Fear is everywhere in our society. Fear of terrorism, health problems, and injury or illness. We’re afraid of losing our jobs and going broke and ending up homeless. We’re afraid of climate change and immigrants and “outsiders”, and we’re afraid of commitment and rejection, which causes us to close ourselves off from the outside world.
News programs and social media spread fear. We hear it from friends, family, and acquaintances. Politicians run whole political campaigns based on fear. Advertisements bombard us and convince us to buy a product or something really bad will happen. We consume and fill our houses to the brim with products that “prevent” these bad outcomes.
As a direct result of all this pervasive fear, we are a very risk-averse society. Few of us step outside of our comfort zones. We act based on these made-up fears, and we lose control of the direction that WE want to go.
A Year Off is all about putting our fears aside and taking control of our situation. It’s about living a life true to ourselves, not a life based on the fears of other people. Let’s take a look at a few of the fears that we must face in preparing for a career break and ways to overcome those fears.
What fears do you face during a Year Off?
Effects on your career and having a job upon returning home
The biggest fear I faced was the effect on my career. Would I get my old job back? Would I have to change companies? How would I start earning money again? These were all big questions that created fear.
Luckily, I minimized that fear because my employer approved a leave of absence. This created at least the promise of work upon my return. I worked my butt off in the years prior to my leave, and I think it’s safe to say I was one of my company’s best employees, so I created a situation where it was in my company’s best interest to approve the leave.
If possible, it’s best to get a leave of absence approved as opposed to just quitting your job. This will help reduce your fears of negative effects on your career.
Financial ruin from illness or injury.
Another big fear I faced was running out of money due to a big medical expense. What if I racked up a huge hospital bill because I had no medical insurance?
First of all, I thought about the probability of that happening. I work hard on my health and fitness and I’m relatively young, so I figured the chance of an unexpected illness was small. Climbing mountains and trying crazy outdoor activities increased my risk of injury, but I felt I had the experience needed to prevent any bad accidents.
I also had travel insurance to cover all the initial big costs if something went wrong, and I had a good financial cushion to cover any additional costs. Even though I chose not to carry any health insurance, I figured if worse came to worse, I could sign up for an Affordable Care Act health insurance plan to help with any recurring costs should they arise. This all helped reduce my fear of financial ruin from illness or injury.
Fear of loneliness and boredom
What if I miss my girlfriend, friends, and family too much while gone? What if I grow bored and want to come home? Then all the time and money spent on my break would be wasted.
I combated this fear by having clear goals and an overall purpose for my time away. I created the clear goals of traveling as much as possible, gaining a lot of experience in the great outdoors, and volunteering for a non-profit organization. To prevent loneliness, I scheduled several different group activities where I could meet new people. And I enlisted friends and family to join me along the way.
Thinking in terms of probability, not worst case scenario.
The previous examples of fear all sound pretty bad, don’t they? Injury, illness, and loneliness would certainly suck. Financial ruin is definitely undesirable. The inability to find a job upon returning from your trip would not be good.
While it’s easy to trap yourself in the worst-case-scenario way of thinking, I think it’s very important to consider the PROBABILITY of these worst case scenarios. Think about how likely it is for those terrible things to happen. Try to come up with an actual probability, then compare that to the probability of it occurring if you just stay home. And I think it’s even more important to plan for these bad situations ahead of time and do everything you can to minimize the risks.
When it comes to illness and injury, I think you’re just as likely to get sick or seriously hurt while at home and working as you are on the road (unless you’re jumping off cliffs in a wing suit). And you can minimize these risks by getting vaccinations, maintaining good physical fitness, and taking care of your hygiene while gone.
I think the risk of financial ruin is very small as well, and even smaller if you save a lot of money ahead of time and carry good travel insurance. If your employer approves a leave of absence, you protect your biggest financial asset: your ability to make money.
Overcoming and embracing fear.
I think a great way to overcome your fears is to think long and hard about the good outcomes that are possible. Maybe you’ll have the time of your life while gone. Perhaps your Year Off will fulfill your biggest dreams and none of your fears will come true.
At some point, you just have to say fuck it and commit to your Year Off. If you try to think about and plan for every single worst case scenario, you’ll drive yourself crazy and never take that first step out of your door. Think about your main fears and prevent them the best you can, but don’t allow them to stop you.
The more you face your fears and overcome them, the more you come to embrace them. You realize the fear was unfounded in the first place, so that fear no longer controls the way you think and, consequently, act.
And wow, the feelings that arise when you conquer those fears and reach your goals are absolutely amazing, life-altering, and life-defining. You come to crave those situations where the fear attacks you, and you overcome it. It allows you to take control of your life and live an intentional life true to yourself.