Searching for Meaning
Taking a break from it all has never been more tempting, particularly given the dramatic change in the employment environment over the past 10 years. Job turnover, layoffs, and workplace uncertainties or demands have altered employees’ mindsets. They are less willing to buy in to the work-around-the-clock mentality, and less driven by money. What’s more, the events of 9/11 have put home and work choices into perspective for many Americans.
 Perhaps one of the chief drivers behind most extended breaks is burnout. It often prompts professionals to take time off in order to reconsider careers or reexamine goals. Not long ago, Jim Rivett was one of those professionals.
Early in his career, Rivett, now Arketype creative director, spent 10 years in what he calls, “sweatshop agency work.” Then, while on a cross-country trip, Rivett read The Celestine Prophecy. The book, and the brief time away led him to an introspective crossroads.
“It forced me to question my career choice, my contributions, and my purpose in life,” says Rivett, who upon returning home, decided to plan and prepare for an extended sabbatical.
Over the next year and a half, Rivett saved his nickels, paid off his bills, and picked his adventure—Central America. Not knowing a word of Spanish, Rivett journeyed to Costa Rica where he spent a full year living with a host family and serving as a volunteer throughout city slums and in remote mountains. He tutored homeless children living in streets and under bridges, and introduced art therapy to abused girls residing in a convent.
“I knew I wanted a foreign experience and I wanted to give something back,” explains Rivett. “I also wanted to be challenged on a personal level, and I certainly was! I was at a complete disadvantage by not knowing the language. It was a very humbling experience, but at the same time, an extremely rewarding one.”
 Rivett quickly learned to speak Spanish, traveled throughout Central America, and experienced his first earthquake, all part of what he calls a “rich experience.”
Halfway through the year, he learned that his then employer had decided to replace him, reneging on its promise to hold his position for his eventual return.
“That was both scary and empowering,” reveals Rivett, who says it only made him more committed to his sabbatical experience, and also reinforced his belief that people are more than just how work defines them. “We walk around thinking that our jobs or careers are all we have, and that’s so false.”
Throughout his sabbatical, Rivett expanded his artistic horizons by experimenting with photography, and by making art and gifts from discarded objects and junk found in the streets—exercises he says heightened his design sensibilities and added richness to his creative perspective.
Fresh from that soul-stirring experience eight years ago, and with renewed enthusiasm, Rivett joined long-time friend and present business partner, Paul Meinke. Today, Rivett believes his sabbatical has not only made him a better person, but also a better leader.
“Living in an entirely different culture reinforces empathy and teaches one to be respectful of diversity in ideas and beliefs,” Rivett explains. “I feel this transcends into the business environment where there’s diversity in the many business relationships we manage and in our team members.”
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