The break – One of the greatest things in my life

Last year, I quit my job as a management consultant in Dubai and decided to take a long break (the break), hoping to find something that suits me better. Don’t get me wrong, I love consulting and my previous company was great, but I wanted to explore what else exists out there (after all, I ended up being an independent consultant in the Middle East). The result exceeded my expectations, thereby, I thought it would be good to share my observations from this extended transition phase.

To make it easier for my fellow consultants to read, I wrote the article in the Q&A format, boldening key points ?? The focus questions cover:

• The break overview
• Why was it so great?
• Key achievements and implications
• Success factors
• Replicability of the experience

Hope you enjoy it. It would be nice to hear your thoughts. I suppose busy office workers would feel me better but I’m sure some of the concepts would be applicable to others too.

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1.?????WHAT WAS THE BREAK LIKE?

a.????? Duration. It was around 6 months between the official resignation and the first project as an independent consultant.

b.????? Countries. During the break, I travelled to Portugal, France, Georgia, Estonia, the US (Florida, Colorado), Colombia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, Russia, Spain and Italy. Right after, with some more free time, I went to Malta, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

c.????? Activities. Most of the time I spent with my family in the US, playing with my sister’s kids and enjoying nature. There were also many planned and casual meetups with all sorts of people. I walked, chilled, ate, did sports, read, enjoyed myself, had fun, went through lots of thinking and planning. There was no urgency, no deadline, nobody waiting – nothing, just me and the present.

2.????? WHY WAS IT SO GREAT?

a.????? Freedom. I got to set my own direction, change it, flip it, drop it.

b.????? No more rat race. Naturally, I was able to disconnect from others’ systems, while reconnecting to a greater purpose. It became a pivotal point for moving from selling my own vision for cash to being paid for building it.

c.????? Improved health. Proven by multiple reactions, my face started showing significant improvements from sleeping without an alarm, reduced stress levels and better quality of life.

d.????? Seeing family and old friends. I was able to reconnect with those who have contributed significantly to my personal development, and spend quality time with friends while traveling across continents.

e.????? New perspectives. During the travels, I could see new ways of living and thinking, how people can be committed to their dreams, sacrificing big things for the sake of something even greater. It was a wonderful time connecting with non-office humans, appreciating life, exploring cultures and reconstructing my simplistic understanding of the universe.

f.?????? New inspiration. I was blessed to meet brilliant promising young leaders in different fields, from entrepreneurs to church ministers and social workers. Despite multiple challenges, they were able to push through and make a great impact on their communities and nations.

g.????? Planning the future. I had more time to look into self, reset priorities, go through my good old idea repositories, and browse the web. Out of numerous hypotheticals, only a few remained, shaping a clearer vision with multiple new possibilities.

h.????? New beginnings. After the break, I ended up in a position far better than expected.

i.?????? Testing trash. Through experimentation, I reconfirmed that worthless things aren’t worth it.

3.????? KEY ACHIEVEMENTS?

a.????? I’ve advanced to a better place in life: faster growth, more focus and direct impact (according to my vision), more potential, more freedom, more valuable relationships, less BS.

b.????? Recognized success with current clients: reinforcement of past achievements and stronger performance driven by higher personal accountability.

c.????? I feel better than ever: 2023 was the best year in my life and I’m sure that more is yet to come. No regrets at all.

4.????? OTHER IMPLICATIONS?

a.????? More control (and responsibility). 100% ownership of every action and outcome. The better I do, the higher the probability of a greater result – if I slack, my control systems suffer and I pay the price.

b.????? Infinite pathways. The opportunity space has always been there, but with more time, I was able to take my eyes off the groundwork and look at a higher-level picture. Having tried the freedom and seeing how others manage it to reach their goals, I realized how my old treatment of time was narrow-minded and flawed.

c.????? More risk. Corporate systems are not meant to impose barriers for mere barriers' sake – they exist to achieve higher success at lower risks. Without such protective walls from an employer, I have to build my own systems that better work towards my goals; except, I don’t have hundreds or thousands of people to rely on.

d.????? New networks. Suddenly I found myself being pulled into new communities, full of individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, an open and free mind, those who pursue their dreams and are happy to share their journey with others.

e.????? Changed priorities. There is less time for things that don’t matter and more for what counts towards the ultimate vision.

5.????? WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS?

a.????? Long time (but not too long). It took over a month to realise that the past life is left behind, and a few more months to learn to enjoy the new way of living. The initial plan was to find the next big gig three months after the resignation – it took me around six, which could have easily turned into a full year.

b.????? Some savings. I didn’t need much (in my friend's eyes, I could be called poor) but it definitely helped to have a buffer for contingencies and top items on the bucket list.

c.????? Great people. Talking to some great people made a huge difference. I met some incredible individuals, and their openness and support deserve extra praise. Everybody has their own story, and now I had enough time to just sit and listen to them: people moving from Senegal to Japan to find a better life, musicians earning pennies while working as hard as some top-notch office workers to become the best in their league, inspiring entrepreneurs building their own corporations in times of great localized downturn, women fighting with domestic violence and many others.

d.????? Lucky coincidences. Things just happened somehow. Some people just appeared and were very supportive. Without them realising, they were sowing good seeds into my life. As I started considering future employment options, markets got low and not my opportunities started falling off. At the same time, the right things came just when were meant to come.

e.????? My wonderful analytical brain. I kept searching, structuring, thinking, and structuring, and thinking… over and over again. It is great to talk to others, give some space to chance, but after all, this is my life I’m living, my vision and future at stake – it’s in my best interest to strive for the best possible outcome.

f.?????? The internet and AI. I have to re-admit, we’re living in an era that’s not like any other – research and learning can be done at ‘1000x’ compared to the old ways. You don’t need to get a diploma or work with 100 companies to get your answers. It’s a simple truth these days, yet so powerful and underutilised.

g.????? Getting out of my place. It really helped to distance for a while from old connections and activities, as well as systematic distractions. Surprisingly, the world hasn’t fallen apart; in turn, what was supposed to stay, remained and became stronger, while all else faded out.

h.????? Value system and life vision. I am who I am, I arrive where I’m heading and I call it a success or failure because my brain is wired that way. Some things require regular revision but the core remains the same: Love, Essence, Eternity, Excellence and Community.

i.?????? Lack of external responsibilities. It definitely helped to be free from any attachments: no wife or kids, no investors, no subordinates, etc. - giving a ton of extra degrees of freedom.

j.?????? Strong EU passport. Apparently, this one is important.

k.????? Awesome background. My academic affiliations, professional excellence, religious involvement – every single piece of my history played its role. Some can call it privilege but this is not something given at birth, I worked hard and God kept blessing at every step. The pathway was “simple”: setting high standards, doing things right from the start, giving my best to the world, building meaningful relationships.

6.????? WOULD THIS APPLY TO OTHERS? (SHORT ANSWER: NO)

a.????? Pivotal point. I was at a place in life when change was necessary; for people who are fine with wherever they are, an extended vacation should be sufficient.

b.????? No specific result expected. This is not a formula for getting from X to Y, so the outcome is not clear – one should be willing to accept whatever comes.

c.????? Willingness to act right. Everything that you do counts, as well as everything you don’t do. Again, there is a difference between a long holiday and the break, which is meant for reorganizing life and making a big shift.

d.????? Having the right prerequisites. I had whatever I believed was necessary. Don’t go from one crappy place to another. The setting, people, resources, attitudes – everything matters.

e.????? Strong will and self-discipline. Getting out of the break is hard. Some can get lazy, lose motivation, develop bad habits, spoil their diet, worsen their health and, consequently, step back (instead of stepping up) – values and discipline matter a lot.

f.?????? Being in the right place. Don’t use the break to escape from your true calling. Jonah was a prophet who knew where he was meant to be but, instead, he decided to run away from his core responsibilities (see the book of Jonah, the Bible – it’s a great story). Eventually, things got sorted between his rebellion and the true mission, but he had to learn through some hard lessons.

g.????? Substituting kings. It’s not about shifting from the dominion of one ruler to another - whether it’s a boss, a military commander, or a relative, - but studying yourself, giving yourself space and being the one in control.

h.????? Other paths. An alternative outcome without the break would be probable but I’ll never know.

7.????? WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?

a.????? Maybe, when the next big step is required. However, with the current lessons learnt, the duration of the Break 2 might change.