Two years ago I was working two jobs with long shifts. I was feeling unmotivated to meet my deadlines and burned out. Inspired by travel blogs, I decided that I would save up enough money to travel for a month. I started packing lunch to work and made downgrades to my lifestyle. Within a year I had saved $10,000 and headed out to Costa Rica where I learned about sustainable development and preservation of natural resources and wild life. Subsequently, I had money left over and traveled to Southern California where I visited my brother, made new friendships, and completed a tour of the S. Coast beaches.
I think that the concept of waiting for retirement to enjoy life is outdated. People should be able to enjoy time off into their career paths while they are still vital, healthy, and full of vigor creativity. I'm a fervent believer that everyone would be much happier if they had a chance at a sabbatical. Fortunately, hundreds of companies today offer paid and unpaid sabbaticals for employees who wish to improve their health, recover from burnout, pursue personal development--one just needs to be savvy in his/her approach toward selling the idea of a sabbatical to an employer.
Before my first sabbatical, someone told me that the down economy presented a bad time to take an extended leave and that the break would derail me from my career path. Those words made me feel a bit anxious. I thought of what was at stake--my car, my house, my credit...my oh my. Hence, I had to overcome those mental hurdles and the fear of giving up financial security before undertaking my first sabbatical. Fortunately, I've always been a risk taker, and the risk turned out to be rewarding and beneficial.
I chose to take a sabbatical because I was burned out and lacked motivation. Seeing 20 patients a day in a clinical setting, supervising therapy assistants, and working a second job following the same repetitive pattern while having to catch up on documentation with little time for eating and sleeping proved to be systematic, robotic, and exhausting. I was not enjoying life anymore. My life was sleep, eat, work..sleep, eat, work. However, after I mentally committed to taking time off and found myself in the middle of adventures--horseback riding through rapid waters, exploring volcanoes, hiking through forestry terrain with exotic fauna--I was able to return to the fast career track with an optimistic outlook and a newfound desire for more ambitious goals.
Through traveling, I've discovered so many things about myself, as well as, things that I can do to earn a living without feeling stuck in a day to day rut. I've learned that taking a sabbatical does not mean depleting one's life savings or losing focus of one's career path. Money can be a hurdle in this opportunity, however, traveling can be planned so that the cost is less than a fraction of the cost of living. Gone are cable/internet bills, manicures, expensive dinners. In addition, networking opportunities continue to thrive everywhere.
When I took my first extended break, I updated my resume and continued to network online. At the end of my sabbatical tour, I had job interviews lined up and the position of clinical director at an outpatient pediatric clinic was the winner! I had a dream job two weeks after returning from my travels.
Planning without a doubt is fundamental to a successful sabbatical, and this includes developing a plan for covering your financial responsibilities. For me, paying my bills online and using internet cafes to communicate with loved ones while overseas has worked. In addition, investing in a travel health insurance plan has given me a peace of mind.
This being my second year on an extended break from work, I've learned that traveling with a dose of faith is the best way to take a sabbatical. In this type of journey, trusting that everything will turn out right and that the time off will be one of the greatest investments ever is a must. Who says one needs to wait for retirement to enjoy life? Not me! (Big Smile).
If you had the opportunity to take a sabbatical, what kinds of things would you do? Would you learn a new language? Pursue a hobby? Travel somewhere?
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