I agree with Matt Koenig, “Everyone should take a one year sabbatical.” Next year in June, Matt and his family, plan on taking one year off. I love the way his blog has the countdown to the day with minutes and seconds.

Matt gives four reasons why and I agree with his reasons, but being older than him, I’d like to add a fifth one.

1)      Find Your Purpose

2)      Health and Rejuvenation

3)      Family Time

4)      Travel & Experience the World

I would argue that too many people put off doing what they want to do, until retirement. How many times have you heard people say, “We can’t move now, the kids would hate to leave their friends.”  Or, “We can’t move to (name favorite place you’d like to move to) until we retire.

Before my family moved for a year to Belize, (both my husband and I craved adventure and change) we heard different comments like, “What about your kids? What do they say?” To which we responded, “It will be good for them to experience life in another country.” Now that we’re back in the US, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My mother died when I was 25. For those of you who have lost a parent at a fairly young age, I believe you gain a different perspective on life.

Many people go through life unhappy. Get up, go to work, and as Matt puts it, “live for the weekend.”

We expect our kids to go to school, get a good education which we hope will lead to a good job, purchase a nice house and car and then save until retirement. (I might be a little guilty of that myself, as far as my sons getting a good education, however, if they choose to live abroad, or do something they’re passionate about in a third world country, that’s fine with my husband and me. We just want them to find their own thing.)

As Matt says, “It’s the typical delayed or deferred life plan that all of us are so familiar with. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. For many it works. The thing is for others like me it is what makes us so miserable.Would I ever find the thing that I was truly passionate about and then be able to turn that passion into a life quest?”

Matt mentions what Chris Guillebau says in his life manifesto, “The Art of Non- Conformity: “Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” 

Now Chris Guillebau is a man I truly admire. I just listened to a half hour interview with Chris Guillebau on David Garland’s blog: The Rise to the Top.

There is so much good stuff for writers and bloggers building a platform and for those who want to travel to each of the 192 countries around the world, like Chris. The difference is he’s visited 151 countries so far, and will achieve his goal by the age of 35.

But enough for today. Chris Guillebau, has such a fascinating outlook on life, and as a person who loves to live a Gutsy Life, I shall talk about him on Thursday. Hope you join in the discussion: