How to Tilt the Balance of Life

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 invest in life experiences.

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At this point in my career, I will turn down (almost) any position that limits my time away from my job.

Why?

It's simple.

I have to work a 9-5 job.

I don't have a choice.

I am not financially independent (yet).

But if I have to work a 9-5 job, I want as much time off as I can possibly get.

Remember, time is your most precious resource.

Once it's gone…

It's gone.

There is no amount of money on the face of the planet that will buy you one second of time.

However, with your paid time off (PTO), you can find an experience that will tilt the balance of life in your favor.

Let me explain:

In 2016, towards the end of my 5th year in my current job, I was a bit disgruntled (9-5 jobs may do that to you).

At that time, I decided the best thing for me was to rent a car (I didn't have one then) and drive to Montana.

Alone.

I didn't have a plan, a route, or an idea of what to expect.

I loaded up the podcasts, packed some clothes and my laptop, picked up the rental car, and started driving west.

It took me 3 days to reach Montana.

It was one of the best experiences of my life.

And because of this road trip, with the exception of 2020 and 2024, I’ve taken a cross-country road trip each year since 2016.

A cross-country road trip is the one experience that tilts the balance of life in my favor.

How?

Why?

Have you ever driven across the country?

Alone?

You start driving (from NYC) and don't stop until you've crossed the Mississippi or you're west of Chicago.

Then you check for the best route through the Heartland states because you still have more driving.

Now, here's what I want to emphasize and why I'm all about cross-country road trips (and why it's the one experience for me):

A long-distance road trip is one thing, e.g., from NYC to Florida.

A cross-country road trip that involves driving border-to-border through South Dakota or border-to-border through Wyoming is something else.

The South Dakota and Wyoming landscapes are nothing less than breathtaking.

They are unlike anything you've ever seen (at least it was for me the first time I drove through each).

Fun fact: the first time I drove through Wyoming from the Wyoming-Montana border to the Wyoming-Colorado border on Interstate 25, a major highway, I didn't see another human being for about 3 hours.

You haven't truly lived until you've driven border-to-border through Wyoming.

Or South Dakota.

And I've done both.

Multiple times.

And I can't wait for when I can do it again (later this year).

What's the point of all this?

The point of all this is to emphasize that you must find that one experience that will tilt the balance of life in your favor.

Life is challenging enough as it is.

And going to a job day in and day out, 5 days per week (for presumably decades), is not the life you actually want to live.

I don't know.

Maybe it is.

I know it's not for me.

Not after I've driven across South Dakota and Wyoming.

As much of an advocate as I am for the cross-country road trip, I understand that with limited PTO, jumping into your car and driving cross-country one way for three days may be a bit ambitious.

If so, find the one experience you can do in the time you are afforded away from your job.

Find the one experience that will tilt the balance of life in your favor that you can do regularly.

The one experience that will give you something to look forward to and helps you get out of bed in the morning when life gets a little too challenging.

Quote that caught my attention:

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” —Boris Pasternak

You can find the collection of financial tools & resources that helped me grow from a 6-figure debt to a 6-figure net worth by clicking here.

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