One Experiment at a Time
From reflection to action in the search for what comes next
Six years ago, I had the opportunity to take a career break. The idea scared me, so I didn’t take it. Instead, I chose to hop to a new job. Unsurprisingly, things didn’t change. The “holy grail” of a job never materialized. Then, it finally happened. Seven months ago, a trapped nerve forced me to stop working. My sabbatical began overnight.
So far, it has been a very enriching experience, in spite of -and to a certain extent, including- the pain. Writing has been a loyal companion – the journalling as much as this Substack newsletter. Seeing my own reflections on a page has a different effect on me than a few thoughts rambling in my head. Sharing through deep conversations has also been enlightening – with those who know me better than I do and with those who I met for the first time. I listen carefully. Every conversation triggers thoughts.
While this journey is not over, it feels it’s the right time to change gears. So, in the last weeks I have added to my reflective phase a more active one. These are my first steps: slow, considered, intentional. I have started the process of rebuilding my professional life not by making big decisions but through small, low-risk experiments.
Experiment # 1 – Time to switch mindset
I’ve spent my whole career so far doing the same type of job. Different companies and geographies but the same function. It’s what my CV shows – the titles, the progression. Behind these, however, sits a different story: in 25 years I have acquired a plethora of valuable skills and experiences across different areas. What if I started talking about those? Would I be credible? What would others reading my CV think? The way to find out was to challenge my own “professional identity” definition.
What did I do?
I came across a posting for a job that fit my skillset and experience, not my title or function. It was in an industry I have experience in, so repositioning myself to apply for it seemed reasonable. They were looking for a more junior candidate, but that didn’t matter. The goal was not to get the job. It was just an exercise to re-write my CV from a different perspective. The actual search just made it real and imposed a timeline.
To my surprise, I found examples of relevant experiences in my working life more easily than I had ever imagined. I had done what they asked for. Many times. The biggest challenge was to switch the point of view and use different language to describe the same things. It didn’t come naturally at first. But I could do it.
What did I learn?
I have the power to broaden my own horizons. The language I use, how I present myself, how I talk about my experiences, matter. If I don’t see myself doing something different, how could others?
Re-writing the CV and submitting an application for a real job in a different function felt uncomfortable. I felt exposed but I still took the leap and sent it. It felt good. Much more rewarding than just thinking about it.
Ghosting from companies is real. Granted, I didn’t expect them to call me, but I didn’t get a rejection message from them, either. So, the building of a “thick rejection skin” starts… let the count begin!
Experiment # 2 – Let’s get real
I love a face-to-face language class. The interactions, laughing together at our own mistakes, celebrating wins in a group. However, classrooms are safe environments designed for us to learn and gain confidence. So, I gathered some courage and forced myself out of the “theoretical” setting and out into the wild to see what happened.
What did I do?
I registered to attend a lecture on a topic that caught my attention in the neighbourhood social café. It was about writing your family’s history, presented by two wonderful ladies that had gone through the experience themselves. I went alone. I didn’t want to have the temptation to speak in English. I really wanted to make the effort. And so I did. I chatted with my seat neighbour – nothing too complicated, but enough to reassure me spending a couple of hours immersed in the local language was feasible. Then the presentation started. I could understand a significant percentage of it and Google Translate helped me fill in the gaps where needed. For two hours. I confess my brain was hurting by then, but my heart was full of pride. I proved myself I could do it.
So now, I actively look for IRL activities to attend in local language once a week and in the process learn a thing or two. So far, I’ve joined a fascinating local history tour, a council meeting on a local 10-year infrastructure project that will change the area in which I live, the season’s launch of the local orchestra and even an all-day conference on financial topics for women.
What did I learn?
In real life activities are awesome! I get to discover new topics and places and meet new people. I get to move. And I pay more attention to the speaker than streaming a TV show at home. Not to mention the interaction that also happens, so I’m not only listening, but -very shyly- I am also talking.
Entering a room full of people I don’t know that speak a language I can barely get by on is daunting. I need to gather all the courage I can get to step into the room, but once in, confidence starts building up and then you forget it’s a task and you build a rapport you didn’t have before. Like the lady sitting besides me in the financial planning workshop with whom we discussed our hopes and worries for the future and found lots of common ground, which we continued talking about in the pause, even though the exercise was over.
I am getting more involved with local topics and with the community I live in, which has always been the ultimate goal of learning the local language… an unexpected chicken and egg situation: I am getting involved to learn the language so that I learn the language to get involved!
More experiments are taking shape as I speak and I’m loving getting into them. The first step is always the difficult one. It’s not comfortable. More often than not, I feel exposed, vulnerable. The fear is real and I need to overcome it. I need to practice and see in a tangible way what my ideas can lead to. Which ideas should I continue working on and which should I discard? At some point in the near future I will need to make choices. That is what the sabbatical is for - to experiment before the time comes to make a decision that will affect my future.
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