Tough Lessons That I Learnt From My Career Break So Far.

You WILL have to make tough choices in life

It is possible that you don’t have any options but one OR you have a couple of options, each as good as the previous one. If you do have an opportunity to be picky, you would have to weigh the pros and cons of each choice carefully yet you would not get everything as you wanted. You would have to make a choice where your losses are minimised.

You would not always have your way

No matter how good your intentions are, no matter how skilled or educated or talented you are, no matter what your end goals are, there will be times when you will not get what you wanted. If that does happen, it’s ok to feel dejected and sad about it. Give yourself time to feel what you feel about it. Then, chin up!

When one door closes, another opens. If it doesn’t open, go open it

Having a lot of time on your hand as a result of a career break can disorient you. You suddenly don’t know how to fill your day, what to plan for the day and are devoid of goals to attain. Take this opportunity to learn a new skill and take up a new activity or an activity that you gave up on because of lack of time. This will help you not only up-skill your resume for the right job or business opportunity, it will give you a sense of achievement when you would slowly work your way through an unexplored area.

Give yourself time, space and grace

For someone who is a doer, this was the one thing that took the most time to absorb. If you are not happy your situation, acknowledge the state of things and assess what can you do about it. Breathe and take your time to bounce back into a positive mindset. Don’t go out seeking negativity such as sad songs, movies, people or situations. Get a good cry or a good run out in the sunshine..whatever rocks your boat!

The biggest challenge with a career break is to fill up all the free time that you now have. You itch to do something meaningful and productive. Keep scratching that itch!