Six ways to spend your six-month mini-retirement
/My six-month mini-retirement in 2021 was a return to self. I rediscovered my love for adventure and my love for nature. I spent my mornings writing poetry underneath the golden aspens of Colorado, my afternoons sinking my feet into the soil in New Mexico, and my evenings gazing at the stars of Utah.
A mini-retirement can be an opportunity to discover a new passion or rediscover a forgotten love. This is, perhaps, the most profound difference between a mini-retirement and a vacation. A vacation is to escape one’s reality for restoration. A mini-retirement is to recreate one’s reality for rejuvenation.
Over the last couple of months, we hosted our first mini-retirement planning group. Our group had nine beautiful souls. I left our experience feeling inspired by each of their dreams. I fully believe they will all experience the abundance destined for them. In fact, one of the women in the group has already booked her flights.
What is a mini-retirement? I define it as an intentional career break usually lasting between two and twelve months. You can learn more about it in our article, "What is a mini-retirement?"
When I talk to folks about mini-retirements, their eyes light up at the prospect of relief from the grind of life. Which is understandable. I needed rest at the beginning of my mini. Western culture, and more broadly the culture of the Global North, is oppressive and exhausting.
However, once my desire for relief was quenched, it alchemized into an eagerness for living. A delight in indulging in life’s pleasures and a renewed zest for artistic expression.
I am now redesigning my career so that I have an annual three to four-month mini-retirement. Planning this year's mini-retirement is almost as fun as living my 2021 experience. Keep reading for six ideas on ways you can spend your mini.
Here are six ideas on ways you can spend your mini-retirement
Adventure
As I shared above, my 2021 mini-retirement was full of adventure. I learned how to kayak, I discovered a love for gravel biking, and I hung out with wild animals.
To plan my adventure experience, I started by choosing the locations I wanted to visit. Then, I researched fun activities to do in the area. This approach helped me to discover activities I never would have considered.
For example, when my fiancé and I were in Boise, Idaho, we found a trapeze school. We took a class and loved it. Trapeze flying would never have crossed my mind as an option before visiting Boise. As a fun sidebar, my cousin is a traveling trapeze artist. He does it full-time. After I did my first class, I found out that he had taught at the same school the year prior. Such a fun coincidence.
Rescue animals
One of the students of our first mini-retirement program is planning to rescue animals during her experience. She lives in the Philippines and will be traveling around SE Asia. Her focus will be on saving elephants and critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in MAGSAYSAY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. You can learn more here and here.
To plan this experience, start by researching the list of endangered species. Then, choose a species or two to focus on. Once you've chosen the species, research the locations where they reside. Plan your mini-retirement destination in one, or more, of these locations.
Dive into culinary traditions
I am exploring the history of food and wine in the Pacific Northwest for my 2023 mini-retirement experience. As part of my research, I've been diving into newspaper archives to learn about the food renaissance in the area.
Apparently, there is controversy amongst the culinary elite about the history of the cuisine in the area. We love drama!
My plan is to connect with chefs, restauranteurs, and foragers to design my food exploration experience. You can sign up for my Substack newsletter if you want to follow along.
Wellness retreat
One option that I did consider as a theme for this year’s mini-retirement was visiting various wellness retreats. I’m all about that leisure life.
The prospect of indulging in yoga, sauna rooms, and healing practices for an extended period of time sounds like the epitome of leisure. Check out this roundup from the Financial Times for inspiration.
Learn a new language
I can’t imagine a better time to learn a new language than during a mini-retirement. Of course, the best time to learn a new language is right now, but you understand what I’m saying.
I love languages. I speak Spanish fluently and I’m learning Italian. I would love to design an experience around full immersion into a language.
Your mini-retirement could include traveling to a different country, but it is also possible to learn a new language at home. One language learning tip, that I learned from Hola Spanish, is to change the default language on your phone. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in a new language without traveling abroad.
Creative writing retreat
Another option that I considered this year, and may still incorporate in some aspect, is a creative writing retreat. Stepping away from the demands of a job or business is a lovely time to give your writing muscles a chance to flex. The retreat can include travel or it can be an at-home retreat. There’s no wrong way to do a mini-retirement. It’s whatever feels most pleasurable to you during this season of your life.
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