Life lately…Taking a sabbatical and travelling across four continents in two months.

They say rest is a form of wealth, so I took a sabbatical. At the beginning of the year, I reviewed my five-year plan and realized I was due for a sabbatical this year. When I wrote the plan, my idea of a sabbatical was taking a year off from my career to travel the world and write my autobiography. However, I’m not yet at that level of freedom or autonomy. Writing my autobiography at this point would require so much from me emotionally and mentally. Additionally, I would need to interview people who have been integral to my evolution as a person, and I haven’t given them any heads-up yet. With respect to work, there are people who depend on me, and my reliability could be questioned if I decided to pull the plug without any forewarning. This made me realize I hadn’t planned well for my year off, but I do want to honour this commitment to myself, so I decided to pivot to my current situation.

The first thing I did was evaluate all the mediocre decisions in my life that could impede my growth and evolution, and I terminated them immediately. The most evident one was work-related. My job has many nuances and can seem complicated, but there are parts I could do with my eyes closed because I have done them for so long. Besides being a comfort zone, it has stopped inspiring growth for me, and I don't believe I'm learning anything new. While it was one of the most difficult decisions I have made in recent times, I decided to end those types of engagements. It's still fresh as I write this, and I keep receiving pleas from my colleagues to come back. While I empathize with them, I need to put my foot down at this point. Maybe I will come back and do the same type of work in a couple of years, but not this time.

Secondly, I have a passion project I have been meaning to work on. It's a charity that is very dear to my heart, and I have been putting it on hold due to my inability to delegate properly. It’s funny how I’m such a good delegator in my work life—I actually trust people to do the right thing, and when they don't, I'm more than happy to correct them. I thought about why I feel so confident doing this in my professional life but not in my personal life, and I realized that I always want to learn from people. Being at the forefront all the time wouldn't allow for that, as I would be limited to my own ideas. I'm glad I was able to get to this point. The greatest challenge I have had with kicking off this project is time and not being able to commit my physical presence to drive the initiative. Now I have decided to delegate, trust people to do the right thing, and provide guidance as needed.

Thirdly, I decided to travel to places I have always wanted to visit, with Colombia at the top of my list. I have been meaning to travel to Colombia since someone first invited me to come with them during my trip to Cuba in 2018. I never did then because I was in a relationship, couldn't be as spontaneous without seeking approval from my partner at the time, and also due to visa restrictions. This is no longer the case, so I traveled to Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Medellín, creating beautiful experiences of a lifetime with people from different walks of life. I have a separate post detailing my entire experience, including the people, food, culture, and language.

Additionally, I have long wanted to dive with sharks in the Bahamas. Unfortunately, the weather was bad upon arrival, and all my dives got canceled. However, I had the opportunity to experience the finest Bahamian people and culture, which I would have never encountered if the diving had taken place.

Then, I got bored and decided to go to Paris. Paris is one place I made a pact with myself never to visit until I spoke fluent French—perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but let’s say comprehensible French. I went to France, spoke French the entire time, had the best experience, and met my language study partner for the first time, who took the liberty of showing me around Paris. I met the most wonderful people, and no Parisian slander will ever be tolerated in my presence.

Then it was time to go to the Middle East, and I chose home: Dubai and Oman. While many people see Dubai as a tourist destination, for me, it will forever be home. Being spoiled here for choice is one of my favourite things. I spent the most time here socializing with my people and once again enjoying the taste of home. Many people have been pleading with me to move back, but I have too many homes now (A bit of a humble brag, I admit). Splitting my time half and half works for now. Eventually, time will tell!

Overall, I consider myself extremely fortunate for the opportunity to push myself the way I do and to experience life this way. I have always hated the idea of saving until retirement to reap the benefits of your hard work. I believe life is best lived during the process, finding joy in every moment. Of course, everything in moderation—the energy you have in your 20s, 30s, 70s, or 80s will differ, and you won’t meet the same people. At the traditional retirement age, probably 50, 60, or 70, you are not as youthful, energetic, or healthy as you were in your 30s. Imagine delaying life until this time. I’m in my 30s now. The other day, I was dancing and told my friend that I used to be able to dance all night long, and now I can barely manage four hours of intense dancing on a ladies night. This is how aging plays out—it’s gradual. I don’t especially hate that as I find solace in the fact that I did that in my 20s and still have those memories. I can tell you for sure that a lot of people can’t say this for themselves.

Even when I’m not traveling, some days my biggest joy is successfully steeping my Earl Grey tea for the right amount of time and at the right temperature, or finding a market that sells my favorite vegetables. On bad days, I use gratitude as a weapon, which has worked so well. Life should be enjoyed in progress.

I once met a very successful elderly stockbroker on my trip to New York, and we were talking about life in general. After a two-hour-long conversation and a karaoke session, he said to me, 'You have lived so many lives, and I wish I knew this when I was younger.' This came from someone the world would deem a 'successful person.' Success will never be measured in terms of finances only for me. It is more holistic—it encompasses finance, wealth, experience, health, rest, impact, and more.

I have reached a point where travel is a default for me and does not require conscious effort, as it is already embedded in my life. My focus at this stage is on buying back my time and creating days where I never have to work. This requires critical thinking and making smart decisions. My likes, wants, and desires have changed over the years, and my capacity for creative ideas has expanded.

I’m making decisions that scare me, but every great decision I have made has involved a degree of fear. In fact, if it doesn’t, then I’m not interested. You know when Rihanna said, 'addicted to the thrill, and it's a dangerous love affair'? She was talking about me. I make the decision first and then work on the implementation. My biggest advice to myself has always been to make a decision and live with it. You will only find me in grey areas when the situations are trivial.

Additionally, I’m working on properly allocating my time to my counselees. Lately, the touchpoints have been taking a toll on me, and I believe this is because I have been traveling more than usual. So, I’m planning to schedule these touchpoints to have more structure. I take mentoring very seriously, especially because when I was younger, I had to turn to books for guidance. If I can be that person for someone else, I don't mind. I’m also trying to prioritize my personal development to ensure that my advice is not limited to my own views but is rational and wholesome, helping my counselees and I make informed decisions.

Last but definitely not least, I’m working on returning to the gym and building strength. While I appear physically fit, I sometimes get exhausted. It's not often, but when it happens, I feel very concerned. I’m glad summer is here, and I intend to indulge in swimming and working out at the gym. I call it a biathlon (not in the literal meaning), but in this context, it involves going to the gym for a set time and following up with swimming immediately. It should be fun 🙂

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