Dad Blogger Profile: Matt from 1 Year Sabbatical

One inspiring husband, dad, and blogger is Matt Koenig from 1 Year Sabbatical. His story of how he met his soulmate and began his journey as a dad and world traveler shows his courage and willingness to take risks and question life. And to escape from the cubicle!!

HD: Tell Us about Your Family!

M: We’re the Koenig family (Matt, Irene, Zachary and Joseph). We’re a bicultural family (American and Indonesian nationalities) that currently reside in the US but are planning a new chapter in our lives by moving to Indonesia.

I met my wife online in 2000 and after 4 months of emails and International phone calls we knew that we were soul mates and decided to get married. Here’s the part most people find ridiculously crazy…we had never met in person. So I embarked on my very first International trip, flying 20+ hours to Indonesia to get married to a woman I had never met. It was an incredible experience that infected me with the travel bug. We’ve been happily married for 10 years now and have two sons, Zachary (8) and Joseph (5).

We’re just a typical family with the typical struggles of raising kids, paying the bills and trying to free up more time to experience all life has to offer.

HD: What made you begin blogging?

M: Honestly I never really had a big inclination to blog. I had a small website that was used primarily to share photos and updates with family, especially family in Indonesia, but never really considered how blogging could provide a larger platform providing useful information to people I didn’t even know.

Then we started thinking about an extended stay in Indonesia and as we were planning it out I thought starting a blog might be a great way to chronicle the journey and offer advice to families who wanted to do something similar. I started 1 Year Sabbatical as a personal journal of the process and it just grew from there. I was surprised by how many people could relate to what it was we wanted to do. It seems like there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the traditional life path and people are looking for something more. So in that respect I hope our blog adds some value.

HD: You are about to embark on a 1 year sabbatical. What prompted this decision?

M: The decision to take a sabbatical was instigated by my dissatisfaction with my current career path. It really grew roots during a time when I was working in IT and utterly bored with the work I was doing. I asked for and was granted a 2 month vacation and spent that time in Indonesia. At the end of the 2 months I didn’t want to leave. I had changed inside and really started thinking about what I really wanted to do with my life.

I had the opportunity to take a job working from home and spent 3 years in a pretty stressful position. But it opened my eyes to the possibility of making a living outside the traditional cubicle. But the downturn in the economy resulted in having to go back to the hospital. Despite 3 years away things in the cubicle hadn’t changed much.

Then one day as I came home and found myself short tempered with the wife and kids I realized I wasn’t happy and was depressed. I felt trapped in a situation that I had no idea how to escape from. I knew that things couldn’t continue as they were but I was also scared and fearful of making a change that might not work out. I was a victim of my own inability to confront and rectify the fear of uncertainty.

The more I started thinking the more I realized I didn’t just want to take a sabbatical; I needed to take one for my own health. It’s been extremely stressful to plan this life change and start implementing the various phases of it. I can’t say it’s been easy and at times I feel like giving up and sinking back into my cubicle. But I know deep in my heart that the things you really want, the things that drive your passion and make you feel alive can only come about when we step outside of our comfort zone and take risks. And while it’s easy to say, it’s much more difficult to live. We’re fortunate that we have been granted 4 months leave by my employer to test the waters and see if we can make it all work. Time will tell.

HD: Any advice for other families considering a sabbatical?

M: First learn what a sabbatical is and what it isn’t. A sabbatical has a purpose. For us it’s trying to create a business and online lifestyle. For others it will be different. But don’t go into it without a plan or goal, thinking that you need to escape something, because ultimately you will be disappointed. So think long and hard about your reasons for taking a sabbatical.

Create a plan but don’t let the planning stage get in the way of the action phase. It’s easy to get trapped into a perpetual stage of planning without taking the risky step of action. I should know because I’m an expert at that. At some point you need to take that leap and just go for it.

HD: Do you have any suggestions for other bloggers?

M: Set a posting schedule and stick with it. I’m a fan of an open comment policy and try to respond to any comments on my posts. It’s a great way to get to know the people who read your blog and take the time to voice their opinions. Even if it’s just a quick “Thanks for commenting” reply, I think it shows that you are engaging your audience.

Give people the opportunity to share your story and message with Twitter, Facebook and Google+ buttons on posts. I use Sharebar as it’s an easy way for your message to get shared with people who might benefit from what you offer.

Finally, be yourself. It makes better copy. There are many fakes out there so when someone comes across a blog that’s genuine it’s a breath of fresh air. So always be true to yourself.

Perfect advice!!! Make sure to check out Matt on facebook as well as his blog!