What would you do with a free year?

Ed Hawco at blork blog asks a great thought provoking question:

What would you do if you had a free year, all to yourself, to dedicate to whatever you wanted? Assume money was not a problem -- you've just received a $60,000 Monkey Grant.

Would you spend your year travelling? Reinventing yourself? Would you go back to school to reorient your career? Would you try to see every movie you ever wanted to see? Forget about crazy things like flying to the moon or whatever -- think about what you would really do, if you could spend a year doing something you really want to do.

It's a great question if you are currently wondering where to go next. I love limiting it to a year, because it makes it more focused and gives it a degree of urgency. What would be important enough for you to pack into that year? Where are your priorities?

I just got back from a great brainstorming session with Lisa Haneberg and Kathleen Ream where we each spent some time talking about where we want to take things in the coming year and offering each other ideas and suggestions.

I read Ed's post with that conversation fresh in my mind. I ran it through my brain a few times, and ultimately realized that I'm doing exactly what I would be doing if I had a free year. I would probably take a month or so off to travel in Southeast Asia, but other than that the content of my plan wouldn't change.

There's something validating and empowering about knowing that I'm exactly where I need (and want) to be.

Curt Rosengren
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Passion Catalyst ^SM

Comments

[Jamin]

Denmark ran a trial some years ago where you were allowed to take a state-paid, one year long hiatus from work. They eventually had to stop it, because people were misusing it / too many were taking the opportunity.

There also was an article about this in LeMonde last summer, where it was proposed as a sollution for Norway (where I hail from) as well. As an alternative to welfare.

As for me, I would move to Goa, India, set up a small studio and spend the year learning music production properly.

[Avi Solomon]

Early on, I found the exercises in Levine's 'A Year to Live' very clarifying:
A Year to Live
Yes, except for a visit to India am doing what I would have done without financial constraint!

[blork]

It's great to hear about people who are doing what they really want to.

Many, unfortunately, are not. That's where you step in, Curt! ;-)

But seriously, we only get one kick at the can, so we might was well make it a good kick. Travel seems to be the thing that most people who responded to my post would like to do. That applies to me too, although there are some other things I'd like to do that would go towards making the rest of my life easier and better.

The thing that a lot of people don't realize (I think) is that things like travel can be incorporated into your normal life -- you don't have to wait for some kind of mythical "free year" (because few of us ever get one).

I was hoping that my post would provoke people into thinking about what they really want to do, and that some of them would take that thinking beyond my little exercise and try to find ways to make it happen. (That's what I'm hoping to do...)

[Mary Beth Goodman]

Would you go back to school to reorient your career?

ooooooh that would be tempting. And since the money offered in the Monkey Grant is so good, I'd be ever so tempted to accept gratefully and with enthusiasm. Yes on school. The leftover would support me sufficiently that I could also continue working on my own work during the year. Could I pay for year two in advance?

Maybe for many people $60K wouldn't seem like much, but for me it would be an overwhelming amount. The possibilities boggle my head.