Why I Drove West in 2016

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.

Thank you for your continued support.

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

In 2016, I was struggling professionally.

I was finishing my fifth year in my current profession and instead of things getting easier, they felt heavier. More complicated. More draining.

The challenges I was facing at work didn’t stay at work. They followed me home. They affected my sleep, my mood, my relationships, and my overall sense of well-being.

I was surviving, not living.

Every day felt reactionary.

I was dealing with problems as they arose without any sense of control, direction, or relief.

I never knew what I’d be walking into on any given day.

All I knew was that the cost was too high mentally, physically, and emotionally.

I knew something had to change.

So sometime in April of 2016, I made a decision.

The only decision that made sense to me at the time based on advice someone had given me years earlier:

“The best thing you can do for yourself on the first day of summer vacation is go somewhere. Anywhere. Just leave.”

On the first day of summer vacation, I packed a bag, took the subway to New Jersey, and picked up a rental car I reserved a few months earlier.

I tossed my bags into the car, turned the keys in the ignition, and started driving west.

• No plan

• No agenda

• No itinerary

Just drive until I reach Montana.

What followed was one of the most powerful life experiences I’ve ever had.

I’ve driven long distances before.

Across Europe.

From Miami to Key West.

From North Carolina to New York City.

But those road trips do not compare to driving from New York City to Montana.

Alone.

At first, the drive feels ordinary. Towns. Rest stops. Exits every few miles.

Then you hit South Dakota.

And everything changes.

The landscape opens up. The exits disappear. The traffic thins out.

And you’re left with wide-open skies, endless horizons, and your own thoughts.

Mile after mile.

It’s meditative in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it.

Three days later, I reached Montana.

And because I only had the rental car for a week, I had to turn around.

But instead of retracing my route, I drove south through Wyoming and into Colorado before heading east.

That detour only enhanced the experience.

Wyoming showed me what the open road could do to a person who desperately needed space.

• Clarity followed

• Perspective followed

• Understanding followed

That single trip altered the course of my life so profoundly that, with the exception of 2020 and 2024, I’ve taken a cross-country road trip every single year since.

It’s one of my annual non-negotiables.

I’m addicted to what the open road provides me.

The Lesson

Sometimes, the solution isn’t thinking harder.

It’s creating distance.

• Distance from routines that are draining you

• Distance from environments that are unsustainable

• Distance from the noise that keeps you stuck in reaction mode

You don’t always need answers.

Sometimes, you need space.

• Space to think

• Space to breathe

• Space to reconnect with yourself

What’s the Point of All This?

The point is to emphasize that most people stay stuck not because they lack intelligence, ambition, or the wherewithal to handle daily challenges, but because they never step back far enough away to see their life clearly.

When you’re immersed in the same environment and routines every day, it becomes normal.

Even when it’s unhealthy.

Stepping back and away breaks the spell.

You don’t need a cross-country road trip to do this.

But you do need intentional separation from your default life.

Time and space without obligations or distractions.

That time and space gives you perspective you can’t access while buried in your routine.

And perspective can really change the game in terms of your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

The Final Point

If your life feels heavy right now, don’t immediately look for a new strategy.

Create distance before you try to fix anything.

For you, that time and space might be a weekend alone, a long walk without headphones, a day off-grid.

Or simply uninterrupted time to think.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do isn’t solve the problem.

It’s stepping back far enough away to reflect clearly.

And that power is available to you.

But it’s only available if you’re willing to take that step back to give yourself the time and space you need.

Quote that caught my attention:

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

—E.M. Forster

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.

Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to reply to this email with suggestions, questions, or comments.

I read every email.

If you have a question about personal finance, travel, or mini-retirements, email me and ask and I’ll discuss the answer in a future article.

If you enjoy The Matt Viera Newsletter, please forward this email to one person you believe would enjoy reading this.

I’m ready to follow you on X (formerly known as Twitter)!

I definitely want to read past articles of The Matt Viera Newsletter!

I’m not a subscriber to The Matt Viera Newsletter and I’m ready to subscribe!