• Home
  • Coaching
  • Mentoring
  • Start here
  • About
  • Contact
  •      

Eyes on the Goal

Create a life you don't need a vacation from

How Monday Became My Favourite Day

1. May 2017

How Monday became my favourite day of the week

About 3 months ago I was about to take a leap into the unknown. It was the start of my 6 months sabbatical. I clearly remember finishing off the last tasks on Friday evening, saying goodbye to colleagues, and not willing to leave the office. It meant the start of a new chapter and although it was an exciting one, I was SCARED.

Before I jumped

Me: Here I am. I packed my staff. I am DOING THIS!
Brain: What if you lose your motivation? Without external triggers and deadlines, you will probably be bored and lost. I clearly see you in your pajamas on the sofa, being depressed and eating tons of ice cream.
Me: No, I won’t. I have made a vision board and I have exciting things planned.
Brain: It’s half a year without income. Who does this? What about your financial independence plans?
Me: I need this space and time. It’s like taking a step back before making a big jump.
Brain: What are you going to come back to? 6 months is a long time, the company changes so quickly, you will have to start from scratch.
Me: …
Brain: Plus you are going to miss the social aspect. You interact with so many smart, interesting people here, but not when you are alone at home…
Me: rghhhhhhg….
Brain: Ok, I see I can’t stop you. But then you have to do something BIG! Like a round-the-world-trip and visit at least 4 continents. That’s what people do, right? But it is going to be expensive …
Me: Oooooh Brain, leave me alone!

The truth is, the brain’s job is to keep you safe and alive. Every time we are about to undertake something with an unclear outcome, the brain enters panic mode. Although we are not in life-and-death situation it magnifies the danger and it feels much worse than it actually is.

So, I ignored my survival instincts, and I focused on my excitement to experiment with a different lifestyle. I have been working for 10 years without a break, starting with a summer job in the second year of university. Undoubtedly, my efforts have taken me a long way. I have a lot of options and freedom other people don’t have. But is it what life is all about?

The plan

I had a plan for the first 2 months. I was going to join a meditation course for 10 days, then travel in South Africa for almost a month. The remaining 4 months were open for things to unfold naturally.

I needed time and space to decompress. I wanted to spend time with my family. I wanted to continue writing this blog, improve my photography skills and perform inner decluttering.

It’s amazing how much baggage we carry around without even realizing it. Here are the usual contents of this nice, big, heavy bag pack:

  • expectations of what we should have achieved for our age and gender
  • shiny goals we picked up from somewhere
  • the desire to please others and to belong at any cost
  • draining relationships
  • psychological traumas and disappointments which we brushed under the carpet for the lack of time to process them
  • limiting beliefs of what can be done and what not.

I wanted to take it all off my shoulders. I wanted to discover what’s beyond. So, I gave it a name:

New frontiers of inner and outer richness

Fast forward to today

Monday is my favorite day of the week. I created my own structure and I experiment with my schedule. I have the freedom to play with it and adjust it for maximum effectiveness and satisfaction.

Guess what?! This whole BIG FEAR of lack of structure was full of shit!

I ‘work’ on my goals and it doesn’t even feel like work. I sit down every Monday morning, I do a review of the past week, I mark down the progress and I set tasks for the upcoming week. For most of the time, I deeply enjoy it and I am at my highest productivity.

So, here I am on the International Workers’ Day writing about how good it feels taking time off work.

The highlights of the past 3 months

  1. The journey of self-discovery.
    I was hungry for adventure. I was planning to do much more traveling. I was tempted by the digital nomad lifestyle. As a start, spend 24 intensive days on a road trip in South Africa. I did all kinds of things, from bungee jumping, horse riding, to driving 2000km, sand boarding, safari, enjoying the most delicious food and nature, etc.

    But at the end of week 2, I had an unsettling desire for getting something done. You know the feeling of a job well done, a project out of the door, a published blog post, of completing something and seeing a progress? I missed this feeling a lot. We were always on the move, and I was too tired to write.
    I realized I needed and loved my home base in Berlin. I have set everything up here for maximum productivity and enjoyment. I like to know where I can get things, I like cooking my own food, and I like the focused work I can do when my mind is not thinking constantly about what’s else to be discovered in this place. The nomadic lifestyle is for some but definitely not for me. At least not the kind of lifestyle when you move every couple of days.
  2. The morning jogging session twice a week is something precious! I run for an hour along the Spree river, when it’s fresh and there’s almost no one. I love the cute dogs taken out for a walk or mothers pushing their babies in strollers. Schadenfreude – this is what I feel when I see the other people early in the morning rush to get to work. I know, this is bad, but I can’t help it.
  3. The Productivity Day – a weekly boostcamp, here in Berlin. The idea of Productivity Day is to dedicate a day per week to do deep focused work. No interruptions, no procrastination and the best of the science of productivity. It’s a day a week, where I get tons of shit done. I usually write blog posts or conceptualize new projects. This is also where I meet amazing, new people. If you are in Berlin, you should consider yourself lucky, you can experience it yourself!

So, what do I do most of the time? I photograph, I write, I read, I meditate, I watch Youtube videos, I ride a bike. I am on a quest to revitalize and expand my network. I catch up with people I haven’t seen for a while and I meet new people I can potentially collaborate with.

Hammock paradise

Hammock paradise – this is my favourite place in the world 🙂

What’s next

I don’t have big plans for the remaining 3 months apart from visiting my family for 2 weeks.

Of course, I think about the return to my job in 3 months. I am also extremely grateful to my employer for giving me this chance. I realize it’s a rare privilege to be able to step back, re-energize and re-calibrate my compass.

It turns out, the scariest things are always the things that eventually bring the most benefit.

Courage is nothing more than a skill – it’s the ability of taking action despite the uncertain outcome.

So, what are you most afraid of, but equally excited about?! This is the shortcut to what you really want. It is simple (but not easy).

Spread the ❤

Related Posts:

  • Test Drive Your Dream
    Test Drive Your Dream
  • 6-Month Sabbatical: What to Expect
    6-Month Sabbatical: What to Expect
  • How To Get the Most out of the Books you Read: Interview with Mehmet Baha
    How To Get the Most out of the Books you Read:…

Leave a Comment / Filed In: Updates on the Goal
Tagged: life experiences

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I am Kate App

Welcome from Kate App
I take you on a journey from
Financial Independence 2022
all the way to
a Life you don't need a vacation from

Search

Subscribe

Categories

  • Financial Independence
  • Freedom Seekers Community
  • Investing
  • Minimalism
  • Tools for Success
  • Updates on the Goal

You Might Also Like

  • How to Use Fear to Catapult You Forward
  • The “Expensive” Things – When It’s Time Not To Be Frugal
  • Consume vs Create a.k.a New Life Goals
  • Update on The Goal After 5 Years
  • How Break Down Leads to Break Through
  • How to Transform Fear Into Love and Get Freedom as a By-product

Archives

  • March 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016

AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLOSURE

Katerina Apostolova is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Privacy Policy

Check our privacy policy here: Privacy Policy;Click here to opt-out of Google Analytics
     

© Copyright 2023 Eyes on the Goal · All Rights Reserved ·