Find Sacred Rest and Renewal Through Community

Introduction

In 2014, I discovered a rhythm that completely redefined my perspective on work, relationships, and rest. I took a three-day retreat to remote cabins with a friend and spent time in solitude, fasting, brainstorming, reflecting, and praying. It gave me a tremendous boost of energy, creativity, and soul rest that a vacation or long weekend never had. It was so powerful that I decided to repeat it at least three times a year, because, paradoxically, pausing wasn’t slowing my progress—it was accelerating it. 

I got home from my twenty-fifth mini-sabbatical, and I thought, Wow, these mini-sabbaticals are too powerful to keep a secret. I know so many people who could benefit from an intentional pause. 

I started writing Wisdom That Leads to Soul Rest with the idea of sharing why, when, where, and how to take a sabbatical. I went on the back porch and dictated for about four hours. Suddenly, I had the beginnings of almost every chapter, but I realized my career as a hospital CEO was creeping into the book. I couldn’t help but add some advice on physical health, leadership principles, relationships, faith, God, and even a chapter on money. It became filled with little nuggets of wisdom I’d picked up along the journey of life, becoming something akin to the Old Farmer’s Almanac for the mind, body, and soul. 

This is the book I wish someone had given to young Bret Kolman with a note that said, “Bret, save yourself time, money, and pain. Read this book.” 

As I experienced soul rest over the course of a decade, I realized some of life’s greatest lessons defy logic. My wife showed me that losing actually strengthens relationships. Experience taught me that most of my shortcuts turned into longcuts with hidden costs. 

I began giving grace freely once I understood it was, by definition, unearned. I watched friends experience their deepest peace in the wake of trauma or a critical diagnosis. I discovered that gratitude is a mindset you can train, even in the hardest seasons, and generosity is an inoculation against greed. This book tells the story of learning those lessons and many more, so you can go further, avoid self-sabotage, and keep from becoming soulspent™.

There are lessons for the ultracompetitive, for those seeking a deeper faith walk, or for those who just feel something is amiss. You might be reading this book to reach new heights in your career and grow as a leader, or because recent events have drained your reserves. Either way, Wisdom That Leads to Soul Rest is for those who want to lead, love, and live with renewed energy and joy along the way.

You can read this book alone, but you’ll find deeper value when you share it with others. When you talk about your journey, you multiply your growth and divide your burdens. If you’re willing to be open, you’ll find community and encouragement you didn’t know you needed. Don’t have anyone to read it with? I’ll find you someone. You can contact me at contact@sabbaticaltaker.com.

The journey begins with dirt–and a lesson that reminded me what can happen when we stop working the soil long enough to let God nourish and restore it.