And the adventure begins...

french version here

"The first day of the rest of my life"... Today on May 22nd 2017, after a few weeks of reflection, and a growing desire, I announced to my boss my wish to go on a sabbatical leave. This sabbatical leave will begin on the 15th of September.

The countdown is launched. I have about 4 months to be organized, ready and the to-do list is pretty long!

Why?

This is the main question of family and friends -especially my parents-. From a professional point of view, I have an interesting job (a position in innovation, in the tourism industry), a decent salary that brings me a comfortable standard of living, the "wow" effect when I speak about my job (which meets my recognition need). I had also created my own event firm in order to have different perspective in my professional life more real and concrete.

So I fill all the boxes of social recognition, which is reassuring, for me and for my family. However, it was not enough to be fulfilled and feel at the right place. We are living in an abstract world, the Business world has many codes and political rules that we have to follow. Sometimes those rules become more important than common sense and a common goal. Leaving your own life and happiness are pushed into the background behind the society’s standards. Individuality is no longer recognized. I am not here to reject this society where I belong. It is important for me today to reconnect with my desires and my ideas in order to find exactly what I am looking for.

Of course, I asked myself many questions. Is it because I just get thirty? Am I going to regret this sudden decision? Could I find answers by changing region, job or satisfying myself with what I have today? Can I lose what I've spent years to build (an interesting job, a great circle of friends ...)? ... I tend to make decisions quickly but ultimately "breaking" the codes, it is not so easy.

I have always dreamed of adventures and travels, without ever daring. In fact, I admire these friends or unknown travellers (of which I follow the adventures on the social networks) who try the experience. Some of my tattoos are here to remind me that life is short and that we never know what is coming, that I should avoid the routine to live the moment and my dreams. This may seem relatively basic, but in spite of these tattoos and thoughts, until now I have let myself be carried by the daily life.

So the real question is, why did I not do it sooner? As I said earlier, social conventions (good work, a well-ordered life, an apartment, a boyfriend or even children) and my desire to please family and make my parents proud have played an important role in this inertia. I also imagined this project as a couple project, or even with a friend. Of course I have to face more fears and interrogations if traveling alone. Finally I am happy to consider this project alone. This is the first decision that I take only for myself. And I am convinced that this is the best way to experience this travel managing only my own expectations.

My goal is to get out of my comfort zone, create my own standards (instead of conforming to the society), learn to follow my intuitions and my instincts, develop new skills and open my mind.

What? When? Where?

The second question is: "What are you going to do for a year?" To be honest, the plan is still far from defined. And I will come back to the details once my preparations will have progressed. The global idea, as explained just above is to take the time to reconnect with my desires and my conception of happiness, to put things into perspective and define my professional and personal expectations. I will travel alone; I chose South East Asia for personal reasons (I have always loved Asia, its food, and its culture), budget and security. I will also take the opportunity to visit friends and family who are living in this area.

I will take advantage of this trip to:

• See these friends that I do not see enough,

• Challenge myself (for example I am afraid of heights and I would like to challenge that),

• Do activities that I've always wanted to do (like surfing or diving),

• But also work with NGOs

• And if possible, continue to meet and discuss with start-ups in order to stay connected to this world that I am passionate about (share experiences different from mine and, who knows, to define good practices).

Such a program can quickly be full. However, I wish to keep some freedom in this journey. I would tend to program everything, but this time I will really change this habit.

I wish to come back after this year, strong of new experiences, rich of new meetings, and more confident in the future.

This is just the beginning ...

... Let the adventure begin!