A Forced Sabbatical and Post Pandemic Changes

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While I have had to do some work during the stay-at-home season, the workload has not been nearly as much as I am used to. At first this was a bit intimidating. I am blessed and fortunate to still have a job and the paycheck that comes with, but I felt like I needed to be doing something for 7-8 hours per day. There's just one problem. The nature of my position at the day job is such that I need to be in the building to do most of my work. And so I do what I can and then the rest of my day is sort of like being on a sabbatical, which would be nice if I knew how to handle being on sabbatical.

It seems like being on a sabbatical should be easy, just stop doing what you would normally do and do something else. Of course under normal circumstances, what you do during a sabbatical is dependent on if you are paid or not. Based on a quick internet search a paid sabbatical allows you to study or to pursue a new idea you can bring back to your job. Conversely an unpaid sabbatical allows you to volunteer or do something else and then (hopefully) get your job back afterwards. Early on I struggled with how not to waste my time while obeying the stay-at-home order. Now I realize that this is a great time to think and to plan changes I can make once the order is lifted. This is a great time to take a paid sabbatical, even if it is a forced sabbatical.

I've followed the same routine for decades. Having started straight out of college, I am one of those rare birds who has worked for the same company for a long time. I have gotten up at the same time, left the house at the same time and caught the same train every morning. While I have changed positions within the company, for the last several years my work routine has been the same. Now, like many of you, I find myself forced out of my routine. I also find myself wondering how I can do a better job once I go back. Is it time to further shake up my daily routine?

As I ponder changes to my day job work routine, I find that other parts of my life also need a shake up. I can be better: a better husband, father, homeowner and a better writer. There is a silver lining to my stay-at-home cloud. Through it I have the time to think and as a result I see my path in a different light. I see changes I can make that will lead to something different and better after this pandemic runs its course. I see that I needed this unplanned sabbatical because I needed time to think about change.

The Chase

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I recently watched the season finale of Chasing Classic Cars on Motor Trend Network. This reality show stars Wayne Carini, owner of F40 Motorsports in Connecticut, who buys and restores classic cars. The show follows the process as he visits homes and barns in search of cars that might turn a profit. In the finale Carini spoke of how nine out of every ten leads he receives wind up without him purchasing a car. I tried to wrap my head around a 90% failure rate. Beyond the financial considerations, what makes that one out of ten worth the chase? This must be an example of someone pursuing their passion and a great example for others learning to do the same.

The connection between career and passion has long been a tough thing for me to wrap my head around, as one of my symptoms of growing up in a codependent household is a view of work that is very limiting. I was told growing up that work was all about the paycheck and that I should find something to do that is legal and that makes a lot of money. Passion and loving what I am doing were not part of the equation.

Even as I saw it in the work lives of others, I remained convinced that passion was something a man and a woman had for each other. Passion for work didn't add up until a friend of mine told me the difference between a job and a career. By his definition a job was something you do just for a paycheck, whereas a career is something you build because you want to build. I thought the difference was whether you are hourly instead of salaried. My friend opened my eyes in a way that allowed passion and love to finally become part of the career conversation.

I'm now learning to bring passion into my work, although sometimes it still seems like a foreign concept. When I heard Wayne Carini make that 9 out of 10 comment, a light bulb came on. What I've seen over several seasons of Chasing Classic Cars is passion and I started thinking about the things that I would be willing to do even with a 90% failure rate. Writing immediately came to mind. For now I still have my day job which I am thankful for especially as I see so many losing their jobs during this pandemic. As working from home gives me a chance to really examine what I do on the day job, I am also looking forward to my own chase. I am looking forward to doing something I can be passionate about. Now, where's my pen?