Do You Use All of Your Valuable Paid Time Off?

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to live the life you actually want to live.

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First off, I’d like to mention I was recently interviewed on a financial podcast.

My friend Stephen interviewed me to discuss all things mini-retirements.

The feedback on the episode has been positive and I was happy to share my experiences traveling throughout Europe.

You can check out the podcast here.

In 2009, I was a practicing tax attorney.

I recently passed the bar exams I sat for and was licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and endorsed to practice law (litigate) before the United States Tax Court (licenses I hold to this day).

I had an office, a job at a reputable law firm, and was doing meaningful work as an entry-level attorney.

My office was on the 3rd floor of a historic house converted into an office space for ~25 attorneys and support staff.

One of my office's "perks" was an emergency exit door, which I would keep open when the weather was nice outside.

I remember sitting in my office one day with the door open.

It was an absolutely gorgeous April day outside.

I was listening to National Public Radio as I worked.

The host of the broadcast segment mentioned that New York City public school teachers were currently on Spring Break.

The program then cut away to a reporter interviewing teachers about their travel plans for the Spring Break.

I looked outside at how gorgeous the day was and said to myself, "Gosh, I'd love to have a week off right now."

Then I asked myself, "Where would I go if I had a week off?"

As my legal career was getting started, it was much too early to be thinking of time off.

I reclined back and let the daydream continue for a moment before resuming my professional responsibilities.

However, I always remembered that moment in time.

I became a New York City public high school teacher a few years later.

There are many reasons why I decided to pursue this career change, and having a ton of paid time off is one of them.

Being a teacher is a highly challenging job, and most of the jobs I have worked in my professional career have been challenging in one way or another, including my present position.

But here's the thing: no matter how hard I work or how long the hours may be, what's essential for me is having something to look forward to at the end of the day.

That something is time away from work.

Time in which I can do something other than work.

Time in which I can pursue my passions with abandon.

I'm no stranger to hard work and long hours (I once worked ~6 months without a day off).

However, at the end of the ~6 months, I knew I would have some off time for rest, relaxation, and to pursue my passions.

And this was when I served in the Army.

No matter how challenging the mission was, I knew the mission would eventually end, and I could pursue whatever I wanted in my off time.

Even in the Army, there was a semblance of balance between work and play for me.

Better yet, I could enjoy my time off in the destinations the Army deemed essential to send me to: Germany, South Korea, and Zimbabwe.

As a practicing attorney, I had nothing to look forward to after working an honest day's (week's, month's) work.

And here's the kicker: I love practicing law.

The law will always be my passion (and something I may resume someday).

But if I am going to work day in and day out, I want the time to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I want (need) something to look forward to at the end of the long day. A Sunday off, a weekend off, or one week of vacation doesn't cut it for me.

Especially if my employer requires me to request time off (which may or may not get approved).

In retrospect, maybe I should have stayed practicing law. I should have continued practicing, job-hopping to increase my salary as my skills developed. Learned to manage my earnings effectively to build up a healthy financial nest egg and, I don't know, retire early.

Who knows?

Hindsight is 20/20.

At that particular point in my life, that wasn't my focus.

My focus was on finding a long-term career with various long-term benefits.

It wasn't an easy decision to change careers, and it wasn't without setbacks.

However, I took a risk. I rolled the dice. And it was one of the best decisions I ever made for many reasons.

The point of all this is to say:

If you're unhappy and/or unfulfilled in your current career, maybe take the time to reflect on what will make you happy and fulfilled.

And if you're content in your current career, are you using all of your paid time off?

Are you using all of your paid time off for rest, relaxation, and, more importantly, to pursue your passions?

I recently came across the following statistics:

According to a Pew survey, "89 percent of all workers said it was 'extremely' or 'very important' that their job provides paid time off for vacations."

Yet, "46 percent said they typically took less time off than was offered."

Don't be one of the 46%.

I am advocating for finding a balance between work and pursuing your passions.

You spend at least one-third of the day in your career.

And this doesn't include the time it takes to commute to your job and other associated time costs (which all add up).

Add 7-8 hours into the mix for sleep, and you have what?

Maybe 6 hours of free time left on a good day?

Use as much of your paid time off as often as possible.

And use it to pursue your passions.

Especially if one of your passions (or wants) is to travel and explore the world.

Life's entirely too short not to.

Interesting reads:

Is traveling with a 1-year old difficult? How about traveling with a 1-year to 24 countries?

I’m not a fan of taking cruises. However, this is a cruise I might consider in the future when I’m no longer trading my time for money.

Finally, I want to shout out my friend Greg and his newsletter: Travel Onist.

If you subscribe to Greg’s travel newsletter, each week he will send you “a thoughtful, hand-crafted email featuring 3 cool spots from around the world—a place to stay, a place to eat or drink, and a gloriously unique experience.”

Greg’s newsletter is pretty cool (and I’m not just saying that because he’s my friend).

Check out Greg’s fantastic newsletter and subscribe for free here.

Well, that’s it for today.

Thanks for reading!

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