My Working Holiday

I have five days (including today) of freedom before I take off on my working holiday.  Working holiday I hear you say, but isn’t she returning back to work for her former employer next week? 

Indeed I am.  My six months leave without pay will soon be at an end. 

The time off reminded me of school holidays as a child.  The first couple of months felt like they were moving at a normal pace (some days even seemed to last longer than most).  After the end of May, about half way through, time flew by.  June disappeared in a blur.  July is heading the same way.

So what is my working holiday?  It’s a new perspective on my returning to my former employer.  Notice that I didn’t write returning to work.  I have a new mindset.  Work is now writing and blogging. 

My new perspective is courtesy of my friend Rebekah West over at w’underbeast blog.  Over cups of coffee after our writers’ group meeting last Thursday, I was discussing my imminent return to office life.  At the time I wasn’t feeling too upbeat about it (to be honest I was having a bit of a whinge).

Then Rebekah suggested the brilliant idea of looking at going back to my employer as a ‘working holiday’.

I swear I heard a light bulb go off in my head.

As a traveller, this makes perfect sense to me.  This is a concept I can embrace.  Something I can get my head around.   These are two words that represent opportunity, instead of negativity.  As a traveller I understand you need to get a job to earn money to support yourself.  The primary goal is to save enough money for your next big travelling adventure.  This is exactly what I will be doing, however I will be saving money for my next big writing adventure!

How long is my working holiday going to be?  To be honest I am not sure right at this moment.   A lot of work and planning needs to be done in that regard.  In future posts I will keep you updated as my plan progresses.

I’m not saying the first week (ok make that the first month) back working for my employer won’t be hard but having my current frame of mind will certainly makes things easier.  The key to keeping up my enthusiasm for my working holiday is making sure I continue to write and produce as much as I possibly can.  If I was to stop writing (which make no mistake I have no intention of doing) I would be miserable.  How much time I can spend writing while working full time will be the defining factor.  Determining time available and making sure I make the best possible use of that time  is part of the work plan I need to nut out. 

Will thinking differently about working for my employer affect the work I produce for them?  No.   I take pride in my work, regardless of whether I am working for myself or for an employer.  High standards in all the work  I do is important to me.

Is there something that you need to deal with that could benefit from a positive spin?  Will re-framing a situation into something you can relate to help you with your motivation?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.  I would appreciate your input.

This post was written by...

Thea – who has written 225 posts on Write Change Grow.

Hi! Welcome to my blog.  I'm a freelance writer and blogger. For more Write Change Grow goodness, sign up for my free newsletter.  You can connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

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