John Brierley, promoter of business sabbaticals and author of guidebooks, believes we should all take mid-career breaks to reflect on our lives. Sylvia Thompsonreports
Nobody can make real change in their lives unless they take time out from what's familiar to them.
So says John Brierley (59), promoter of business sabbaticals and author of guidebooks to the famous Spanish pilgrim paths on the Camino de Santiago.
Originally trained as a chartered surveyor, Brierley worked in Dublin for many years, having set up his own company at the age of 21 and later merging with property specialists, Jackson-Stops.
"My privilege was that as I started early, I also had the incentive to get out early," he says.
Married with two children and busy working in the city, Brierley had what he describes as an existential crisis at the age of 39.
"I had this recurring daydream for a whole year in which I was being wheeled up the central aisle of a hall to accept a plastic alarm clock from a junior partner who made an utterly insincere speech about the enormous contribution I had made to the firm."
So, at a time of recession in Dublin, Brierley decided to take a year off to travel with his family. "In 1987, we headed away in a camper van to travel the world and it was during that year that I stumbled onto the Camino de Santiago and later the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland," he explains.
At the end of his sabbatical year, Brierley and his family decided to move to live as part of the Findhorn spiritual community, giving up both financial security and a career path at the same time.
"After I left Jackson-Stops, my earning capacity dropped to virtually nothing. We lived in a caravan for seven years as I worked with local businesses and my wife worked in the gardens. It was one of the best times of my life. My children got their father back and I found a wife and children who I'd never known before."
Although his own change in lifestyle was radical, Brierley is keen to stress that it isn't always that way. "If you do like what you are doing, you'll go back with renewed enthusiasm and new ideas and your company will benefit from that. And, if you need to change, you will begin the process of finding work that is satisfying and meaningful. And your company will benefit from that too because now there will be a space for someone else who might like that job."
He says that some international companies are now realising that to keep an engaged and inspired workforce, opportunities for time out must be part of company policy. "For instance, in Germany, Volkswagen offers stressed-out managers spiritual retreats to monasteries where the monks welcome them in, taking their mobile phones, iPods and laptop computers from them on arrival," he says.
"I believe in the efficacy of taking time out. I think mid-career breaks should be compulsory," he says.
He also stresses the benefits to family life for people who take the time out to assess their life goals. "Before I made the change, I was under a lot of strain. I was miserable. I was cross and irritable with the children. I shouted at them even though I rarely saw them during the week."
Brierley says that anyone taking a mid-career break must be prepared for major changes in their financial situation and personal life.
"These changes might not happen but you've got to be prepared for them," he says.
In his own case, his wife, Jill, supported his decision to leave his job in Dublin.
What you do with your time off is, however, crucial, according to Brierley.
"You usually only get one chance for change to occur and if you are so frightened of a void or empty space that all you do is go on a world tour, learn Russian or drink whiskey in Cancun, nothing much is likely to change except the shape of your liver," he says.
He also emphasises that a solid block of time is necessary. "A couple of weeks off won't do it. It will re-establish you physically so that you can get back on the mill again. But, unless you have a prolonged gap, the emptying out process doesn't happen. All modern life is about busyness. Unless we leave space, no new ideas will emerge," he explains.
Brierley recommends three-six months' time off as a reasonable mid-career break and he believes walking the pilgrim paths of Southern Europe gives individuals the perfect opportunity to reflect on their lives.
"Walking is an incredibly natural activity and the caminos are very accessible with well-established networks of hostels and other supports such as feet doctors. They are all marked out so you can go on your own," he says.
Carrying all your belongings on your back and moving at your own pace are other key elements of walking these pilgrim paths. In his guidebooks and on his website, Brierley offers suggestions on when to go, what to bring and what not to bring and how to prepare physically and spiritually for the journey.
He also recommends that those seeking meaningful answers to profound questions about the direction their life is taking should go on their own. "Otherwise, you go with all your prejudices and mindsets and nothing changes," he says.
But, not everyone can afford the luxury of letting mortgage payments slip or family life go adrift to head off on a pilgrim path.
"Of course, mid-career breaks aren't for everyone and they are not for those who are dependent on the security they have from their pensions but I've never met anybody who has made a major change in their life and regretted it. I'm sure they are out there but I've never met them."
Brierley now lives with his wife and children in Stroud, Gloucestershire, spending spring and autumn walking the pilgrim paths, writing his guide books in the winter months and having time with his family in the summer months.
"In Findhorn, we started a Steiner school and when our youngest daughter was ready for secondary school, we moved to Stroud because it had the only Steiner secondary school in Britain which wasn't in a large city," he explains.
The family follows sustainable living principles, working a kitchen garden and using renewable energy (feeding electricity back into the UK grid).
"We've lived here for five years now. Stroud is seen to be the alternative capital of Britain," says Brierley.
Meanwhile, he continues to explore new pilgrim paths and gives public talks about his life and work. "My life is dedicated to change," he says simply.
See www.caminoguides.com