How I Manifested My Sabbatical & Why It Changed My Life

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

A couple of years ago, I was at a cross roads in my life. I was ready for a change, but I didn’t know what it was that I wanted to do. I felt lost and I needed some time to think. A time out from career and my life to be able to regroup and reevaluate so I decided to take a sabbatical.

The problem was, I had no idea where I was going to go or how I was going to manage to pull this off. Having struggled with finding my purpose for a number of years, I knew this was what I needed and so I was committed making it happen.

When I started telling people my plan, I was met with a lot of resistance and confusion.

“You’re taking three months off to travel? Why?”

“By yourself?”

“What’s a sabbatical? Who does this?”

“How do you plan to take three months off work and pay for this?”

“Your company won’t approve this. Then what are you going to do?”

“Where will you go?”

My answer was always the same “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”

And the truth was, I didn’t know. I had a mortgage, a career and a dog. How could I manage to take three months off to travel with all of these responsibilities?

This was in March and by May 25^th, I was loaded in the car with my dog headed to Mexico for the next two and a half months.

This was my first experience with manifesting and it truly opened my eyes and changed my life. I learned so quickly that once you commit to something, I mean truly commit to it, it becomes a part of your story before it even happens.

I didn’t get hung up on the ‘how’, but instead I was committed to the ‘why’. This was something that I needed to for my own spiritual and mental wellbeing and knowing that brought me to the how.

And here is what transpired right before my eyes;

My boss and company recognized my value and dedication and granted me the time off quickly and without hesitation.

I listed my house for a short-term rental and received a bidding war that resulted in me receiving eight times what I originally asked. (There was an event being held in my city that I knew nothing about before booking my trip and visitors were desperate for places to stay for six out of my 10 weeks away.)

My trip and time off were now paid for.

I decided to bring my dog along so I knew it had to be drivable and on a beach. So I decided on La Paz, Mexico. It was easily accessible by car and didn’t have a lot of restrictions for bringing a dog.

I found and rented a simple house on the beach there for two months and enjoyed peace and serenity. I found myself.

The drive had me somewhat concerned to do alone, but my mom was also able to take two weeks vacation and did both rounds of driving along with me.

It was the most gratifying and fulfilling experience I have had in my life. But what I got out of the sabbatical and time off was much more than that.

It brought a whole new sense of awareness of what I am capable of creating and manifesting in my life.

If I can decide, plan and arrange for a three-month sabbatical in just under eight weeks, what else could I do?

It is such an empowering and freeing concept. To know that you hold full control over what can happen, once you simply commit to making it a reality.

The experience has brought me to whole new place in my life and I continue to learn and grow and challenge myself through manifesting.

So today I encourage you to do this. Imagine the one thing you want in your life right now. It can be as big and as bold as you want it to be. Close your eyes and imagine your life with whatever it is. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Who is with you? Imagine all of the details that come along with this idea. And now also imagine that it has already happened and you are living in that moment and that situation. And stay with that.

And remember my three golden rules for manifesting.

1. Focus. Visualize it like it has already happened. And each day ask yourself, what am I doing to contribute to my vision.

2. Don’t be swayed by naysayers. And trust me, there will be many.  Stay strong and don’t let them put doubt in your head.

3. Stay positive. Everything you have accomplished in your life was once just a thought. This too will become a reality for you.

What is your dream and when do you plan to start making that a reality?