252: Taking an Accidental Sabbatical with Mel Dizon
”In a society that glorifies titles, visibility, reach, and the grind, taking a beat to opt out of all that isn’t easy,” today’s guest Mel Dizon writes in the origin story to her pop-up Substack.
“Whether you’re here by choice or via a cosmic 2x4 like a layoff, illness, transition, not-so-nervous-breakdown breakdown, or surprise life event, straddling where you were and what’s next can be unwieldy, ungrounding, and equal parts exciting and scary-as-hell.”
Mel shares how she defines an accidental sabbatical; the energetic urgency and pent up ambition that let her know it was time to leave her job; the permission she needed to give herself; navigating the fears that followed; how publishing her process out loud has helped with courage and accountability; and trusting herself to make important decisions when it’s time, while also not rushing that process.
More About Mel: Mel Dizon is a writer and editor; a runner, CrossFitter, pickleballer, and efficiency fanatic; a former therapist, consultant, and coach; a dog, pool, and scalding-hot-dirty-chai lover. She started writing words for dollars back in 1993. She’s written thousands of articles, ghostwritten many books and essays, facilitated hundreds of video interviews, and written copy for everyone from NYT best-selling authors to companies like Google. Melani dreamed about taking a sabbatical for years, and the universe finally conspired to light the way. Turns out she’s a big fan. She currently writes life & dying on Substack for those in the middle of the reinvention mess, seeking to “live a life worth writing about.”
🌟 3 Key Takeaways
An Accidental Sabbatical is about not knowing what's next and how to live more comfortably in the void or liminal space.
When you feel blocked by fear or worry, ask yourself: What if X were no longer important to you, what would you do?
Don’t babysit your work (or your budget): “Don’t do it. Write the thing, publish it, post it, paint it on a mural, or do whatever you need to do with it and move on. Forgive yourself for being terrible or unreadable, or boring or derivative and just keep going.”
📝 Permission
Who am I doing this for? If it’s for anybody other than yourself, pause and reconsider.
✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next
Take a page out of Mel’s post, On Calling People Out for Being Awesome and her book, The Hand Written Letter Project:
Go to your favorite stationary store and pick out at least 30 notecards or long-form letter pages and envelopes. Or make your own.
Buy a pen that will make you feel smarter, funnier, and more brilliant each time you touch it to the page.
Sit down in your favorite chair with your dashing new pen and a piece of paper, and write down the names of the first 30 people that come to your mind. Don’t overthink it. The first time I did this, someone I had not talked to in 10 years came to my mind. When she received my letter, she called me immediately and told me that receiving my letter was one of the best moments of her entire year. We talked and laughed for hours. Just go with whoever comes to mind. There’s a reason they will.
Address all of your envelopes. I recommend doing this a few days before the start date because, inevitably, you’ll be missing some addresses, and you’ll need time to track them down, send emails, ask friends and family, etc. Then, put a cool stamp on each one—there are plenty to choose from here. Now go ahead, make someone’s day!
🔗 Resources Mentioned
Articles: Babysitting the Rusty Nail
Rolling in D🤦🏻♀️h: A Strange and Wonderful Morning: Walking Photo Essay
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Letters from Love
BFF December Mailer: Important Community Announcement—Please Read!
📚 Books Mentioned
The Handwritten Letter Project by Mel Dizon
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
🎧 Related Episodes
Free Time: 193: Sabbatical Planning with DJ DiDonna
191: Structuring Free Time as a Single Parent while Grieving and Rebuilding with Karen Allen
BFF Bonus: My Upcoming Quiet Sabbatical
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