My career break journey – an astonishing first week!

Last week I told the world (my LinkedIn sized world anyway) that I quit my job to take a career break. The goal is to re-discover my career calling in the fourth quarter. The response to that post was amazing and I’ve had the opportunity to catch up with so many people since. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve said, or have heard from others, “You’re not the only one who feels that way.” I will be writing more about how people are feeling and what’s behind the enthusiastic responses I have been getting.

In this post I will attempt to describe what was going through my mind the first few days with no job. I hope that this is helpful to others on their career journey whether taking a career break or not.

I’m free

Day 1. I’m driving home after dropping my company items off at the office. The feeling is euphoric. So many thoughts rushing through my head; what should I do first, should I take it easy or get right into my new “job”, and shouldn’t I be worried about something right now? Since I was working right up to the last day, this really was like the proverbial weight dropping off my shoulders. I felt the most freedom I have in a long time.

Okay… I’m not about to bore you with the details of each day. There really was a lot going on in my mind on that drive home and a lot of things have happened since. The feeling of euphoria is still with me, and although I did take it easy in the first week, I’ve been quite active in my pursuit (thus my rather late reflections of week 1).

I am even more excited now about exploring my why and where I want to play. Of course, as is usual in life, things aren’t always rosy, but I believe that working through these things is an essential part of the learning and evolving process.

Below are some themes representing my reflections from the first week.

…if you’re looking for the shortcut to enlightenment, then a career break might do it for you – on the drive home.

No allegiances

This was one of the first thoughts I had on that drive home. Since I have absolutely no allegiances or responsibilities to any organisation, I only represent myself and my own interests. My brain now has the permission to think freely without bias. The profound affect that this had on me can’t be overstated and it still surprises me how liberating that feeling is.

For the last 30 years, I have been duty-bound to one company or another. Because we are so close to our work life, we take the culture, strategy, and politics into our personal lives, without even realising it. This may be especially true for those involved in establishing the strategies given the buy-in required at that level. But it’s also true for others; consider that a company’s primary goals is to have alignment of culture and strategy across the whole organisation.

This doesn’t mean that we can’t think for ourselves. But it does find ways to creep into our personal dialogue, and over time might result in us prioritising our company’s interests over our own. Or even losing track of what our own interests were in the first place.

I should point out that every company absolutely needs to pursue the best strategies and culture for itself. In fact, having a great strategy and culture is often what makes a company a great place to work. The learning for me is that it helps to check in on our own needs every now and then. And you don’t need a career break to do it. Checking in with yourself frequently will allow you to find a balance between your and your company’s interests. But if you’re looking for the shortcut to enlightenment, then a career break might do it for you – on the drive home…

I’m living in the moment and having fun

I’m using the power of fun to fuel my journey.

One of my previous CEOs used to end his emails with “I hope you’re having fun.” He probably did this because he knew that if his people could see the fun in what they were doing, then they were fully engaged in it. And I imagine that he also really wanted to know if they were actually enjoying what they were doing.

I’m using the power of fun to fuel my journey.

I view my current journey as interesting, exciting, and fun.

Think about this: how often does one get to explore their industry so freely as I am doing? I’m looking at all the different angles that make up the machine of the energy industry. I’m talking with leaders who represent the full spectrum of stakeholders (there are many), and getting their views on the role that each sector will play in the future.

Importantly, I want to explore was drives people in the fourth quarter of their career. There are many inspirational leaders in my industry and they are clearly passionate about what they are doing. I’m trying to find out what their secret is.

Lastly, I’m asking the tough questions; something I enjoy immensely. Questions such as: what is causing the great resignation, what are the opportunities that can come out of it for businesses and their people, and what changes can leaders make to better engage their fourth quarter group?

Being able to explore this has me feeling a bit like a kid in a candy store.

A comment on self-talk

At the start of this blog, I alluded to the fact that any journey will have its potholes along the way. Self-talk is something that all of us encounter daily, both positive and negative. It’s no surprise that negative self-talk would arise at a time of significant personal change. It’s our brain’s protection mechanism trying to save us from pain. To my brain, what I’m doing comes across as an attack on what I know and am familiar with.

I have found a few negative self-talks creeping into my thoughts. Can I afford to do this financially? What will my extended family and friends think of me? Will the senior leaders in my industry think less of me? Will people think I am lazy and just taking a break? Shouldn’t I be looking for another job already?

On the other hand, there’s been a ton of positive self-talk. The feelings of freedom I mentioned above. I feel powerful and strong for taking this on. My story resonates with so many people. I’m starting a dialogue that is not only helping me but others as well. I already feel like I’m living closer to my calling just by doing this.

…we can use both the positive and negative self-talk to drive us forward.

I am a strong believer that we can use both the positive and negative self-talk to our benefit. Even a little bit of attention focused on the positive provides the much-needed energy to drive us forward. On the other hand, I find that when I acknowledge the negative, provide reassurance, and then direct my attention back to my why I end up with an even greater level of confidence in myself afterwards.

Over to you

Although I’ve been getting many people contacting me directly (and very happy to continue to be contacted this way), I’d really like to get a discussion going amongst more people. If you’d like to, please put your thoughts in the comment box below and let’s start a group conversation.

Some thought starters to get you going:

• Is it important that you are living your calling or just a nice-to-have?
• Has self-talk got in the way of your career before?
• Does my journey resonate with you?
• Have you already undertaken a similar journey?

Looking forward to the discussion.