Finding My Balance

By Ajay Pandit (Sabbatical from 1st July 2024 to 30th September 2024

What did you do during your sabbatical / How did you spend your time during your sabbatical?

A. Family Time:
I had planned to spend valuable time with my family during my sabbatical. I visited my native place after a long time. I belong to a joint family, and this break gave me the opportunity to connect with extended family members. I also revisited the place where I grew up, which brought back cherished memories. Additionally, I spent quality time with my wife and children.

B. Education:
I resumed my formal education after 18 years of working. This experience has given me many new perspectives about myself and my work.

C. Inner Peace and Meditation:
I completed a 10-day “Vipassana” meditation retreat in Bhopal. It provided me with a profound sense of inner peace and helped me develop a clearer thought process.
 
D. Writing a Short Book:
I wrote a short book titled "Yuva Dharmisht", exploring the concept of Dharma. The book reflects on how, as youth, we often misunderstand or overlook the true essence of Dharma, living instead with a narrow, communal mindset. It emphasizes the importance of understanding Dharma both within us and in the external world.

What questions /reflections emerged during your sabbatical – Could be related to personal or professional life.

Yes, I have lots of questions for my personal or professional life

Personal reflection:
Family Focus: As a family-oriented person, I have often focused on the external world, such as work and social service. However, I now realize the importance of nurturing family values and spending quality time with my loved ones. We engaged in activities and traveled together during my sabbatical, but it’s something that needs to continue consistently.

Financial Support: Money matters, and the financial support I received during my sabbatical provided a safety net for basic needs. This was crucial for me and my family.

Balancing Work and Family Life: I have been reflecting on how to balance work and family life effectively. I plan to approach work with a game-like spirit while ensuring meaningful involvement with my family. This balance is essential for my inner peace, not just for creating external impact.

Balm and Happiness: Dwesh (resentment) and Rag (attachment) are two feelings that often dominate our inner world, creating a constant inner game. However, Samta (equity or balance) is the most important principle, both within oneself and in the external world.
 
 Exploring Equity: I have explored the concept of Equity in a unique way. True equity requires acceptance—it is a fundamental step in creating a more equitable world.

Professional life:

Letting Go of Control: Very simply, I want to say, "Aapke bina bhi kaam hota hai" (work gets done even without you). I used to put a lot of pressure on myself, believing that things wouldn't get done without me. However, my sabbatical taught me the opposite—during my break, the work was managed effectively in my absence.

Shared Responsibility: I have always been someone who constantly thinks about work. This sabbatical gave me a new perspective on building a stronger family connection. It also made me realize that I am not the sole person responsible for everything within the family.

Organizational Thinking from a Distance: Thinking about the organization from a distance is very different from the perspective I had while actively working within it. This break gave me an opportunity to rethink organizational processes, which helped me design a new approach to strategic thinking for the organization.

Professional Ownership: I believe that ownership of the organization has now moved to the next level, becoming more professional and future focused.
 
What memory has stayed with you from your sabbatical?

Peaceful Sleep: Sleeping without any tension about work—it was a truly refreshing experience!
 
Inspiration from Children: My son, Master Aarav, and his friends formed an "Environment Avengers" group. Their motto is simple yet impactful: "One bite for the bird, one chapati for the dog, and one glass of water for everyone." This thoughtful reflection from the children has inspired me deeply, giving me the energy to cultivate kindness within myself and encourage it in others.

Inner Transformation: Something has changed in my unconscious mind or dil (heart)—I no longer worry about how others treat me. This realization has brought a profound shift in me. It’s an unforgettable moment in my life, and though I may not fully express it in words, it holds immense importance for me.

My Wife’s Smile: Seeing my wife’s smiling face when I wasn’t rushing to the office at 10 AM was a moment of pure joy and connection
 
What did you struggle with during your sabbatical?

Adjusting to Change: In the initial days of my sabbatical, I felt very alone. I struggled to engage with my family in a meaningful way, as I was not working on office tasks and couldn’t find a clear direction for my time.

Worries About Work: Some office responsibilities kept coming to mind, and I developed a fear that those handling the work in my absence might make mistakes.
 
 Organizational Challenges: This was the first time our organization planned a sabbatical, and it took a long time to process the necessary funds. Those days were quite challenging for me.

Misunderstandings About Sabbaticals: Some people who were unfamiliar with the concept of a sabbatical viewed it as merely a break or financial benefit. This misunderstanding created some issues both for me personally and within the organization.

Any insights or learnings from your sabbatical that you plan to implement in your work / personal life?

1. Only one work I think during sabbatical, its restart the writing process for the context-based youth work, and I think I will do this.
2. I have explored Narmada river with different way and I want to explore the relation of youth and Narmada river. I want to build something for my work! its reflection of my sabbatical.
3. Do you feel a sense of rest and wellbeing post your sabbatical? If yes, in what way and if not, what was missed?

Post-Sabbatical Adjustments: After my sabbatical, others expected a lot from me, but I initially struggled to reconnect with the office environment. This transition period was a bit challenging for me, but I shared my concerns with my team members, and they supported me through it. From a well-being perspective, I have decided to close my office work by 6:30 PM, which is non-negotiable for me. While I may not always stick to it, I am committed to building this habit professionally.

Simplifying Communication: I have adopted a simpler communication style by using email more frequently for office-related communication.

How did your colleagues and family feel about your sabbatical?

Colleagues: Some are supportive, and some are confused about sabbatical because it's very new and money involved, so need to work on it, and I will!

Family: They are very happy for good time! but still they have not accepted full time in house so, it’s good but valuable time plan work for me at family.
 
Any feedback / areas of improvement to The Cocoon Initiative about the process?

Organizational level: When person selected, need to engage organization core team to create a clear pathway for the organization level “SOPs” for sabbatical, those have not sabbatical policies or any guidelines. Its help for the candidates.
 
Personal level: Not very clear, but when Mr. Talreja talks to me in face to face meeting its give me lots hope for my sabbatical, so, if possible, need to discuss with fellow! Overall is this being very good experience.

What advice would your offer to anyone else planning to take a sabbatical?

1. Plan your break with colleagues and take simple steps to step back from you core work or responsibilities. At least give one month before plan a sabbatical
2. Do not plan everything in mind, need to open for the explore new ways not a plan way.
3. Involve family before take break, surprise did not work for the family! Its valuable time
4. Simple thing works better than very complicated things or plan things