What a TV Show Reminded Me About the Life I Left Behind

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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My friend Greg is hosting a retreat in Roxbury, NY that I am happy to be participating in!

If you’re interested in personal growth, connection, and wellness, it might be for you.

Check it out here.

These days I have one guilty pleasure: watching the TV show Suits.

For those unfamiliar, Suits is a legal drama (a bit overly dramatized, one might say) set in New York City.

As an attorney who once practiced law in New York City, the show hits close to home.

It's a mix of nostalgia and perspective.

On one hand, it reminds me of what I walked away from.

On the other, it reinforces why I left.

Suits glamorizes the legal profession, albeit in a stylized, highly dramatized way.

Sharp suits, clever arguments, impossible wins.

But beneath the glam, the show doesn't shy away from showing the darker side of the profession: working through the night, vacations that require approval, and attorneys who haven't taken a real break in years.

Watching it now is fun.

It lets me imagine what my life might've looked like had I stayed in the game.

And yes, I do miss it at times.

I miss practicing law. I miss the intellectual challenge. I miss the adrenaline of high-stakes work.

But do I regret walking away from it?

Not even for a second.

Why?

Because walking away allowed me to build a life that fits me better than anything I could have scripted and argued inside a courtroom.

For a bit of perspective, I served eight years in the U.S. Army, working long hours and sometimes going months without a day off.

I grinded. I sacrificed. I hustled.

But that experience taught me something valuable: long hours only make sense when there is balance.

In the Army, I at least had downtime to look forward to.

I was able to explore the destinations the Army sent me to.

In the legal profession, that balance often didn't exist.

All I had to look forward to was maybe (maybe) a one-week vacation.

That wasn't enough for me.

That's not enough for anybody.

So I quit.

Today, I get paid a six-figure, 12-month salary to work roughly nine months a year.

My summers are free.

I spend them on cross-country road trips and in European cities I've dreamed of exploring.

My weekends are spent off-grid in nature with my RV.

I own a home in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods, in arguably the coolest borough (Brooklyn), in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

And no, getting here wasn't easy.

But it was worth it.

Just because you're good at something, love something, and are even passionate about it doesn't mean you're obligated to do it forever.

You can outgrow a life that once made sense. And that's not failure. That's evolution.

What's the point of all this?

The point is that too many people stay stuck in careers that no longer serve them out of guilt, fear, or a sense of sunk costs.

They invest years, money, and identity into a path and feel they owe it their loyalty.

But the truth is that you owe your loyalty to yourself first.

To your values. Your well-being. Your vision for a fulfilling life.

You can still be proud of your past and what you accomplished without being chained to it.

You can take what you've learned, pivot, and build something better.

I may not practice law anymore, but everything I went through to become an attorney prepared me for the life I live now.

The discipline, the perspective, the work ethic.

I carry all of that with me.

But the key difference is this: now I have more control over my time.

I protect my peace.

I invest in life experiences that make life feel full.

And maybe that's a reminder someone out there needs right now: You don't have to stay in the life you built if it no longer fits.

You're allowed to walk away.

You're allowed to choose better.

You're allowed to choose the life you actually want to live.

Grab your FREE copy of The Beginner’s Guide to Mini-Retirements by clicking here.

Quote that caught my attention:

“If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one.”

—John Galsworthy

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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