Let’s pretend we’re having a Saturday (errr Wednesday?) morning cup o’ joe together…

ME: Amsterdam and Sweden were my favorite… now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the juicy stuff. For the last couple of months, I’ve been thinking a lot. About busyness, purpose, getting unstuck, why people get stuck, and fully living – like full out knock your socks off, you are so ALIVE and present that it’s contagious – living.

I know I’m not alone in these thoughts as I’ve had other people either ask me how to get “there” or they make fleeting negative comments that suggest they are stuck there.

YOU: {Shake your head in agreement and make that face of “ugh, yes I totally know this and I can count 5 people off the top of my head that would be in that category.”}

ME: Do you ever feel like you just lose sight of where you are going or you feel stuck in a rut but you can’t see your way out? Like life is a little more stressful and ho-hum, instead of playful and yee-haw?

YOU: Ugh, yes.

ME: Yeah, I know, right? Welllll, as I was traveling, I totally uncovered a secret antidote! I never noticed it before, but it’s one thing that has always pulled me out of that rut before.

YOU: {Looking on eagerly like I have found the magic pill, Wizard of Oz, and the fountain of youth all combined into one whamo!}

ME: The antidote: Mental Sabbatical.

Hang with me, Katie… since my vacation and PURPOSEFULLY implementing my ho-hum antidote…my energy, enthusiasm, and zest for life is in full force…like I am getting 4x more things accomplished (that fill me up), living presently, making big changes in business, and playing SO much more in my life. Yeah, yeah, veggies and nourishing food are great – but this antidote alone did wonders. You HAVE to try it.

YOU: You going to share it or just keep talking about how amazing it is?

ME: Okay, take notes.

Mental Sabbatical.

Just so we are on the same page… I’m thinking of sabbatical as an “opportunity to cease working on what you regularly do, with an intention of achieving something” (from constructivelyproductive.com). It originates from the biblical word Sabbath, or day of rest.

Sabbatical is not just a vacation. We can lounge on a beach, thinking of trivial things, reading trashy magazines and be relaxed (don’t get me wrong – I love a good no-brainer vacation). But a sabbatical is taking time away from work, regular responsibilities, people, and routine- to really start exploring, experiencing, discovering, and PURPOSEFULLY identifying the imbalances, direction, and desires.

A sabbatical is there to GET OUT of the rut. Get direction. Get connected. And get on FIRE for your life again! Professors do it, why can’t we??? (This is me and my professor –>)

YOU: Yeah, but we can’t all take 3 weeks off and travel. {Thinking to yourself…do I always have to be the voice of reason for Katie?}

ME: Yeah, I know. And a 1x/year mental sabbatical just doesn’t cut it for me. SO I tested the Mental Sabbatical during a 1-hour ditty and 3-hour ditty and BOOM. Still a dynamite response.

Here’s how it goes down, or up for that matter:

The Mental Sabbatical is time to step back from life, review it and decide whether anything needs to change. Without checking in with ourselves – we’ll never know if we are truly on the right path. We may wake up in 5, 10, 30 years and wonder, “how the hell did I get here – so unhappy, stuck, unsettled, and chunky?” You missed the mental sabbatical and check-in.

Some people may take a sabbatical for health, desires, purpose, travel, experiences, breaking the routine, self-rejuvenation, re-grouping, gain clarity, or to develop a new skill.

I propose a 1-day, 1/2 -day or 1-hour Mental Sabbatical. 

One of my business mentors calls this hip-hop-shabbat where every Saturday there is no technology (phone, computer, etc.) with her and her fiancé. They garden, dance, eat, relax, create, and re-boot. It’s getting out of the old routine, allowing creativity to ignite, and rejuvenation (personal and relationship) to set back in.

Without this time we dig our trenches (boredom, defaulting, and __{insert your depleting descriptive word___} deeper and deeper.

Sabbatical Mind How-to:

1. Designate the time. (Have kids? Swap kid watching with another parent. Have a demanding job? Schedule 1 hour during the lunch break. Can’t find the time? Stop being on social media. You’ll find the time for what matters.)
2. Convey to others why you are taking the time, how it will benefit them, and what they can do to help you achieve it. It will help give you new ideas, new experiences, and new creativity to bring back to your family, your job, etc.
3. Choose 1 (only ONE) thing that will spark your interest, induce relaxation or contemplation (yoga, laying on the grass thinking about your desires, journaling), or provide a new skill set.
4. Allow for 10-15 minutes after you are done to ponder the experience, uncover what you learned, and identify what brought you to life and what drained you.