A first-generation immigrant to the U.S., I completed my MBA and launched my own agency based on more than 20 years of a successful marketing career.
A hard worker, I immersed myself into the hustle. This earned me a Rolodex of clients that would make most marketers’ jaws drop: Madonna, Steve Nash, UFC Gyms, 1-800-Flowers, Dr. Weil.
But. while I was winning marketing awards, I felt like I was losing at life.
The 100-hour workweeks left no time for reflection. Sleep deprivation turned me into a walking zombie. My friends slowly stopped calling me, after too many, “Um, I’m crazy busy right now, maybe next weekend” excuses. I suffered from chronic stomach aches. My work was my identity. I felt overwhelmed. Tired. Burned-out. Despite the success on the outside, I felt empty on the inside. I was stuck. I thought this was the norm—what society expected. I didn’t think there was another way.
Until I went to Baja.
It was the first vacation I took in four years. With every mile through the big Cardon cactus on the way from the airport, my stress and anxiousness slowly dissolved. My senses awakened. My phone turned off, laying somewhere in my bag, no longer demanding my attention. For the first time in months, I could think. I began to get in touch with myself again.
Always ready for adventure, I decided to learn to kiteboard. This is when it hit me. In the middle of the ocean, floating behind a green and blue kite, I realized there is more to life than working. I wasn’t living. I was simply existing. What happened to joy, freedom, courage, authenticity, wellness—the values that had been driving me my entire life? What happened to my creativity?
“There has to be a different way,” I thought, deeply connected with my body in a state of flow.
I decided to make a change. Back home, I could still taste the salty ocean and the saltier margaritas. I began to dismantle the very company I put my sweat and tears into building. I realized that if I had a solid Internet, I could work from anywhere—even the places where people vacation. I just needed a different mindset to do it.
We returned to Baja the following March for a full month and I embarked on my wellness sabbatical. In between working at a coffee shop and my kiteboard sessions, I fell in love with this magical place. I made real human connections with the smiling locals and expats bursting with positivity. The slower pace of life kept my hustle-mode in check. Long beach walks in the place where green mountains meet the blue ocean provided the right environment for deep conversations with my husband. The fresh seafood and organic vegetables were the exact recipe I needed to heal my body. I felt energized, alive, awake. I welcomed the freedom, boundless creativity and healthy living I had been missing for years without realizing it.
When you get yourself out of your usual environment, it’s easier to overcome limiting beliefs. It’s easier to see the big picture. You find the courage to make the change you crave.
Now, I return to Baja every winter to escape the winters in Lake Tahoe. During these four-month sabbaticals, I continue to heal myself and pursue my deeper purpose. On one of these trips, I made a major life decision—to pivot my career and help other people live healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives. I started Unhustle—a revolutionary approach to the way we live and work by, putting humanity before hustle. The colors of my logo draw inspiration from the Baja sunrises.
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, tired, or burnt out, then a change in scenery for a longer time period is a way to connect with your heart and soul. You can work during your sabbatical and enjoy the new environment—it may just be the perspective shift you need.
Because if not now, then when?
Milena Regos is the Co-Founder and Visionary of Unhustle, a revolutionary approach to the way we live and work by putting humanity before hustle. Get a free copy of her upcoming book when it publishes in 2020ish.