This post serves as a summary and key takeaways from the author’s point of view based on reflections and contemplations over the year 2022. There are at least three lessons learned from what the author has been personally through this year.
The first lesson is that being in a whole new place and getting exposed to many new people and cultures might tempt an individual and reveal an individual’s true character. Moving into an entirely new environment may force someone to be more aware and cautious of his/her surroundings and well-being. It might motivate them to conduct necessary things in order to survive. Moreover, getting exposed to new people and society with different cultures and backgrounds may lead an individual to be more ‘judgemental’ in terms of selecting his/her peer group and having more sense of others’ influence on him/her. These things could be considered as a natural tendency of someone as part of surviving in a new environment.
Second, for workers, getting a sabbatical leave might bring more benefits. A sabbatical leave may provide time for deep consideration of a particular topic and/or re-examine a worker’s career options (Bass et al., 2020). Additionally, according to Davidson et al. (2010), individuals who reported higher self-efficacy for taking a break, felt more in control, were able to emotionally distance themselves, had a more positive overall experience, and traveled abroad during their sabbatical had higher levels of well-being compared to others. Furthermore, for students, having a short respite might prevent them from being fixated and getting stuck in a certain situation, for example, when working on a problem set. Meanwhile, for people in general, taking a short break from a routine might bring advantages in terms of well-being and a clear mind.
Third, individuals may not know the limit to which their potential could take them, and thus it is noteworthy to give shots on essential things, and of their interests for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Given some resources and opportunities, it is worth it to utilize those and see what would be the outcome. In other words, speculating on certain things to some degree might bring information about the edge of the course individuals could do with their potential.
To conclude, it is imperative to take some time to have a break, contemplate and rethink things that had happened and options to take ahead. Going out of routine and comfort zone may supply individuals with relatively new perspectives toward their affairs and bring gains that may further lead to better well-being, while giving shots to opportunities with some resources may optimize individuals’ potential. Thank you for the lessons, 2022.
References
Bass, E. J., Caldwell, B. S., Cao, C. G. L., Lee, J. D., & Miller, C. (2020). Planning the sabbatical: Potential benefits, options, and strategies. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 64(1), 582–586.
Davidson, O. B., Eden, D., Westman, M., Cohen-Charash, Y., Hammer, L. B., Kluger, A. N., Spector, P. E. (2010). Sabbatical leave: Who gains and how much? Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 953–964.
hope. 