Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone
Aug

This is a guest submission by Matt from 1YearSabbatical.com
At work we always joke about winning the lottery. It’s a dream that many people fantasize about. We equate money with success, security and the freedom to do whatever it is we desire.
But most of us will never win the lottery. And so we work and toil at jobs that may or may not offer us satisfaction hoping that at some point in the future we’ll have enough saved up to do all the things we dream about doing. This is my story.
I’m A Grinder
I’m currently a grinder. I work 8-5 Monday thru Friday. It hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. It’s afforded us a great lifestyle complete with many of the luxuries we’ve always dreamed of. We’re not rich by any means but like most people in the Western world we’re in the top 5% of world earners.
Many would be envious of where we are and what we have done to create this life. We have health insurance, two cars, cable TV, high speed Internet, clean drinking water and flush toilets. The kids have more toys than they know what to do with. We are also very fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.
In 2001 I married my wife in her home country of Indonesia. We’ve been married for 10 years now and have two kids. The responsibility of marriage and kids kept me chained to the grind. I had a family to support now and I couldn’t risk losing that security.
But as years went by, the grind began to take its toll and I became a very different person. I felt like there had to be something more to life. Sitting in this cubicle day after day couldn’t be as good as it gets.
When you don’t feel your mojo at work, it’s easy to feel trapped. And that is how I’ve felt for quite some time. I feel robotic and bored at work like I’m just a cog in the corporate wheel, just another body on the assembly line. I don’t feel like I’m making a difference in the world.
I don’t feel I’m living life on my own terms.
Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying
I’ve been thinking about ending the grind for quite some time, but the fear of not having that perceived security kept me chained to my desk.
I got depressed, felt sorry for myself and then got angry. I changed into a person I didn’t like. I snapped at the wife and kids, I was angry and bitter at the world, and I blamed everyone but myself for the life I was living. I had hit the wall and knew that something had to change.
I couldn’t continue down this same path any longer.
The turning point came when a friend told me to read “The 4 Hour Workweek”, that infamous book that every lifestyle design guru on the web cheers about. I didn’t think too much of the book as a whole, but what it did do was open up my eyes to the possibilities.
For once I could see that there were options out there that I hadn’t even considered. I could actually live my life the way I wanted to. I was looking at the world with new eyes. It was time to get busy living.
The Escape Plan
It’s been 5 years since we’ve been back to Indonesia. We had struggled to get out from under a tsunami of debt and the expense of an international trip was just out of the question. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that going back may be just what we needed.
We put together a plan to take a year long break and live in Indonesia, which resulted in the birth of our site 1 Year Sabbatical. The idea is to take a year where we can concentrate on ourselves without the distractions of a job and the grind that goes along with it.
We can spend more time with family, develop a healthier lifestyle, experience a new culture and even develop our own business ideas with the goal of being self-employed or as I prefer to call it “Living Your Passion”. And since the cost of living in Indonesia is much less than the US we can stretch our dollars even further.
So I did some research and wrote up a sabbatical proposal and presented it to my boss. I asked for a year off to live overseas. She was all for it but corporate HR had policies in place that had strict guidelines for time off, namely that the most I could take was 4 months.
Now we had a big decision to make; take the 4 months or go for the full year. On the advice of friends, we decided to take the 4 months and look at it as a trial period. And then if it looks and feels good we’ll stay and continue building our lives the way we want.
If we’re not feeling it, we’ll still have a life to come back to and we’ll figure out a new path. Taking a sabbatical affords us the opportunity to try a new lifestyle and accomplish goals that we probably would not be able to do otherwise.
Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone
So right now we’re planning to leave for Indonesia in October. It’s been a scary proposition but I’ve heard it said before that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. We’re definitely pushing that; taking more risks than we usually do. I’m scared to death about the move but for once in my life I’m also excited about the opportunities that are in front of us.
This isn’t a vacation. This is a life building opportunity.
We’re selling just about everything we have and using the money to fund our adventure. My wife has plans to start a bakery, something she’s always dreamed about. I plan to further develop my photography business and a few other online opportunities that I haven’t had the time for.
’ll be homeschooling our kids and just living life on our own terms. We’re anxious and excited at the same time. We have no idea what will happen or how we will make it all work, we only know that we have to try. What good is a dream if you never run toward it?
I’m Matt Koenig and I’m a photographer and network analyst preparing to embark on a sabbatical to Indonesia with my wife and 2 young sons. You can read about and follow our journey at 1 Year Sabbatical where you can also get tips on pursuing your own sabbatical adventure.
You can also check out my photography at Matt Koenig Photography. Follow me on Twitter @1yearsabbatical and @mattkoenigphoto.

TrafficColeman
Matt..yes we can have the things we want through a job and live comfortable..becasue I been there. But it comes a time when you have to make a decision were you must start building your own foundation.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Matt
Hey Antonio, I agree…building your own foundation is one of the keys to finding happiness and fulfillment in your life.
Kim
Found your blog when I googled “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Good luck. WOuld like to read more, but I need to get back to work 😉
Bekka Scott
Matt!
I love your honesty in this post. It IS scary, but nothing great comes without risk. 🙂
I’m excited that your wife has plans for a bakery… I grew up in a bakery and just recently quit my job at Great Harvest working as a sweets baker (to make a living off my music… bucket list you know…)! Needless to say, I’ve got an affinity for bakeries.
Much like the life you are looking to make for yourself, the life of a baker is hard work, but one of the most satisfying (according to most surveys, and my personal experience!).
Always much support from me to you!
Matt
Thanks Bekka! The bakery is exciting not only because it’s been my wife’s dream for quite some time but also because I’ll get to be involved using what I love to do which is photography. I hope you’ll swing by the bakery in Indonesia during your travels. Thanks so much for your support and kind words. I’m really looking forward to following your own adventures as well. Cheers!
Justin | Mazzastick
Kudos Matt,
You are a pioneer and an example to the millions of people who wish that they had the balls to do the same thing.
Matt
Thanks Justin! I really, really appreciate that.
Ruth Zive
Matt,
I also recently took the plunge, and I can relate to the fear – I have FIVE children…it was hard to leave my well-paying and even somewhat enjoyable job.
I will say that the desperation that accompanies risk is good fuel to turn your passion into something that works. Leaving the grind doesn’t mean you are lazy or unmotivated or lost. I’m actually grateful that I feel the pressure to make money and support my family – it forces me to focus on opportunities and to make my time matter. I’m just no longer prepared to do it in a work environment that doesn’t inspire me.
Good luck to you! I can’t wait to read about your adventure.
Matt
Thanks Ruth! Wow!! Five kids. You’ve just become my new inspiration.
The fear and self doubt just gets more intense the closer we get to our dreams becoming a reality. Being able to have the time to work on our own goals will be key to making this whole adventure a success. I know we can do it though and I’m actually really excited to be putting in all the hard work now. It will just make success that much sweeter.
Susana
Hi Matt,
Amazing to meet someone like you, who is actually doing something real to escape the grind. How very brave of you, I am insanely jealous 😀
Thank you for sharing your inspiring story. I am sure that with that amount of determination and passion, you are sure to be very successful.
Good luck!
Susana
Steve
You and me both Susana :). I think it takes a certain type of person to take on what Matt is doing. It’s inspiring to me for many reasons and I love what’s he’s doing.
Matt
Hi Susana! Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. It’s been a roller coaster of a ride but we keep plodding along because we know we’ll be even more miserable if we don’t at least give it a try.
Just read your post of self-doubt and it really got me thinking about myself and the process I’ve gone through while planning and implementing this journey. There have been times when I haven’t believed in my own ability to pull this off. It’s definitely something I think is a limiting factor for many people in doing something like this.
Allan
Matt,
You’re definitely moving forward !
I’m from Down Under and also working on my dream which is to stop that 9-5 and have my internet income to sustain my living.
FYI, USD2K a month can provide us a decent living in Penang, Malaysia. Which i’m sure Indonesia wouldn’t be that far off, right ?
But I haven’t take the plunge yet, your story is another motivation for me to pursue my goals ! go Matt !
Cheers,
Allan
Matt
Hey Allan! Yeah, $2K goes a long way in many parts of the world. My in-laws are saying that we (family of 4) can easily live on $1K per month in Indonesia. We’ve looked at renting houses for $5-6K per year.
Keep pursuing those goals!
Matt
paul
Here is a parable titled the More than money: What is the good life?
A few years ago, a very rich businessman decides to take a vacation to a small tropical island in the South Pacific. He has worked hard all his life and has decided that now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labour. He is excited about visiting the island because he’s heard that there is incredible fishing there. He loved fishing as a young boy, but hasn’t gone in years because he has been so busy working to save for his retirement.
So on the first day, he has his breakfast and heads to the beach. It’s around 9:30 am. There he spots a fisherman coming in with a large bucket full of fish!
“How long did you fish for?” he asks. The fisherman looks at the businessman with a wide grin across his face and explains that the fishes for about three hours every day. The businessman then asks him why he returned so quickly.
“Don’t worry”, says the fisherman, “There’s still plenty of fish out there.”
Dumbfounded, the businessman asks the fisherman why he didn’t continue catching more fish. The fisherman patiently explains that what he caught is all he needs. “I’ll spend the rest of the day playing with my family, talking with my friends and maybe drinking a little wine. After that I’ll relax on the beach.”
Now the rich businessman figures he needs to teach this peasant fisherman a thing or two. So he explains to him that he should stay out all day and catch more fish. Then he could save up the extra money he makes and buy and even bigger boats to catch even more fish. The he could keep reinvesting his profits in even more boats and hire many other fisherman to work for him. If he works really hard, in 20 or 30 years he’ll be a very rich man indeed.
The businessman feels pleased that he’s helped teach this simple fellow how to become rich. Then the fisherman looks at the businessman with a puzzled look on his face and asks what he’ll do after he becomes very rich.
The businessman responds quickly “You can spend time with your family, talk with your friends, and maybe drink a little wine. Or you could just relax on the beach.”
Steve
Love that story. Really makes you think….
Matt
I never grow tired of hearing this parable Paul. I think each of us has to find the right mix of work and play that makes us happy and fulfilled.
Holly
Hey Matt: Great Reality, no longer is yours just an inspirational story.
I also left my safe haven of security when I saw my children’s FREEDOMS being binded, so I had to trade in my former spouse, and my former Banking and Finance degrees and career and instead earn my financial independence once again with a new education and career as a Counselor and doctoral student in Organizational and Environmental Psychology. Now I consult other Executives through coaching and counseling to do exactly what you MATT have done by sheer will and guts!!
I have never felt so happy and inspired helping others to what they love. Taking others on this journey that most think is an impossibility and observing them as they embark and start living on their own terms and free will is indescribably rewarding. Everyone that wants to be FREE benefits, especially the children, and there is nothing more rewarding than that!
Freedom is DOING what you LOVE, HAPPINESS is LOVING what you DO. Looks like you and your family are on your way to a FREE willed lifestyle filled with LOVE and HAPPINESS that will naturally be created through your families passions. Best of Good Forture that it will follow you and your family along its new path.