Why I'm Taking a Year Off

I’ve written various forms of this post as journal entries over the last 18 months. The first was 17 January 2017 (yes, 2017) when I wrote:

“I have decided to take a one year sabbatical beginning 1 June 2018. The timing is such that it’ll take place during the last 6 months of my 20s and the first 6 months of my 30s. This will signify in many ways a transition into my 30s and will set my pace of life for the following few years. I don’t yet have an idea as to exactly what I’ll do on this break, but I do know that I’d like to take the time to refocus my life and make sure I’m living every aspect of it as I want to instead of how I think other people think I should.”

My decision to take a year off was gut instinct. I’ve learned to trust my gut instinct because it’s usually right, no matter how difficult it may be to accept or act on what needs to be done. I remember the feeling of making this particular decision. It was refreshing - powerful, almost - to be able to step out of the norm of my life and get back to where my heart has been for a while. And being four months into it now, I can say that it was the right decision.

I have wanted to take some sort of break since my final two years of college (I was there for six years). I worked all through college, first as an intern at an architectural testing firm and then writing software for a startup, and was burnt out. I wanted to do nothing for a few months. To recharge. But I hadn’t saved up enough money to be able to do that so I pushed through and put the idea on the back burner.

A couple of years after I graduated from college I hit a low point, and through that did a lot of growing up and learning about life. I made career and financial goals to work towards in the second half of my 20s. I met those goals and did things that I had no idea were possible back when I made them, but I felt like something was missing. I hadn’t really taken care of myself.

While I spent the whole of my 20s investing in and building my career, I didn’t do much to invest in myself personally. I wasn’t taking care of my mind and body and spirit as much as I should have been. Now that I’m in a position to cash in on my career investments and get a year’s worth of work weeks to myself, I am making me a priority.

This year I’m doing the things that make me happy, push me out of my comfort zone, make me active, and get me ready for my 30s.