As I wake up this morning from my turkey-induced coma, on this raining day after Thanksgiving, I reflect on the things I’ve been thankful for.
With regards to this sabbatical …
I am thankful for my circle of family and friends who have been so supportive, never doubted my decision, and boosted me with their words of encouragement.
And I’ve been particularly thankful for that special set of people who have been so generous with their time in helping me with my career exploration.
I am thankful for the financial situation that I’m in that gives me the freedom to take this sabbatical, and I do not take that for granted.
I am thankful that I live in a time when I have so many free resources at my fingertips that allow me to research, learn and explore my varied list of careers.
I am also thankful that I live in a time when I can so easily share my sabbatical journey with my network of supporters.
I am thankful for those of you who have reached out to me to tell me your own stories of taking a similar type of sabbatical or those of you who have let me know that you’ve had the same feeling of unfulfillment in your jobs. You’ve helped me feel like I’m not alone in all of this.
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And as I explore the next step in my career journey, it has been helpful to reflect on what I’ve been thankful for in my past jobs:
I’ve been thankful for jobs that allowed me to work on creative projects and flex my artistic skills.
I’ve been thankful for jobs where I’m in contact with people.
I’ve been thankful for workplaces where co-workers care about me on a personal level and I’m able to make some true friends.
I’ve been thankful for jobs that let me give presentations or lead conversations.
I’ve been thankful for jobs that allow me to organize social events.
I’ve been thankful for jobs where brainstorming is an important part of the work.
I’ve been thankful for jobs where I can work together in a team but still be independent in completing my piece of the project.
I’ve been thankful for jobs where I am respected and my contributions are acknowledged.
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And finally, I am thankful for all of you who have followed my blog. Not only does this blog allow me to document my career exploration and think through my feelings on each career, but it also helps hold me accountable to following through on this exploration.
Sometimes, I fear I haven’t done as much as I should have during my sabbatical so far; but then I look back on this blog and realize I really have conquered a lot.
So thank you for giving me a reason to keep this blog going!
