your adventurer response!
Thanks for writing this and sharing!! Really cool to see your sabbatical journey all in one place, and learn the context of how you got to where you were when we first crossed paths during your experimentation phase 3 step.
It seems like you've really developed a strong sense of self-confidence and self-trust, which is great and inspiring!
I also like the idea behind your Collab with Me doc. I've been taking my sabbatical month-by-month and have been setting monthly intentions/goals that have helped a lot in guiding me on what to focus on. Your doc also has a component of "working in public" in finding collaborators and such that I was just thinking about recently after having a conversation with Jason Benn this weekend where I learned how much that's helped him on his journey
grateful that we met in phase 3, Ray! right back at you – it's been really heartwarming to see you strengthen your self-trust over the months as I've gotten to know you :)
the Collab with Me doc was one of my favorite projects. being able to clearly articulate my "bets" beyond what was swirling in my mind helped me be more intentional about the convos I was having & how I was spending my exploration time
Cissy, I’ve read your piece two times now and it resonates so much. I recently wound down my startup and have been on semi sabbatical ever since. Some notes I took for myself:
* your point on “deprogramming” is so apt. At some point, our habits become ambient and we lose sight of why are we doing them. It’s important to reset every so often and take inventory on how we are spending our most precious asset, our time.
* there’s an ease and effortlessness to your last point about timeline. The sabbatical will end when it ends.
* “life force” is a powerful phrase - I think I’m going to adopt it.
so glad to hear this piece resonated, Manish :) it's been interesting to find my way to the ease & effortlessness you mention – in many ways it feels like I've stepped into a new paradigm of how I intend to live the rest of my life and spend my time
rooting for you as you figure out where to exert your life force!
woooo 6 months! I'm gonna try to write something like this for my one-year anniversary, it'll probably be quite long haha, also it's interesting how you remember the quote and I barely remember saying that. I've seen it happen to me too many times with other people. I guess that's the power of language and stories
can't wait for your one year reflections! hah, that's funny you barely remember saying it – I've referenced it many a times in the last few months. it's the exact sentiment I've been feeling and may not have been able to articulate otherwise
Wooo! So excited for you Cissy. I’m hitting my three month mark and definitely having similar reflections. Super excited for the next edition :)
3 months! time's flying. excited to hear more about your reflections and excited for tomorrow – thanks for your support 🫶🏼
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece! I did a 7-week fractional/mini-Sabbatical earlier this year - it was wonderful. The "Collab with me" sneak peak is excellent. I'm highly interested in at least 2 of those topics!
love that, Lavinia! The Collab with Me was such a meaningful way to kick off my sabbatical :)
would love to hear which topics most resonate with you!
Time is flying. It is so nice to see that you are progressing so much. You preacticea and learn a lot from this. Great job!
thanks, dad ❤️
Well, this was somewhat of "in the feels" for me.
I have been without any work for almost a year now - and after reading this I got a good reminder that it is not the end of the world (even though it is becoming financially and logistically annoying).
Ironically, I have also been trying to start writing here on substack about "cutting-edge" wellbeing methods that we are missing, with a good sprinkle of Zen Buddhism thrown in, for the same amount of time.
Thank you for showing that it ain't really that bad to be without proper employment. Even clearly highlighting how much can actually be done for ourselves and others at the same time.
This greatly goes into one of the "big 5" for wellbeing: spiritual wellbeing.
Although people think this has to do with religion, it is more a matter of identity, values and purpose. I think your journey highlights how some people might take some active steps to design, build and carry out things to do for their spiritual wellbeing. So they then are aware how it matters to them and how they can build that "spiritual wellbeing capacity" every day.
really loved this reflection! thanks for sharing :) I'm glad to hear this piece resonated with you. it's really unimaginable everything that's on the other side of the standard 9-5 day. who would've thought! I certainly had no idea
I resonate with the piece on spiritual well-being – so much of the last 6 months for me has been an exercise of introspection and connecting more deeply with who I am (and who I've always been underneath the layers)
I'd be interested in read more on the intersection of well-being and Zen Buddhism – two very important topics that aren't often intermingled and both interests of mine!
Haha, well now you are adding to some "external motivators" to finally get my writing out there. The Zen-Wellbeing fusion will be written about very soon!
Glad to read you recognise the importance of introspection and the "spiritual aspects" of our wellbeing/lives.
I think we had a small window during the last 3 years where this has been increasingly brought to our attention, mainly through some of the 2020 COVID developments, and through some of the increased popularity of Simon Sinek's "Start with why?".
It feels though to me (pure subjective, ultra-biased personal view) that this has slowly trickled away while most of us "got back to normal" - whatever that means.
ah, yes that resonates. as things resume to the way they used to be, we've gotten pulled back into going through the motions
good luck to you on your writing journey :) rooting for you!
The more I read Cissy the more I feel a deep kinship to your exploration and discovery. I wonder how much of our zombie-should lives is driven by our inability to think, really think and consider. 💕
that makes me happy to hear, Elizabeth :)
really well said, Elizabeth! the culture of grasping at shoulds we all grow accustom to truly keeps us out of the deep connection to ourselves that's possible
Awesome read!
thanks for reading, Don :)
Thanks for posting this Cissy! It's been awesome to see your journey as a writer and see you grow during your sabbatical.
I remember first meeting you back on Sundays at Writing Club and looking back, you've shifted so much! I'm glad to see this unique facet of you emerge over these past months and I look forward to where the future takes you 😄
grateful that you've been along for the ride since the start of my writing journey – appreciate your support since the beginning! throwback to identity workshop days :)
Thanks for sharing your beautiful story Cissy!
I'm in 5 months of sabbatical already, still not sure of going back to my previous identity working at tech companies :)
Been enjoying my wandering lifestyle.
It's been one of best decisions I had in recent years!
Ran for half-marathon race, went for hiking for days in my hometown (Indonesia), Japan and Portugal, been publishing my essays every week, never miss a single day of journaling, read books, made new friends, joined some online writing courses, etc.
Wrote my sabbatical reflection too here https://www.threads.net/@wyndomb/post/C0stefkpati
I might also following your direction to publish the essay, thanks putting all these together.
One last thing, I'm taking 10-day vipassana too by end of this year, so looking forward what sort of experiences I'll be having and what will I become next :)
sounds like an amazing 5 months, Wyndo! thanks for sharing your Threads post – I'd love to see it in essay form :) particularly love the list of questions you outlined.
good luck on your Vipassana retreat – hope it's a deeply meaningful 10 days going into the new year!
I’m 6 months into my version of the unknown, so I related to all of this! I have a question! What do you say when people ask “what do you do?”. One time I wrote “adventurer” for occupation as a joke on the declaration form you get when I returned to New Zealand - I ended up being pulled aside to ask if I had any hiking books 😆 (NZ are strict on bringing in things that could damage our flora and fauna)
Same, lol.
First thing, usually I told them I just quitted my job and now been traveling and exploring places while doing my own small project, which will continue to building my newsletter on substack by writing things every week. But not many people know about Substack so most of the time I got to explain what it is, lol :)
It's amazing how so many people don't know about Substack. I wake up and go to sleep with Substack now! hahaha
Me too, lol
glad to hear this resonates, Mika :) that's a good question! it usually depends on the person I'm talking to – if they get the general concept of a sabbatical, I'll share that I'm on a sabbatical and rabbit hole into a convo from there
if it's for more formal forms (like your declaration form 😆), I've written Writer before. it's interesting as I've untangled myself from one sole work identity, noticing how often occupation is a mandatory field to answer. love your adventurer response!
Thanks for writing this and sharing!! Really cool to see your sabbatical journey all in one place, and learn the context of how you got to where you were when we first crossed paths during your experimentation phase 3 step.
It seems like you've really developed a strong sense of self-confidence and self-trust, which is great and inspiring!
I also like the idea behind your Collab with Me doc. I've been taking my sabbatical month-by-month and have been setting monthly intentions/goals that have helped a lot in guiding me on what to focus on. Your doc also has a component of "working in public" in finding collaborators and such that I was just thinking about recently after having a conversation with Jason Benn this weekend where I learned how much that's helped him on his journey
grateful that we met in phase 3, Ray! right back at you – it's been really heartwarming to see you strengthen your self-trust over the months as I've gotten to know you :)
the Collab with Me doc was one of my favorite projects. being able to clearly articulate my "bets" beyond what was swirling in my mind helped me be more intentional about the convos I was having & how I was spending my exploration time
You've really taken life by its reins and made yours extraordinary. What a great tail-end to your sabbatical. Loved reading this journey of yours.
thanks for reading, Becky – really loved our chat last week and appreciate your support! 😊
Thanks for sharing your journey. I started on my own similar quest some 2 months ago and can relate so well to your experiences in the early days.
hope it helps you as you navigate – good luck on a meaningful quest, Ajai!
I remember when I had that feeling at the end of my sabbatical: life would never again be the same.
Enjoyed this round up and looking forward to reading more on your double down bets.
"life would never again be the same" 💯
that's exactly how I feel. excited to share more on what's ahead this week!
Cissy, I’ve read your piece two times now and it resonates so much. I recently wound down my startup and have been on semi sabbatical ever since. Some notes I took for myself:
* your point on “deprogramming” is so apt. At some point, our habits become ambient and we lose sight of why are we doing them. It’s important to reset every so often and take inventory on how we are spending our most precious asset, our time.
* there’s an ease and effortlessness to your last point about timeline. The sabbatical will end when it ends.
* “life force” is a powerful phrase - I think I’m going to adopt it.
so glad to hear this piece resonated, Manish :) it's been interesting to find my way to the ease & effortlessness you mention – in many ways it feels like I've stepped into a new paradigm of how I intend to live the rest of my life and spend my time
rooting for you as you figure out where to exert your life force!
Interesting. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for reading :)