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Do You Need a Sabbatical? · The Daily Writer

• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher, but most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show, we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 50, and today we're going to be talking about the topic Do You Need a Sabbatical?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash sabbatical.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: The concept of a sabbatical has nearly been lost in our modern culture.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Our technology lets us stay connected 24-7 to all kinds of devices, and many of us can do our work anywhere that there's an internet connection.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: As a result, I think that we've forgotten how to rest.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sabbaticals are still something that happens in some academic settings like colleges or universities.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Likewise, some really fortunate pastors also get a sabbatical, but for most everybody else, a sabbatical is a dream that probably will never become a reality, at least as far as taking an extended break from their normal work.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's why it's so important for each of us to find ways to take breaks, even if we might not get a traditional type of sabbatical in our job or in our business.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So before we go any further into this topic, what is a sabbatical exactly?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the term itself is related to the concept of the Sabbath or a day of rest.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the Sabbath happens once a week, and a sabbatical ideally is something that happens once every few years.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: It can be, you know, six years or seven years or ten years.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: It just really depends on the setting.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: For example, my church gives our pastors a month-long sabbatical every five years, which is awesome.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And the purpose is to give those pastors a chance to take kind of an extended vacation and just to rest and relax.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Professors who teach in academic settings that grant sabbaticals will be eligible for a semester-long or even a year-long break from their regular teaching duties.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: However, it's not a vacation.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: The purpose of a sabbatical in an academic setting is usually to give the prof the time and the space to do some type of research in their field that they wouldn't normally be able to do.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: So as you can see, the process of a sabbatical can vary greatly depending on the place and the policies that they have.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: But the purpose of a sabbatical really is the same no matter how you slice it.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And the purpose is to give the person a break from their regular duties so they can move the needle forward in their personal or professional life.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So over the next couple of months, I'm going to actually be taking a sabbatical from regular blogging and podcasting in order to do a couple things.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: One is to do some intensive work on my next book, which is Born to Create.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Also, I need to spend some extra time prepping for my fall classes at college, as well as some other administrative duties that I've been given for this coming academic year.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just going to set blogging and podcasting pretty much aside for a couple months to focus on some other things that I really need to give some time and attention to.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, something else I'm going to be doing, though, is refining my business direction in my strategy.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I will be totally honest with you, I am not naturally a business-minded person.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: So this kind of stuff of you know a business strategy and figuring out, you know, the best ways to monetize my platform and figure out how to do all that stuff, that stuff does not come easy to me at all.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: My impulse is just to kind of create stuff and put it out there.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, at some point you have to make some money at this.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I've made a little bit, uh, the emphasis on the little bit part, I guess.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, that's something that doesn't come really natural to me.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's something I've got to really think about strategically and really plan and think about a lot.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: One thing that I do know for sure is that I need to narrow my focus in my platform.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've read my blog or listened to this podcast for any length of time, you've heard me address or read me.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, read me, that doesn't even make any sense.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: You've read blog posts that I've written.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, you've experienced, whether listening or reading, you've experienced lots of different topics, all pretty much related to creativity, but you know, you may have noticed that I tend to lack focus in my writing and my podcasting.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: I touch on a lot of different things, and I feel like I need to really narrow that focus down.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it's focused on creativity, but I think I need to have a clearer idea of who I'm writing for and really hone in on who my ideal reader and ideal listener is and figure out what problems am I solving for those people exactly.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm currently reading Donald Miller's excellent book, which is called Building a Story Brand.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: This book actually doesn't come out until October, but I pre-ordered it, and for people who pre-ordered that book in a certain window of time about a month ago, he sent out uh advanced reader copies of the book.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to tell you, this book is really, really good.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's been super helpful in forcing me to think about who my ideal customer, quote unquote, is.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, in this context, that means my reader or my audience member, and what problems I'm solving for them.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: So after a lot of thought and a lot of work and some fantastic input from my from my awesome wife, Melanie, I've narrowed down my focus to this.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And this is just kind of one statement, or what Donald Miller would call in this book your one-liner.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that is this for me.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: I help overwhelmed and distracted artists be more productive so they can live out their creative calling.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Let me repeat that again.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: I help overwhelmed and distracted artists be more productive so they can live out their creative calling.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: So that's my sort of one-liner as it exists right now.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: It could change a little bit over time, but essentially, what I want to do is help artists and creatives who are overwhelmed, who are distracted, who are unfocused.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: I want to help those people to be more productive so they can live out their creative calling.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there's a lot of things involved in what I define as being productive.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think that means, you know, using your time wisely, but it also means getting stuff out of your out of your life that doesn't belong there.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, over the next few months, you'll see me address more of those things, I'm sure.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: But really, it comes down to, I think, using systems and using a systems process to help us to be more productive.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've read my blog before, listen to my podcast, you know that I am passionate about the value of systems and processes in helping us to achieve our dreams.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Again, you will hear more about that stuff over the next few months.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: In the meantime, as I'm taking this break, please enjoy any of the dozens and dozens of blog posts that you'll find on my site at KentSanders.net, or listen to any of the 49 other podcast episodes that I've produced over the last several months.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Also, I would encourage you to visit and join the Born to Create Facebook group, and there is a link to that in the show notes.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is a great group full of caring people who are doing awesome creative work.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: So back to the headline of, or rather the title of this podcast episode, which is Do You Need a Sabbatical?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Let's turn this over to you.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Let's turn the spotlight back on you, and let me encourage you to think about your own need to take a break.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, maybe things in your blogging or your writing or your creative work are not going like you want.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe it's time to push the pause button for a bit and try and figure things out and figure out why it's not working and why you're not getting the results that you want.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's much better to stop and clarify your direction than it is to keep going a direction that isn't working for you.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's a hard lesson for us to learn, but I think it's a really important one as well.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, it's not just about the creative work, it's also about your quality of life.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can't keep on pushing, pushing, pushing with no break in sight.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: We artists and creatives are really prone to burning ourselves out because we're so passionate about our work.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: But what happens when you burn the candle at both ends?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, eventually you'll go dead in flames.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's an old saying that goes, I'd rather burn out than rust out.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I've always thought that was kind of a stupid saying because that's an inane way to approach life.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, either way, you're out, whether you burn out because you're working too much, or whether you rust out because you don't do anything.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, either way, you're toast.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I've never really understood that philosophy of life.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: There is a third way.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't have to burn out or rust out, but you can take care of yourself.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope this summer you'll find some way to take care of yourself, whether that's putting your creative work on hold for a while so you can pay more time and attention to your family, whether that means shutting down your blog or podcast for a couple of months, um, whether that means saying no to more people more often.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the world's not going to stop turning if you say no to something.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: The internet's not going to shut down if you don't put up a blog post or a podcast for a while.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Twitterbook, Facebook, and Pinstagram are all still going to be there when you get back.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that you don't value your commitments or that you hate social media or that you don't like people.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: It just means that you have a limited amount of time, energy, and attention.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd encourage you to use those resources wisely.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I hope that you'll take these words to heart that I've shared in this episode.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: The best gift that you can give to yourself and to the world is a healthy, refreshed, and focused self.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you plan to take a break this summer?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear your thoughts.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash sabbatical.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I definitely appreciate your feedback, and whenever you leave a rating and review on iTunes, it helps other people discover the show and it also helps me to serve you better.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: To leave a rating and a review for the show, go to KentSanders.net slash iTunes.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designs to make a difference.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?