Back in the saddle

Whether you are returning to work after a break, restarting your job search or blogging again after neglecting your responsibilities in that area, the late summer period is a good time to reflect. A lot can be learned when you return from a break and how getting back to work makes you feel. You might be itching to get started or the prospect of returning might leave you cold. What matters most is not which of these extremes you feel or if you are somewhere more in the middle. The real opportunity after a break lies in questioning your reactions and how they contribute to your understanding of your values, talents and goals.

To use my example, I felt some trepidation after a longer than expected break from blogging in particular. I wasn't sure what my return would feel like and that made me nervous. Would I feel differently about my profession and this subject matter after a break? Would there be new opportunities to fuel the debate? After a busy week back in the saddle, writing this post especially has put these doubts to rest and my work feels just as good a fit as before.

One further event to report from my break. During a conversation on the subject of career planning I was asked if I thought the subject was 'wooly' (another way of saying it has little real value). It's a fair question because my previous experiences with career planning services have been mixed to say the least. My answer at the time was that I think there is genuine value to be had by defining a career direction through personal success. The challenge I added to this was that if a better way exists to manage a career, I would be keen to learn about it.

Thinking about this exchange after a little more time, it occurred to me that the search for a better way to manage your career was where the discussion on this blog began. As ever, conversations, direct challenges and questions like this are the best way to keep the subject moving and the prospect of more in the future makes it feel even better to be back!