Thank you for sharing, as always! It can feel unsettling to slow down after years of working against the clock, and it’s easy to feel guilty about not constantly producing value. However, when you truly allow yourself to accept and embrace the emptiness, it can unlock a deeper level of creativity, productivity, and fulfillment for what comes next. I’m not sure why, but there’s something truly magical about it. I hope you enjoy every moment of your downtime, and look forward to hearing more about your journey!
Your honesty about the fear associated with an empty calendar is so relatable. It's as if our identities become intertwined with our roles and responsibilities. When those are stripped away, we're left grappling with the question, "Who am I without these labels?" It's a vulnerable place to be, but perhaps also a necessary one for true self-discovery. It takes courage to sit with that emptiness and uncertainty.
Congratulations, Deb. As much as I admire and have learned from your journey and tremendous accomplishments to date, I'm excited for you in this new chapter of calm and discovery.
As I sit here with my own 17-lb cuddly dog on my lap (albeit while sitting at my workstation), I highly recommend the calm and stability that lead sweet animals (and children) to curl up and sleep in one's lap.
Congratulations, Deb! I can say from experience that experiencing the empty calendar after years of a completely packed calendar is truly glorious. Fewer things constantly demanding my attention definitely gave me the mental and emotional space for some new insights and enjoyment of everyday things.
Also having immigrant parents myself, I can definitely relate to discomfort with it at first, until I remembered that a big reason why they worked themselves to the bone was in the hope that I wouldn't have to do the same as an adult.
Wishing you many laundry-free movie watching sessions! So happy for you to have this time and space to live in the present!
Crazy how the universe brought me to this post at this time - have subscribed to Perspectives for a while now but have always been so busy that only on occasion do I get to read. Currently in a similar pause. Candidly some days I struggle and have to remind myself it is a gift to be able to do this. Such a beautiful reminder to make the most of it and truly embrace the nothingness and find the magic in sitting still.
Your final paragraph holds the purest truth, your whole piece does really, but that perfect summary at the end is what has taken me six months of “space” to realise. I am sitting with the fear and embracing the space and life is so much more beautiful for it. Thank you for sharing this.
Wow. You really gifted me with some medicine I needed to hear today. I’m in the midst of a major transition with my business. Thank you. And blessings to you as you sit with this courageous choice to be with the emptiness and all the gifts in it, too.
Very proud of you for doing this. I took 11 months of work to do nothing but think, write and reflect. 0 calendar notifications meant I didn't need a phone half of the time and it was a great time to reflect. I'll warn you though, there will be many stages. These were mine - Stage 1: Bed rot. The first 3 - 4 weeks. You get through every bit of books, Netflix and streaming services. And you just do maybe one thing a day. A work out, a coffee with a friend. Just one thing and you wonder how you did so much before. Stage 2: You'll feel "left behind" or stagnant because everyone else seems to be moving but you are not. (This is very real for people taking off time with families since you can't just get up and travel because of your family and home commitments). This happened for me in the 2nd month. Stage 3: Interviewing for things that aren't right. Because of the fear, you'll start trying to fill the whole with professional opportunities again. This will occurred for me at the 3-5 month mark and got me to almost take some jobs that would have put me right back on the treadmill. Most people I know who took time off just get to this stage and don't push through to the next. Stage 4: Conscious uncoupling from professional life. Now this isn't just recovering from time off, this is truly saying no to any professional chances and sitting in just your own consciousness and time with family. It's amazing, and you begin to see through the treadmill and want to start to design your next treadmill, vs getting back on the one defined by everyone else. For me this lasted through month 6-9. Stage 5: Ready to get back to work - something runs out, money, time or something occurs to click you back to want to get back to work, but on terms YOU define. I'm sure you will have your pick of what you do next, but I hope you design your next treadmill! :-) Thank you for everything you do. Your work inspired me to take time off and wish you all the best!
Thanks for sharing this! I have enjoyed reading all your posts but this one in particular was moving as I just recently stepped away from working (temporarily) to be present with my young children. I also struggle with sitting still during this brief time and not knowing what the future holds. May your time of nothingness allow you to reflect, be grounded and to thrive.
Congrats, Deb! in Chinese the phrase 定力 suggests that you actually need power to stay still. Doing absolutely nothing is hard (I still can't do it), but it's gonna be great. Thanks for the inspiration as always!
Thank you for sharing your journey. I just went through several months of "nothing," and it was the most fulfilling experience. Reconnecting with family and friends, focusing on my own health and well-being, reading, playing music, going on long hikes. I wish you a fabulous period of "nothingness"!
Love this! I went through my own experience of creating space. Highly recommend. You know when it is a good time to do so in your life. Creates magice...can't wait to read about your magic in a few months
Thank you for sharing, as always! It can feel unsettling to slow down after years of working against the clock, and it’s easy to feel guilty about not constantly producing value. However, when you truly allow yourself to accept and embrace the emptiness, it can unlock a deeper level of creativity, productivity, and fulfillment for what comes next. I’m not sure why, but there’s something truly magical about it. I hope you enjoy every moment of your downtime, and look forward to hearing more about your journey!
Your honesty about the fear associated with an empty calendar is so relatable. It's as if our identities become intertwined with our roles and responsibilities. When those are stripped away, we're left grappling with the question, "Who am I without these labels?" It's a vulnerable place to be, but perhaps also a necessary one for true self-discovery. It takes courage to sit with that emptiness and uncertainty.
Thank you for sharing. I almost cried when reading it. I was trying to find the courage to slow down a little bit and your post is so inspiring.
Congratulations, Deb. As much as I admire and have learned from your journey and tremendous accomplishments to date, I'm excited for you in this new chapter of calm and discovery.
As I sit here with my own 17-lb cuddly dog on my lap (albeit while sitting at my workstation), I highly recommend the calm and stability that lead sweet animals (and children) to curl up and sleep in one's lap.
Congratulations, Deb! I can say from experience that experiencing the empty calendar after years of a completely packed calendar is truly glorious. Fewer things constantly demanding my attention definitely gave me the mental and emotional space for some new insights and enjoyment of everyday things.
Also having immigrant parents myself, I can definitely relate to discomfort with it at first, until I remembered that a big reason why they worked themselves to the bone was in the hope that I wouldn't have to do the same as an adult.
Wishing you many laundry-free movie watching sessions! So happy for you to have this time and space to live in the present!
I agree your thought. I exhausted running over my life. need some empty moment.
Crazy how the universe brought me to this post at this time - have subscribed to Perspectives for a while now but have always been so busy that only on occasion do I get to read. Currently in a similar pause. Candidly some days I struggle and have to remind myself it is a gift to be able to do this. Such a beautiful reminder to make the most of it and truly embrace the nothingness and find the magic in sitting still.
I hope you find a depth of experience and enjoyment that deeply nourishes you. Thanks for sharing this!
Your final paragraph holds the purest truth, your whole piece does really, but that perfect summary at the end is what has taken me six months of “space” to realise. I am sitting with the fear and embracing the space and life is so much more beautiful for it. Thank you for sharing this.
Wow. You really gifted me with some medicine I needed to hear today. I’m in the midst of a major transition with my business. Thank you. And blessings to you as you sit with this courageous choice to be with the emptiness and all the gifts in it, too.
Very proud of you for doing this. I took 11 months of work to do nothing but think, write and reflect. 0 calendar notifications meant I didn't need a phone half of the time and it was a great time to reflect. I'll warn you though, there will be many stages. These were mine - Stage 1: Bed rot. The first 3 - 4 weeks. You get through every bit of books, Netflix and streaming services. And you just do maybe one thing a day. A work out, a coffee with a friend. Just one thing and you wonder how you did so much before. Stage 2: You'll feel "left behind" or stagnant because everyone else seems to be moving but you are not. (This is very real for people taking off time with families since you can't just get up and travel because of your family and home commitments). This happened for me in the 2nd month. Stage 3: Interviewing for things that aren't right. Because of the fear, you'll start trying to fill the whole with professional opportunities again. This will occurred for me at the 3-5 month mark and got me to almost take some jobs that would have put me right back on the treadmill. Most people I know who took time off just get to this stage and don't push through to the next. Stage 4: Conscious uncoupling from professional life. Now this isn't just recovering from time off, this is truly saying no to any professional chances and sitting in just your own consciousness and time with family. It's amazing, and you begin to see through the treadmill and want to start to design your next treadmill, vs getting back on the one defined by everyone else. For me this lasted through month 6-9. Stage 5: Ready to get back to work - something runs out, money, time or something occurs to click you back to want to get back to work, but on terms YOU define. I'm sure you will have your pick of what you do next, but I hope you design your next treadmill! :-) Thank you for everything you do. Your work inspired me to take time off and wish you all the best!
Thanks for sharing this! I have enjoyed reading all your posts but this one in particular was moving as I just recently stepped away from working (temporarily) to be present with my young children. I also struggle with sitting still during this brief time and not knowing what the future holds. May your time of nothingness allow you to reflect, be grounded and to thrive.
Congratulations, Deb. It takes so much strength and courage to jump into the fecund void, but the rewards can be great. May it be so for you!
- Lucie Newcomb
Congrats, Deb! in Chinese the phrase 定力 suggests that you actually need power to stay still. Doing absolutely nothing is hard (I still can't do it), but it's gonna be great. Thanks for the inspiration as always!
Thank you for sharing your journey. I just went through several months of "nothing," and it was the most fulfilling experience. Reconnecting with family and friends, focusing on my own health and well-being, reading, playing music, going on long hikes. I wish you a fabulous period of "nothingness"!
Love this! I went through my own experience of creating space. Highly recommend. You know when it is a good time to do so in your life. Creates magice...can't wait to read about your magic in a few months