Wikipaedia says that it's a time of rest and regeneration from work - the Hebrew word Shmita talks about taking a year off work every seven years. This is an important word for us to know about in our busy and hectic lives.
It's so easy to get stale, fall into ruts of thinking, get stuck in points of view.
Rachael Thornton came by last night and was talking about a project that had taken over her life - a project that was more like a journey thanher usual work. There was much more at stake, the process was much more internal than normal work required. She has been spending time this year working on her inspirational project and saying no to mainstream work - We discussed the concept of Sabbatical last night to describe that process of taking time out to follow our passion, not our career.
Last night I woke in the early hours and I realised that I have been on a form of sabbatical myself.
Late July last year I came to visit my mum in Australia - she'd been diagnosed with cancer. I was so caught up with my work in New Zealand, that I thought I'd come over for a week, say my goodbyes and come back again for the funeral - I never thought there'd be any other option.
When I got to Sydney and saw what was happening with mum, I knew I couldn't leave.
Two nights before I left, I sat down and wrote down all my financial responsibilities for my family and home in New Zealand and the money I'd need to live in Australia and came up with a figure. I knew that's what I'd have to earn if I was to stay.
The next day I contacted all of my old friends in the training business in Sydney. I had meetings with two of them - one mate gave me the opportunity to sit in on one of his workshops and get up to speed with where he was at with the possibility of future work. The other mate said: "Mike, we have to get you some work." and in one day after taking me to all his meetings with his clients and having me work with them - he got me contracted work that lasted me for 7 months.
And during that period, while I was in the presence of being with my mum every day while she was dying, an earthquake struck Christchurch, the city where all of my clients lived and worked. I lost half my business in the first earthquake, and the second big quake knocked out the second half of my business. It was providence for me that I was in Sydney, working with a contract.
Coaching was over for me and I was full on into the technical and analytical mindset that my training brief required. After a while I realised I didn't have the headspace to coach anyone anyhow. Mum took 8 months to die and the grief of it all hit me harder than I expected, so all up, I've been on a period of my life that has been a work of love, passion and growth. Not connected at all with the work that I had defined myself within. But amazing and fulfilling work, related to my life's purpose.
So I now acknowledge I've been on a sabbatical - not in the pure sense of the word, but sabbatical is the closest I have got at this time - if you know a better word, please let me know.
The word Shmita is all about the discipline of taking a year off your everyday work, every seven.
I'm seeing it in myself, that I'm refreshed and regenerated in my work, that the quality of my intuition and creativity has been transformed and that my work is heading in a new direction and with a deeper sense of purpose and fulfilment.
So my question today for you is: When was the last time you took a refreshing rest from your work?
Has there been a time in your career that you have let your fields go fallow and your mind, body and soul be refreshed and renewed?
Which leads me to my next question: Do you have a plan to give yourself that break in the near future?
It doesn't have to be epic like mine, but if you have left it for a number of years, Life just might take matters in her own hands and slap you around.
Don't wait for that - please.
This is only the beginning. Get to know clarity. Email me, Mike Kennedy...
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