1330: Prepare for the Unexpected Mini-Retirement by Jillian Johnsrud on Work-Life Balance

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1330, Prepare for the Unexpected Mini Retirement

[00:00:07] by Jillian Johnsrud of JillianJondsrud.com. And I am Dan, I am your host and narrator here,

[00:00:13] and welcome to this Wednesday edition of Optimal Work Daily, which features a brand new author to

[00:00:19] the show, Jillian Johnsrud. So let's hear from her and I'll tell you more about her after the

[00:00:23] post as we optimize your life. Prepare for the Unexpected Mini Retirement by Jillian Johnsrud

[00:00:34] of JillianJondsrud.com. In my 20s, I was let go from a job, kinda, or I a little bit left.

[00:00:44] My position was being combined with another position, one I had no interest in nor the

[00:00:48] skill set to tackle. Either way, I was unexpectedly unemployed. It's a situation

[00:00:53] most people find themselves in at one point or another. And as typical, it was stressful

[00:00:58] and a bit sad. Bumming around the house, applying for jobs, trying to get caught up on

[00:01:03] housework but generally feeling uninspired. That could have been the whole situation for me.

[00:01:08] Except this concept of mini retirements had been swirling around in my head for so long.

[00:01:13] So instead of moping about week after week, I felt ready-ish to take action. Since adopting

[00:01:19] our oldest son from foster care, who was then 13, we had done a few trips. A big Florida road

[00:01:25] trip with beaches and theme parks, some camping trips to Shenandoah National Forest, and many

[00:01:30] trips to the coast of Maryland. But living in the DC area, we hadn't made it to Montana

[00:01:36] and Glacier National Park. It was something I was desperate to show him but the airline

[00:01:40] tickets were expensive and we never had a good reason to go. Gaps in employment are

[00:01:44] a perfect opportunity for an impromptu mini retirement if you can find the right headspace.

[00:01:50] I had my concerns. What if someone wants to interview me and I'm gone? What if I miss out

[00:01:55] on a job? What if I spend this money and then it takes forever to find a new job?

[00:02:00] But I was also prepared. We had paid off our debt by this point and were saving 50% of

[00:02:05] our income, which meant we could live on one income for a while. Looking back at all our

[00:02:09] mini retirements, I don't regret any of them. In hindsight all of them were pivotal to our

[00:02:14] personal growth, business, passive income and our relationships. But this one holds a special

[00:02:20] spot in my heart, partly because it was the mini retirement I was most scared about.

[00:02:25] I had the most hesitation and excuses not to go but sharing Glacier National Park,

[00:02:30] the place that was so special to me with our son, is a memory I can never replace.

[00:02:36] How to pack. Life presents unexpected opportunities to take a step back from the 9 to 5,

[00:02:42] to focus on what matters to you. The key to realizing those opportunities is to be ready

[00:02:47] for them. I think about it like a go-bag. If you have ever watched NCIS or probably any crime

[00:02:53] drama, the agents for NCIS have a go-bag. It's a small duffel bag that contains a few

[00:02:58] changes of clothes, toiletries and anything else they might need for an unexpected trip.

[00:03:03] When they need to leave at a moment's notice, they grab the bag and are off to catch their flight.

[00:03:07] When it comes to mini retirements, there are a few things you can have ready so that at a

[00:03:11] moment's notice, you are ready to seize this unexpected opportunity. There was a new round of

[00:03:16] layoffs in the news recently. One article I saw mentioned how a married couple was both

[00:03:21] laid off while one of them was still on maternity leave with their 4-month-old baby.

[00:03:25] Undoubtedly, that adds to the stress and grief of losing a job. But knowing how magical

[00:03:30] a mini retirement can be? A little part of me was excited for this couple. They will each receive

[00:03:35] 4 months of severance pay and 6 months of health care as part of the layoff. Being able to have

[00:03:41] at least 4 months together with their newborn might be an incredible blessing when they look

[00:03:45] back on it. If you are mentally, emotionally and financially prepared, these hardships can

[00:03:50] be transformed into something beautiful. Here are ways you can prepare.

[00:03:54] 1. Cash

[00:03:57] Especially during a gap between jobs, you will want to have money set aside ahead of time.

[00:04:02] When you find an unplanned career break on your hands, it's a hard time to start saving

[00:04:06] to make this mini retirement happen. Your cash bucket is also the easiest to fill when starting

[00:04:11] out. Save up to cover your baseline expenses for the time off, plus a little extra to go

[00:04:16] towards the things you plan to do during your break. 2. Plans

[00:04:20] Plans. Finding yourself on an unexpected work break can be a little disorienting.

[00:04:25] It can be incredibly difficult to pivot from discouragement, anger and confusion of getting

[00:04:30] laid off. When you feel stuck in those emotions, it's hard to creatively dream and imagine an

[00:04:35] incredible adventure. It's helpful if you have done the process of imagining how you want

[00:04:40] to organize that mini retirement before it happens. You can use my free 10-day intentional

[00:04:45] living course to come up with lots of ideas, goals and dreams that would be perfect for

[00:04:50] tackling in a mini retirement. Make a note of ones that would be perfect to do over

[00:04:54] a 1-2 month time frame and on short notice. The more you have thought about what you want

[00:04:59] to do with this time, the more confident you'll feel embarking on this adventure.

[00:05:03] And 3. Confidence Over the last 20 years,

[00:05:07] three of our seven mini retirements were short, less than three months, and unexpected.

[00:05:12] We didn't plan for a year in advance. Instead, a life event happened, like miscarriage,

[00:05:18] unemployment and an adoption slash rental purchase. These things are just part of life.

[00:05:24] They can be times of stress, uncertainty and pain, but they can also be moments for joy,

[00:05:29] healing and progress. By having a logistical plan and the savings to do it, you'll be halfway

[00:05:35] there. The other element is choosing to take action and lean into joy during hard times.

[00:05:40] Over time, mini retirement after mini retirement, you'll see how life-changing they are.

[00:05:45] You'll have confidence in the process. After creating space and being intentional about

[00:05:50] what you planned, you'll see how things flourish. The first two mini retirements

[00:05:54] were full of doubt. It's okay to be a little scared or unsure.

[00:05:58] Confidence and clarity come in doing. You never know.

[00:06:03] I should have had a hundred opportunities to take Micah to Glacier National Park.

[00:06:07] About six years later, my husband and I moved to a town just outside the park.

[00:06:11] We would have gone into the park every holiday when he visited.

[00:06:14] A few months after we moved back to Montana, Micah passed away without warning.

[00:06:18] That trip to Glacier was the only one we ever had together.

[00:06:22] I had so many reasons not to take that trip. I stressed about it.

[00:06:26] I tried to talk myself out of it. I worried about taking a short break from work.

[00:06:30] All of those things I worried about. Do you think I care one tiny bit about them now?

[00:06:35] No. A hundred times over I would take that trip. Of all the family trips we had with

[00:06:40] Micah, that one was the most joyful. That's the trip we still talk about.

[00:06:45] Life can be unpredictably fragile and short. You just never know.

[00:06:49] You never know if you'll have a hundred other chances to experience your dream

[00:06:52] or perhaps this is the last chance for that dream.

[00:06:55] Life changes, health changes, and circumstances change, frequently without any warning.

[00:07:01] Save the money, make a plan, and when the opportunity arises, grab your go-bag and go.

[00:07:11] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:13] Prepare for the Unexpected Mini-Retirement by Jillian Johnsrud of JillianJondsrud.com.

[00:07:19] When it comes to hiring, don't go searching for the one. Just meet your match with Indeed.

[00:07:24] Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors

[00:07:30] and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast.

[00:07:34] Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening, and messaging.

[00:07:38] 93% of employers agree. Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job

[00:07:44] sites. And one of the things I really love about Indeed is that it filters out those

[00:07:48] incompatible applicants. So when you're hiring, the process is much faster and you only have

[00:07:53] to consider applicants that are already likely to be a great fit. And listeners of this show

[00:07:58] will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com

[00:08:05] startup. So just go to Indeed.com startup right now and support our show by saying you heard

[00:08:11] about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com startup. Terms and conditions apply.

[00:08:19] And thanks so much to our new author, Jillian. 15 years ago when Jillian and her

[00:08:23] husband were married, they had $55,000 in debt. That was credit card, student loans,

[00:08:28] and medical debt. They also had some big dreams. They wanted to take, as you heard

[00:08:32] in this post, mini retirements. They wanted to travel the world and they wanted to adopt.

[00:08:37] They wanted financial freedom to never worry about having the money to put food on the table

[00:08:41] or pay the bills again. Jillian had grown up poor and never ever wanted to feel that way again.

[00:08:47] In the last 15 years, they paid off all of their debt, traveled to 27 countries,

[00:08:52] lived abroad for four years, took five mini retirements, adopted four kids plus had two

[00:08:57] biological kids, and then they paid cash for their very first home and bought two rental

[00:09:02] properties that they fixed up themselves. They have served on boards and nonprofits,

[00:09:06] mentored kids from tough situations, and volunteered in all sorts of roles.

[00:09:10] At 32, Jillian did become financially independent and now it's her mission to help others build

[00:09:15] a life that perfectly lines up with their values, passion, and purpose. So come by

[00:09:20] JillianJonsrud.com for more. That's Jillian J-I-L-L-I-A-N, Johnsrud, J-O-H-N-S-R-U-D.

[00:09:29] And again, a big thank you to Jillian for letting us share her work right here on the

[00:09:33] show. So that's going to do it for today's Optimal Work Daily. I thank you so much

[00:09:37] for being here and hope you'll do it again tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.