Author: Michael Garcia

It’s really difficult to believe that my sabbatical time has come to an end! When I reflect on the last month and everything I was able to do and experience, I realize how lucky I am to work for such an amazing company that allows me to take in to experience God in a way that I haven’t in a very long time.

This past week I made it more of a point to set aside time for absolutely nothing but silence and prayer (about a full hour). If anyone knows me, this is extremely hard for me to do, as I would much rather be completing a task or even talking to the wall. What I learned from this is that regardless of what I’m saying, God hears my thanks, my struggles, and my hopes. What I also learned is that when God hears these things, he answers in ways that are never expected but always appreciated. My devotional during my sabbatical time was Jesus Calling, and I have to say that it really led me down an unexpected path of digging into my bible and re-reading these words. I plan to keep up this devotional even after this month to have a daily structured time for worship.

One of my goals for this week was to clean out items from my house that I did not “need” and either donate or throw away. Growing up, I somehow developed the habit of holding on to everything I owned in the case that I MIGHT need it sometime in the future (even though I absolutely would never use/wear the item again). What I did was separate the things in my life that I have not used in over two three months and things I’ve used more recently. 90% of the things that I had not used in the last three months was tossed. It felt really good!!

Another goal I had this week was to limit my time on social media. It’s been a while since I’ve really monitored how much of my free time I spend on it, but I was surprised with how good I felt when I wasn’t on any social platform for a day or two at a time. This is something I want to carry out with me as my sabbatical ends and I head back to reality; less time on my phone and more time seeing the world around me.

My chosen reading while on sabbatical was The Go-Giver, which was a pretty interesting pick! It centers around five principles that the main character discovers regarding success. One of the biggest lessons that I was reminded of was the importance in authenticity. “No matter what you’re selling, what you’re offering is really you.”

As much as I don’t want this month to end, I’m ready to get back into work life and begin a new chapter of incorporating all I’ve learned this month into my daily role as a market center manager. I can’t thank the TX03 team, home office family, executives, and Kris for allowing me to experience my first sabbatical.

To say that these last two weeks have been an adventure, would be a complete understatement. I’m currently about three and a half weeks into my sabbatical and have been blessed to experience so much during this time.

Since I last blogged, I’ve been in Portugal and back in Spain. Both of these places have shown so much beauty and have given me the opportunity to meet such great people from around the world and from all walks of life. One of the most memorable parts of this last portion of the trip was seeing this view at the most western point of Europe. The journey was brutal and we were NOT informed that this “walk” to the beach was actually a hike. Needless to say, my beach sandals were not ideal! In the end, I would not have traded this scene for anything. It was absolutely breathtaking and really puts into perspective how small we really are, but most importantly how GREAT God is. His creations bring me so much joy.

The week before I went on sabbatical, one of my best friends gave birth to a healthy boy. I was eager to meet him and reconnect with such a great friend that I haven’t seen in a long time. This week, I was fortunate enough to meet the little man and hold a baby for the first time in a very long time! Not only was it amazing to see this blessing come into such a great family, but also to see the happiness it brings my friend, Allie, and her husband, Sawyer. I can’t wait to see this dude grow up and become something big.

Now that I’m home, I have focused on meditating, praying, and organizing things in my house. I will be moving this summer to another location in Austin so this comes at a perfect time to get a head start on that.

Ciao from Rome!

A few months back, I was at the early stages of deciding where I wanted to go during my sabbatical time to get away. I initially was going to plan a trip to Europe (a few different counties) alone, as I didn’t know anyone that could take time off to accompany me for an extended period. A few weeks later I found out that some friends in Austin were actually planning somewhat of the same trip so we aligned our itineraries! This past week has been an exciting and culture filled week to say the least.

I started my week in Barcelona taking in so much of what this Spanish city had to offer. I was able to see and pray in Segrada Família, the chapel in Barcelona that has taken over 140 years to build and STILL is not complete, but will be finished in 2026 (talk about a long project!). Along with meeting interesting people from around the world, I’ve been able to create stronger relationships with some of the friends I came with on this trip. An awesome accomplishment was talking to my friend, Emily, about the meaning behind why we participate in Sabbaticals and how this is a time to strengthen your faith. She has joined me in my devotional and the time that I take in a day to give thanks and receive the message, it’s been truly powerful.

I am now in Rome trying to fit as much site-seeing as I can in a matter of two and a half days (HA!). One of the most memorable parts of Rome has been seeing the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and being able to stand in silence at Michelangelo’s magnificent creation inside. No pictures were allowed, which was great because in 2017 it gave everyone an excuse to stay off their phones even if it was just for 20 minutes.

One of the best lessons from Rome has been taking things slow and enjoying the moment. Meals here last a long time so that a meal is a social gathering, rather than eating in front of a television as fast as you can. The culture here is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered, full of love and hospitality. And yes, every meal is the best meal I’ve EVER had!!! I’m an Italian food fanatic.

We’re heading to Lisbon, Portugal this week and back to Barcelona to finish out the trip.

Bye for now!

Hello, friends!

Week one of my sabbatical is done and I’ve learned/been reminded of a couple things. The first is that I’m not as good at relaxing as I thought I was. The first couple of days of my sabbatical, I spent thinking about customers, admin work, and the people on my team. It’s difficult to change such a frequent weekly routine! The next lesson I was reminded of is that MY plan isn’t always God’s plan for me. After a full week, I can say that I’ve haven’t felt this peaceful in a very long time.

My week started with diving back into a daily devotional (Jesus Calling) and reading more about God’s intentions for me in this world. It has felt amazing, being that I have unfortunately failed at allotting much time to this lately. The love that God has for me and everyone (despite our flaws) never fails to leave me speechless, and motivate me to be more like the person He wants me to be.

I also made it back home to Abilene for a few days, which hasn’t happened since Christmas. I love the feeling of coming home after an extended period. The reason I went to Abilene was to spend time with my parents (long overdue) and to volunteer at a few places that I knew of in the community. The humbling visit was exactly what I needed at this point in my life.

I volunteered a few days this past week at the Food Bank of West Central Texas, helping the team there receive shipments, prep for outgoing deliveries, and organization of the stock. I can honestly say that before I actually started, I was hesitant to spend my time here because I had the preconceived idea that this wasn’t as important as other volunteer opportunities I could be partaking in. After a few days there, I realized that helping here was just as important as any other organization I could be giving my time at. This food bank serves a total of 13 counties and helps pantries all over west central Texas give food to people in need in their communities. I was directed by a lady here named Becky, and it was really great to see someone so passionate about what they do.

I also gave my time for a morning at Beltway Park Baptist Church. My dad volunteers most weeks here by helping prep and cook the Wednesday night dinners, and this week I asked if I could join. This was also very needed for me. Living in Austin now, I truly do miss the tranquil feeling of walking into Beltway and worshiping with my family. I was able to spend a few hours with my dad while also giving back to the church and lending a hand to prepare dinner for over 300 people.

I ended my week by traveling to Dallas and spending time with friends that I haven’t seen in quite some time, and even mended a relationship that I didn’t realize was strained in the process.

I plan to read the book, The Go-Giver, this week. I’ve heard great things about it from friends who have already read this. After this book, I plan to re-read a couple of books that I think it’s time to look back on from when I participated in the Leadership Development Academy. The books I read during that time positively impacted me and I think revisiting a few will help polish up my sales skills for post-sabbatical world.

I am so thankful and blessed to work for such a great company that allows me to participate in a sabbatical. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this month has in store for me.