I decided to make some major life changes at the start of 2016. This was due to a number of factors, including health troubles, and something else that I couldn't explain.
A question many posed to me is whether I chose to take a sabbatical because my career wasn't going anywhere. To be honest, this couldn't be further from the truth. At the time, I was with Avanade and on a very solid career track within the company as well the area of industry where I was focused. Life was going great no matter how you looked at it, but something didn't feel right - it was this inexplicable feeling that led me to decide to pursue something else that was not in a career-oriented direction.
After carefully considering what I wanted to do, I chose to term my break as a "sabbatical" because it best aligned with what I was seeking. You can really call it what you want, but I decided to take six months off for some Me Time. It was not specifically to fulfill a dream, travel, or start a business, but instead left completely open to see how I filled the time. Here's a pretty good explanation from the site Meet, Plan, Go.
Here's what I wrote down in Q1 2016 for what I wanted to accomplish during my break:
Improve immune system
Never stop learning - read, attend conferences, meet new people
Deepen understanding of the SMB world
Grow closer to family
Build more positive self-talk
Complete MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) Master-level certification
Perhaps a good summary would be: break down the bad habits that have piled up, then rebuild a foundation of good habits.
Update (2019/01/02), link to 3 reflection posts: