“We were on a break!” Some of us hear Ross and Rachel when we read that line. Recently, I’ve been on a break from corporate life. It’s been nice.

Some breaks are chosen. Some are handed to us. Mine is a mix of both. What I’ve been reminded of is that stepping away can be a return to parts of yourself you forgot you had.

During this break, I’ve been lucky enough to have:

• Written books and workbooks which are published on Amazon.
• Designed positive‑message products, products with Shakespearean quotes, and others for sale online.
• Revisited a poetry book I published a few years ago and turned it into song lyrics. Then used an ai tool to help create music to host said lyrics. (I’m not a musician. AI tools give me the ability to make the lyrics I’ve written come alive. This helps me go deeper with the feelings I was hoping to convey.)
• Written two articles a week (most of the time).

It’s easier to follow the nudges to create without having to push back the noise of corporate America. Creative outlets are breadcrumbs back to pieces of my personality.

Not everyone gets this type of break. I’ve also been the person who felt stuck, watching others take breaks and being like, “WHEN CAN I?!”. I don’t take it for granted. It also didn’t happen by chance. It came from choices, tradeoffs, and a willingness to step into uncertainty.

Whether you return or reinvent, a break can change a person. If I go back to corporate America, I won’t return as the same person who left. I’ll bring a deeper sense of who I am outside of a job title.

Breaks don’t solve issues, but if you get to take one, they can help you recalibrate. They remind you that your identity is bigger than your inbox, what one boss thinks, or your title. We don’t always get to choose the path, but we do get to choose how we walk it. We get to choose who we are becoming and how we choose to feel about that.

So when people ask me what I “do”: I’m on a break!

Additional Reading:

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth
• Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness
• The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
• Leaders Eat Last

Self-Development Journals

Motivational Merch

Amazon Recommendations *I may earn a small commission on Amazon affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance if you use the affiliate links in this article which may result in a small commission.

StudioPlaybyAYA – YouTube Here is my fledgling lyrics channel. If you check it out, consider liking any song you enjoy because it really helps!