Advice on burnout, side gigs, sabbaticals, and risk?

[shelbster]

Hello there!
Part-time lurker here, finally made an account and am writing my first post. (Hope I'm doing this right!)

I've looked through a few other posts that are similar, but I'm hoping to get some input from the MMM world on my exact situation.
(Feel free to point me to existing posts if you've found a more similar one.)

Some things about me

• Single female, 26 in a couple months
• Planning on having kids eventually (though they've mostly not factored into my FIRE calculations as my plan is to keep working at least part time, on something, post-children, and I figure I'll be making those decisions with a partner who can also contribute income)
• Live in liberal coastal elite / high COL city with no intention of leaving any time soon
• Have kept lifestyle inflation largely at bay since graduating college, with the exception that my ex just moved out and my rent doubled -- expenses are still around $28k/year.
• Make about $80k/year between a consulting job and a small side gig in event planning (the side gig netted about $13k last year which I split 50/50 with my co-owner)
• Just hit $100k to my name, $10-15k of which is in easily accessible cash

FIRE goals
For the last few years, my goal has been to hit about $500k in investments, which would give me $20k/year to cover basic expenses at a 4% withdrawal rate. So definitely not on the cusp of it, but well on my way. Every time I crunch the numbers, I figure I could hit that at about age 30, at which point I could keep my savings rate positive (if low) by working part-time in whatever I want.

Call it phase 1 FIRE -- not enough to live on a luxury yacht with a butler, but enough to get by and pursue my own projects for another few years.

Those projects could mean grad school (because learning is fun!), ramping up my side gig, or continuing to work part time in a pretty well-paid industry.
Historically, I've figured it's not worth doing any of those things as long as I have a pretty well-paid, stable job with benefits and only a few more years to go until I would never have to worry about basic expenses. Better to get those investment accounts filled out early and pursue pet projects later. 

And then if I end up with a more lucrative job for a few years, that just means I could reward myself with some lifestyle inflation.

The conundrum
My current problem is that I'm feeling WAY burned out at my consulting job and need to make a change. That part is non-negotiable.
My question is... what?

To be clear, my consulting gig has pretty great work-life balance, especially as far as consulting goes. I'm at a small firm with good benefits, but the work situation has changed a lot over the 3 years I have been here. Much more corporate, no follow-through on promises of training, stuck on long-term projects that I don't care about and aren't meaningful.

So the burnout is not from sheer hours worked, but more from a lack of purpose, lack of learning, and lack of appropriate challenges.
The whole situation is bad for my mental health and is really putting a damper on my normal go-getter personality. (Read: the mental space afforded by NOT working for a while would be very welcome.)

Also, I've been wanting to break into the data analytics/data science world since I started my current job and those opportunities have not materialized.
I've never had problems getting a job (and the job market where I am is definitely in favor of the employee) and have good references and all that, but at this exact moment, I don't quite have the data science/SQL skills that I think I would need to get hired as a data analyst.

Some options I'm considering include:

• Getting another job in consulting, if nothing else than to change projects and get experience on other teams -- and negotiating a start date in several months to give myself a break in the meantime
• Quitting my job entirely, taking a few months to do an intensive data training course, doing a data project or two for my portfolio, then applying for data jobs (living off of mostly savings in the meantime with a little bonus from my side gig); as a backup, I could also re-apply at my current firm, which would basically make this an unpaid leave of absence
• Quitting my job entirely to build up my event planning business (as a back-of-the-envelope estimate, I think that I could pretty easily net $30k/year from this... potentially much more if I really put the work into for a few years; in the meantime, it'd be fun; I could also hire somebody to run it once I build it up and get a passive income stream... so it's a riskier option but potentially a good long-term one)

Does anybody here have sage advice on where to go from here?
Generally, people say not to leave a job unless you have another one lined up. And any time I take off without pay -- especially without the guarantee of another job right afterwards -- would push out my FIRE date by about that much time.
That said, greater risk comes with greater reward and isn't the whole point of having ample savings (by non-Mustachian standards, certainly) that you can allow yourself to take risks that could lead to greater happiness?

Many thanks from my quarter-life crisis to you!

[Metalcat]

You're going to need to clarify how 100K works out to 20K/year at 4% ???

[shelbster]

Typo. $500k goal. Fixed!

[seemsright]

You're going to need to clarify how 100K works out to 20K/year at 4% ???

^this!

[FIREby35]

The thing to remember is that a net worth of 100k at 26 is truly badass. Sometimes we focus on the big numbers others have achieved. But, in my tiny sample size of a life, I've personally experienced that the numbers can pile up very high, beyond what a mustachian can really spend and it happens with time. I suppose I take that to mean you don't have to be in a hurry to accumulate money as fast as possible if you are accumulating money and enjoying the journey. But no matter what, enjoy the journey.

So, whatever you do, consider that you are already wealthy. You have options and you really should choose the path with heart, soul and joy.

Good luck!

[use2betrix]

Have you already been looking for jobs? I don’t understand people who are unhappy with their work, but aren’t actively seeking other work. Casually looking for the “right” full time job is very minimal commitment. I’m in one of the very few positions in my career that I’m not at least searching some job boards at least once a week or so.

[mastrr]

It's important to understand the root of what you're solving for.  For most, it's happiness at it's core.  Once you achieve your FIRE Part 1 and the buzz wears off and reach an emotional equilibrium, will you be content or begin searching for something else?  People with go-getter personalities have it tough because being content doesn't happen no matter your state.  The good news is that it is possible to change from being happy when you get what you want to being happy with what you have.  I'm not advocating staying at your same position, only to dig deep for what is the core of what matters most.

[M0ntana]

It seems like we have the same kind of personality, so I feel like I get you even though I most likely do not.

The good thing is that you have options. 100K at 26 with no dependables clearly is a situation full of possibilities. Before making the move over to DS, though, I would make hella sure that is really what you want to do. Maybe start with a MOOC or starter online project to see whether you like it enough to do it on your own time, and make sure you spend enough time at it so that the novelty/shiny-object fallacy has worn off.

Last bit of advice from someone in a similar situation: whatever you do, do not compromise your mental health. If you think the anxiety from spending a bit of your stash will be worse than your misery at work, then you have part of the answer already. If what you really are striving for is a career change, then do that, but not at the expense of sending you in for a tailspin if things do not exactly work as you want them to be.

Best of luck regardless!

[brute]

I'm not a data scientist, but a play one in real life. Or something like that.

Do you like unrealistic expectations? Do you love walking into a dumpster fire and sifting through the ashes only to find that the data needed to do the analysis was never collected and now you're the asshole? Do you dream of running complex machine learning that no one else can understand and therefore doesn't trust, instead taking the advice of some dweeb on the golf course?

Yes?

Then Data Science is the career for you!

All bitterness aside, Data Science is an amazing career path, but emotionally draining. You have to be great with math, stats, algorithms, coding, visualization, evangelism, research, and probably other things. How good are you in Python, R, D3.js, Tableau, SAS, Hadoop/Spark, or other heavy hitters? If you are awesome at them at love them, just brand yourself as a jr data scientist and go for it. If you're more excel based, try out a few free classes and see if this is really something you like/can handle. It's a great field, but a meat grinder.

[wbarnett]

All bitterness aside, Data Science is an amazing career path, but emotionally draining. You have to be great with math, stats, algorithms, coding, visualization, evangelism, research, and probably other things.

Hilarious, but not universally true. I'm a data scientist in a megacorp and I don't think it's emotionally draining. I do have a great boss, so that helps. The math/stats/coding part is absolutely true, though. I'm hesitant to recommend that you jump into a data science bootcamp. If you don't have a highly quantitative background, you might end up learning the tools but not understanding the theory.  If you're interested and want a flavor of data science, take Andrew Ng's Machine Learning course on Coursera (it's free). If you get through it and you find it fun, that's a good sign you might like the field. Bonus points if you replicate the exercises in Python (much more useful than MATLAB in the real world).

And +1 to all the 'job well done' remarks. At 26, I had a $4k net worth.

[nwa-non]

I have no experience in data science but work in consulting.

You could always move to another employer in consulting! Three years, especially at the analyst level (I'm assuming), is a long time with one firm. Spread your wings and explore what other firms has to offer. I wouldn't advice quitting your job to just get an extended training. But if your heart is kinda set on the event planning business, go that route! With the knowledge that it wouldn't pay as much as a consulting job.

[mathlete]

Generally speaking, you're young and now is the time to take risks.

The whole situation is bad for my mental health and is really putting a damper on my normal go-getter personality.

This line really stuck out to me. Make sure that your FIRE goals aren't contributing to this. I frequently find myself not pursing work that could actually be very intellectually engaging (and good for my career) because I think to myself, "What's the point. In a few years I'll be a millionaire and I won't need this job. Why work hard for a salary bump that I won't spend, but won't meaningfully change my FIRE date?"

FIRE is great, but don't let it become a noose around your neck.

I also work in the financial/mathematical/data sciences field. I'm a few years older than you and so I think I may have a little bit of insight on "finding meaning" in your work. With your ambitions (well-paying, data oriented work), you're always invariably going to be involved in jockeying a lot of numbers around on a computer screen. Whether it's Excel, Access, SQL, SAS, R, or Python, the day-to-day work is very much the same. Typing stuff into a computer and getting results. As you progress, your job becomes less typing, and more explaining to other people what the results mean.

Some projects are inherently more interesting and rewarding than others, but the day to day is still pretty similar between them. Finding meaning in the work is very much about taking a holistic view of what you're doing. Your clients/shareholders deserve the most accurate and complete picture the data can give them. Somewhere along the line, the end user deserves to reap value as well.

If they don't already, ask your supervisors to include you in on meetings where your work-product is used/discussed/presented. I work at a publicly traded company, and so it always helps to see projects or results that I work on show up in the quarterly investor calls. It can put the day-to-day into context. (even if the context is Bill Lumbergh's stock going up a quarter of a point.)

[shelbster]

Thanks for the comments, everybody! This has been super useful to help organize my thoughts.
Also, it's always nice to get kudos for one's badassity. Mostly, mine has just come in the form of graduating without debt and resisting lifestyle inflation, but I appreciate the validation! :)

To respond to a few comments individually...

I suppose I take that to mean you don't have to be in a hurry to accumulate money as fast as possible if you are accumulating money and enjoying the journey. But no matter what, enjoy the journey.

Last bit of advice from someone in a similar situation: whatever you do, do not compromise your mental health. If you think the anxiety from spending a bit of your stash will be worse than your misery at work, then you have part of the answer already. If what you really are striving for is a career change, then do that, but not at the expense of sending you in for a tailspin if things do not exactly work as you want them to be.

Generally speaking, you're young and now is the time to take risks.

...

This line really stuck out to me. Make sure that your FIRE goals aren't contributing to this. I frequently find myself not pursing work that could actually be very intellectually engaging (and good for my career) because I think to myself, "What's the point. In a few years I'll be a millionaire and I won't need this job. Why work hard for a salary bump that I won't spend, but won't meaningfully change my FIRE date?"

FIRE is great, but don't let it become a noose around your neck.

This is very good advice and I think it's useful to hear from other Mustachians. It's one thing to get that advice from other trusted people, but rather different to get it from people who get your financial goals rather than simply admiring them.

As my roommate said, I could achieve FI in 5 years and hate every moment of it, or I could achieve it in 8 years and enjoy that time. I don't even think the time difference would be that big (if I only take off a few months and especially if getting into data means that I can actually get paid more) but even so, the logic holds.

Practically, this means that I've decided I'm going to take some time off this month come hell or high water. Because mental health!
If I get another job lined out with a later start date (I have interviewed at one place and have had information interviews about several more positions), then great. If I take personal leave from my current job, cool. If I quit my job with a few specific goals of what to work on to prep for a switch to data, then so be it.

It's only been a few days so far but I'm very happy with that direction.



Re:data & job hunting...

Have you already been looking for jobs? I don’t understand people who are unhappy with their work, but aren’t actively seeking other work. Casually looking for the “right” full time job is very minimal commitment. I’m in one of the very few positions in my career that I’m not at least searching some job boards at least once a week or so.

You could always move to another employer in consulting! Three years, especially at the analyst level (I'm assuming), is a long time with one firm. Spread your wings and explore what other firms has to offer. I wouldn't advice quitting your job to just get an extended training. But if your heart is kinda set on the event planning business, go that route! With the knowledge that it wouldn't pay as much as a consulting job.

All bitterness aside, Data Science is an amazing career path, but emotionally draining. You have to be great with math, stats, algorithms, coding, visualization, evangelism, research, and probably other things. How good are you in Python, R, D3.js, Tableau, SAS, Hadoop/Spark, or other heavy hitters? If you are awesome at them at love them, just brand yourself as a jr data scientist and go for it. If you're more excel based, try out a few free classes and see if this is really something you like/can handle. It's a great field, but a meat grinder.

Before making the move over to DS, though, I would make hella sure that is really what you want to do. Maybe start with a MOOC or starter online project to see whether you like it enough to do it on your own time, and make sure you spend enough time at it so that the novelty/shiny-object fallacy has worn off.

All good advice.
To give a little more context, I have an econ degree and wrote a thesis purely to get some practice with statistical analysis. My good days at work are the ones where I get to play in Excel all day (plus a few weeks where I got to use SQL) and I've done the SQL courses on KhanAcademy just for fun.

Aptitude-wise, I think data science would be a good fit. I've also spent the last 2.5-3 years trying to get staffed on a data project with very little success. I'm actually finally on one now and it is a tedious low-level project with a lot of project management BS thrown in and practically 0 support to tackle more interesting problems than refreshing reports. (Have talked to a couple of managers about this and the consensus is that it might be a project for a more junior person.)

All of that to say, I'm working on a data training and if I do take a few months off, I will also be working on SQL and Python. So far, sounds fun.
In the meantime, yes, I am job searching for both data roles and other consulting roles.

The key seems to be that I need some mental space to get in a better mindset about all of that. And not worry too much about how that will affect my FIRE date.



If anybody else has thoughts, I'd love to hear them!
Otherwise, thanks so much to the MMM community for the advice. If I remember to, I will circle back here with an update for future readers!

[BigMoneyJim]

Generally, people say not to leave a job unless you have another one lined up. And any time I take off without pay -- especially without the guarantee of another job right afterwards -- would push out my FIRE date by about that much time.
That said, greater risk comes with greater reward and isn't the whole point of having ample savings (by non-Mustachian standards, certainly) that you can allow yourself to take risks that could lead to greater happiness?

Yeah, they say not to do it. I've done it twice. I won't pretend either was optimal, but I can't bring myself to regret either time. I hate job hunting. And it's harder to do while you're working.

The first time I did it was in 2000. I had left the company in which I raised my career from manual labor to over-the-counter service to IT field support to join a startup. I hated the work at the startup and lost confidence in it and lost my identity with regard to work. So I quit to figure things out and didn't cut my spending even though I had $30k unsecured debt. Then the economy crashed hard, especially for IT folks. I eventually worked 5 months at an office store to help tread water financially before getting back into IT, then moved out of state for an opportunity offered by an ex-coworker. Again, as unoptimal as all that was, I can't bring myself to regret any of it as I better understood a lot about myself and work after that.

The next time I wanted to move back to my home state to be around family as I had new nephews and nieces and didn't seem to be progressing towards making any kids of my own. I tried finding work with my company back home, but at this time I was debt-free and had money saved up. The company did a big-time reorg and I had to sign something to be put under another operating company, and I figured that was a good time for me to exit since I was wanting to go, anyway.

Both times for various reasons I was out of work just over a year.

But if you get along with people and work well, opportunities may start finding you. My three best hires were ex-coworkers reaching out to me for an opening, and the more ex-coworkers you have, the better your odds.

Edit: Actually, $30k was the high point of my debt in late 2001, so it wasn't quite that bad when I quit. But I had debt and ran up more without income. Don't do that.

[Metalcat]

Generally, people say not to leave a job unless you have another one lined up. And any time I take off without pay -- especially without the guarantee of another job right afterwards -- would push out my FIRE date by about that much time.
That said, greater risk comes with greater reward and isn't the whole point of having ample savings (by non-Mustachian standards, certainly) that you can allow yourself to take risks that could lead to greater happiness?

Yeah, they say not to do it. I've done it twice. I won't pretend either was optimal, but I can't bring myself to regret either time. I hate job hunting. And it's harder to do while you're working.

Ugh, this is the exact kind of advice that keeps people staying in miserable situations.
When talking about burnout, it's as rational as telling someone in a bad marriage not to leave until they have another spouse lined up.

Okay, so general advice is generally helpful if you are a general person following general life paths with general life goals.
Except...you're here. No one here is general, so general advice doesn't apply.

Absolutely, it's a lot easier to get a new job if you have a job, IF the way you go about getting a new job involves absolutely no creativity whatsoever. However, if you are looking at changing industries or work styles, leaving your current job, taking some time to rest, regroup, and strategize can be the best approach possible.

Often your best ideas and best networking happen when you have the mental space and time to do so.
I didn't have any opportunities available to me other than jobs that were *exactly* like my old job until I left my old job with no plan. Within a year of learning, networking, and volunteering, I had multiple doors open up to me.

Working in your job allows you to prove your value working in that job, but it totally cock-blocks you from showing your value in most other ways, which is critical if you want to make a change.

So yeah, stay in your job as long as you want to stay stuck on the exact same treadmill you've always been on, but if you want to do something different, then necessarily, you need to stop doing what you are doing.

Once you free yourself from the general path, it's really important to throw out ALL general advice and wisdom that you have collected along the way and start from scratch gathering wisdom that actually applies to the life you want to live. It's a little terrifying realizing you have to deprogram almost every little thing you've ever been taught you *should* do.
It's daunting, really...

It's necessary though.

[HenryDavid]

Advice from multiple sabbatical-taker, self-funded leave enjoyer and early retiree:
Every scary break I took led to unexpected and wonderful life changes. Never “paid a price” for putting mental health first. And just simple curiousity.
The ones who pay the price are the ones too afraid to take the break.

[Metalcat]

Advice from multiple sabbatical-taker, self-funded leave enjoyer and early retiree:
Every scary break I took led to unexpected and wonderful life changes. Never “paid a price” for putting mental health first. And just simple curiousity.
The ones who pay the price are the ones too afraid to take the break.

Fuuuuucking hell.

I needed this.
Thank you.

[Goldielocks]

@brute "Do you like unrealistic expectations? Do you love walking into a dumpster fire and sifting through the ashes only to find that the data needed to do the analysis was never collected and now you're the asshole? "

I snorted my drink, reading that.  (Thanks).   That was me last month, for certain and I am just working as an engineering analyst.   The client actual said to "take the area we have now, and double it, if sales double"... yeah.  no.  it does not work that way but it sure is easier on me.....  I can bill you for that.

OP -- your consulting job and boredom with tasks are pretty typical for this point.. you aren't senior enough for the complex stuff, and not new enough to be still very very happy learning the basics.  I almost quit my career for similar reasons.   As long as the reasons you want out are not related to insane work/life balance, or the PEOPLE that you work with are crazy... another consulting job will be fun for a few years and then you are back at it.

Instead, go take night classes, while continuing to work, then switch your career focus.

[shelbster]

Generally, people say not to leave a job unless you have another one lined up. And any time I take off without pay -- especially without the guarantee of another job right afterwards -- would push out my FIRE date by about that much time.
That said, greater risk comes with greater reward and isn't the whole point of having ample savings (by non-Mustachian standards, certainly) that you can allow yourself to take risks that could lead to greater happiness?

Yeah, they say not to do it. I've done it twice. I won't pretend either was optimal, but I can't bring myself to regret either time. I hate job hunting. And it's harder to do while you're working.

Ugh, this is the exact kind of advice that keeps people staying in miserable situations.
When talking about burnout, it's as rational as telling someone in a bad marriage not to leave until they have another spouse lined up.

Okay, so general advice is generally helpful if you are a general person following general life paths with general life goals.
Except...you're here. No one here is general, so general advice doesn't apply.

Absolutely, it's a lot easier to get a new job if you have a job, IF the way you go about getting a new job involves absolutely no creativity whatsoever. However, if you are looking at changing industries or work styles, leaving your current job, taking some time to rest, regroup, and strategize can be the best approach possible.

Advice from multiple sabbatical-taker, self-funded leave enjoyer and early retiree:
Every scary break I took led to unexpected and wonderful life changes. Never “paid a price” for putting mental health first. And just simple curiousity.
The ones who pay the price are the ones too afraid to take the break.

Wow, yeah, that's amazing advice and really good for me to hear. Thanks!
As a self-admitted risk-averse person, it's been an interesting exercise to think about taking calculated risks.
I do think there's a point to not quitting your job willy-nilly, even if you have savings in the bank to support yourself. But it's also really liberating to say "here are some potential pathways for me, here is what the relative risks and rewards are, and do I think the risk is worth it? And if it's not worth it now, could I get a foundation in place to make the risk worth it?"

On a personal note, I've been playing around with a few ideas including the data work, my event planning side gig and a nascent idea involving a personal finance blog (because what else?!). Different levels of risk and potential reward for each of those things, and I'm having to remind myself that I can't do all of them (at once, anyway!) but it's been a damn breath of fresh air to think about activities that induce a state of flow (since god knows I'm not getting that much at work).

And isn't that really want FIRE is all about? It's not about retiring at 30 with gazillions of dollars in the bank so you can live in absolute splendor forever and ever -- unless you want it to be about that. It's really about having the freedom to make your own choices about what you want to do with your life, giving yourself the resources you need to have more autonomy in the face of external constraints that we all have to deal with (limited time, money, etc.).

OP -- your consulting job and boredom with tasks are pretty typical for this point.. you aren't senior enough for the complex stuff, and not new enough to be still very very happy learning the basics.  I almost quit my career for similar reasons.   As long as the reasons you want out are not related to insane work/life balance, or the PEOPLE that you work with are crazy... another consulting job will be fun for a few years and then you are back at it.

Instead, go take night classes, while continuing to work, then switch your career focus.

This is also helpful considering I'm looking at other consulting jobs for the medium term and am feeling very so-so about it. It's heartening to know that the tactic of "let me do anything besides this actual project for a while" might actually be a useful strategy to get me out of the current rut and let me keep making money while setting myself up to do other things.



Tl;dr: there are lots of options for me right now. Not sure where any of them will go but it's helpful to know I have them. And I'm really appreciating the input from other Mustachians!

[mm1970]

Advice from multiple sabbatical-taker, self-funded leave enjoyer and early retiree:
Every scary break I took led to unexpected and wonderful life changes. Never “paid a price” for putting mental health first. And just simple curiousity.
The ones who pay the price are the ones too afraid to take the break.

This is so spot on.  And yet, I still stay.  Though I did interview elsewhere about 5 years ago.

I'm risk averse, and more into the devil I know than the one that I don't know.  But every time I've changed jobs, it's been for the better.  But it's not universally true for everyone I know.

For sure, at your age - DEFINITELY start job hunting.  It's the time to find new things, experience new companies, learn new skills, get more money.

I've had some crappy situations where I've stuck it out and it's improved.  But in your case, I'd totally start looking.  An advantage is that you REALLY get a feel for what else is out there.  Both good and bad!

[Metalcat]

If you are actually risk averse then the guaranteed risk of burnout is far more dangerous than any other risk.

People tend to think they're risk averse, when really, they're just afraid of the unknown.

Once you learn to recognize the unknown as a much safer option than a known bad option, making good life decisions becomes a lot easier.

[BigMoneyJim]

People tend to think they're risk averse, when really, they're just afraid of the unknown.

Ok, this wins the thread.

In a slightly different angle on that point, I find that I handle change quite well, but uncertainty/indecision drives me insane.

[mm1970]

People tend to think they're risk averse, when really, they're just afraid of the unknown.

Ok, this wins the thread.

In a slightly different angle on that point, I find that I handle change quite well, but uncertainty/indecision drives me insane.

Always good stuff here.

[Warlord1986]

Advice from multiple sabbatical-taker, self-funded leave enjoyer and early retiree:
Every scary break I took led to unexpected and wonderful life changes. Never “paid a price” for putting mental health first. And just simple curiousity.
The ones who pay the price are the ones too afraid to take the break.

Fuuuuucking hell.

I needed this.
Thank you.

I needed to read that too. Thanks.

I’m on a sabbatical now, after leaving a very toxic and discriminatory work environment. The job hunt hasn’t been easy (it’s always harder than I expect it to be), but life-wise, it has worked out beautifully. I’m in the middle of a family crisis right now, and I’m able to rearrange my shifts at my part time job so I can take care of my mom for a few days. I would never be able to do that at Old Job. I’m also doing a little bit of traveling, and I’m getting a certification I’ve been wanting. And my part time job might be retail, but I took the lead on finishing a $15,000 order to a client, and that’s impressive no matter the industry. And to top it all off, I’m volunteering at the library and loving it!

As long as you do SOMETHING with your sabbatical, learn something, volunteer, whatever, then you should be fine.

[FIREby35]

On the sabbatical part, I have organized my life so I'm able to take 5-6 week sabbaticals about the time the mid-western deep freeze is at its strongest. We go to Mexico, rent an air-b-n-b and, when all is said and done, it reduces our annual expenses because of the cost of living there is so low.

From a mental standpoint, I've been really surprised how beneficial it is. The sabbatical has the effect of allowing you space from the "the grind." I find I come back and make better decisions. Refreshed and energized. I have more to give to those who need my services.

Anyway, I had doubts about what "everyone else would think." The truth is, the world doesn't know what to make of someone who has control of their time and money. But, they know they don't have control of their time and money. In the end, it results in people sensing you have sufficient resources/power to listen to your own mind, body and spirit. If people think that about you then they treat you accordingly - which is what you want.

For me the sabbaticals are priceless lifetime memory making machines - I have a 7 year old, 6 year old and 4 year old. We've had some fantastic adventures together and I look forward to more!

All that to say, take control of your time. Take control of your life. Take the leap and have an adventure. It will all be just fine.