5 Lessons from My 2-Year Sabbatical

After I was laid off from corporate America in 2023, my wife suggested that I take a 2-year sabbatical to focus on living my dream of becoming an author. It was an intriguing idea.

What would I do if I had the gift of a 2-year sabbatical? This was my plan: I would take a year to complete The Wellness Ethic and get it self-published. During that year, I would also get a health coaching certification (to supplement my life coaching credentials). Then, I would market my book and coaching services during the second year. If either pursuit gained traction, maybe I wouldn’t need to return to corporate America. If they didn’t, I would reenter the traditional workforce. I loved the plan! My wife and I were all-in.

The sabbatical whizzed by, but that’s what happens when you’re doing something you love. Now that it’s over, here’s what I learned:

#1: Trust the universe—it knows what it’s doing.

My layoff could have been viewed as a bomb tossed in the middle of my family’s life. Since I was our primary provider, my paycheck paid the bills. It funded my retirement plan. It was going to pay for my two daughters’ weddings. All of that was in jeopardy.

Or the layoff could be regarded as a gift from the universe to inspire me to pursue my dream with every ounce of energy and talent I had.

I’m thrilled that I accepted the gift. The last two years have been the best years of my life. I know now that it would have taken another five years to finish my book if I continued to write as a side hustle. The universe knew that I needed to focus my fulltime energies on writing in order for The Wellness Ethic to reach its full potential. And that full potential is independent of sales. It’s simply a function of the book being the best version of itself.

When I move forward in the direction of my dreams, I feel alive!

#2: Money is secondary, or tertiary, or quaternary (it’s a word—I looked it up), but never primary.

The downside to the 2-year sabbatical was that I didn’t earn money. My wife and I had to live frugally in order to make ends meet. My projected retirement age was pushed out by five years.

I like money. I like having it. I like spending it.

But I love experiencing life. I love living my dream. I love having experienced two years of living freely with nothing in the way of pursuing my passions. No distractions. No excuses.

When I am on my death bed, I won’t think about money. But I will think about the special moments when I nurtured the wonderful gift of my existence.

Money is fleeting; experiences last a lifetime.

#3: It takes courage to live a courageous life.

When you live a courageous life, you take chances. You put yourself out there. You risk things not working out as you intended. You confront fear. You become vulnerable.

But you grow. You are challenged. You tap into your superpowers. You open doors. You experience life in its full vibrancy. You discover your true essence.

For me, leaving corporate America was scary. What if I had to return in a few years but couldn’t because my skills had become outdated? AI was rapidly changing the game.

Writing a self-help book that defied convention was scary. It exposed me to judgement—what if my infusion of humor and storytelling didn’t land with my readers? Would I feel embarrassed?

It took courage to take a step into the unknown. But by doing so, I now know what it’s like to live an authentic life on my own terms, independent of the judgement of others. Moving forward, in whatever I pursue, I will follow the path that resonates with my spirit, regardless of what the naysayers may think. I will be courageous.

When you take a courageous step forward, you step closer to your truth.

#4: An inspirational “why” gives you more mojo than a pot of coffee chased with a 5-hour Energy drink.

I exist to improve people’s lives through my spirit to serve, creativity, sense of humor, and ability to simplify the complex. That’s my purpose in life, the essence of me.

When I came up with the idea to write a book that made wellness accessible and actionable, and created an engaging reading experience through the use of humor and storytelling, I was hooked. I had no choice but to go on the journey. Here’s why (as articulated in The Wellness Ethic):

To start with, I was confident the experience would get me closer to realizing my best self. That excited me. Moreover, I would create a legacy for my children. Long after I was gone, they would have a book they could turn to whenever they wanted to tap into the wisdom I had accumulated in my life. That comforted me.

As far as achieving traditional literary success, as measured by royalties and bestseller lists, that’s not what this was about. Even if the book were self-published, with fewer than ten copies sold (bought by guilt-ridden friends and family members, no doubt), I would have a book on my bookshelf written by me! It would become an exclamation point in my life.

Motivation was never an issue during the six years it took me to write and publish my book. Not a single day. My why tugged at my spirit. It was all the inspiration I needed to transform the daunting into the doable.

When you have a strong why, the world becomes your playground.

#5: Life doesn’t give a damn about your best laid plans.

I’m a planner. I have a plan for everything. I’m also a dreamer. It’s fun to imagine your life falling into place just how you scripted.

I had carefully crafted plans for my two-year sabbatical—step by step—leading to publishing my book in the first year and building a life coaching business in the second year.

But writing a book is really hard. And then you have to work with beta readers, subject matter experts, cover designers, illustrators, editors, proofreaders, typesetters, and other professionals to get the book published. A word to the wise: Don’t get me started about the joys of getting your book files uploaded correctly on IngramSpark and Amazon.

Every step presented obstacles. It took me two years to get the book published, not one. So I didn’t have time to build my business. And now, as a result, I’ll need to find employment as I simultaneously launch my book.

But that’s all right. It’s life. It rarely goes to plan.

No matter what happens in my life, I’ll always choose the best response to my reality to move forward. That’s the only thing I control.