This last spring, the bosses at Barrie D’Rozario Murphy, a Minneapolis based ad agency, gathered their 18 employees and gave them paid time off. While most of us spent the summer working, with maybe a week or two of vacation, the ad agency gave their employees 500 hours of their life back and told them “to figure out what they are passionate about and go and do it.”

So let’s do the math…500 hours of paid time off equals 12 and a half weeks (based on a 40 hour work week) or a little over three months off. Again this was paid time with benefits!

Watch the story from NBC Nightly News by clicking the picture or going to:http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52831482/?ocid=twitter#52831482

You can also view stories from some of the staff about how the 500 hours changed their lives on the Barrie D’Rozario web page.

What would you do if you suddenly had 500 hours of paid time off?

As a Federal Civilian that just finished taking 6 furlough days over 6 weeks, I too had some free time given to me. Despite the reduced paycheck creating a hardship, it was nice having the time to get things done around the house that I don’t normally have during a busy work week.

The ad agency bosses hoped that the staff would realize that the things they wanted to do, they could always be doing and find a place for them in their life.

I remember as a kid I would say to my mother often, “I don’t have time for…(whatever she was asking me to do)” and her response would always be to me “Make time for it.”

So whether we are lucky enough to have an employer that gives us time off or we make the time ourselves, don’t let the each day pass by. Take time for those things that can enrich your life or those dreams that you always find yourself saying you will do some day if you have the time.