“Take out a piece of paper, girls
and boys. Today I want you to write a paragraph about what you would love to do
with your life. What is your dream?” said Mrs. C to her fourth grade students.
Browse any book or movie rental
store and you’ll undoubtedly see various titles such as, Find your Dream, and
Follow your Dream, Unleash your Dream, and Stay True to your Dream. Shelves are
overfilled with inspirational books and movies about Gathering Resources for
your Dream.
So what ever happened to our fourth
grade paragraphs we wrote to Mrs. C? Did
any of those girls and boys fulfill their dreams?
We graduated high school and
started college. But what happens if we realized after a couple of years that
college wasn’t for us? If we realized we wanted to pursue our dream from fourth
grade.
Do we quit college? Do we quit our
current job? Most people don’t. It is socially unacceptable to do either. But I
knew a brave twenty-four year old young man who didn’t listen to society. He was courageous and decided to change his
lifestyle to live his dream.
Quitting college was easy for Bob
because he always hated school. Working as a server at a casual fine dining
restaurant for five years, he made 70K a year. The money was good, but not the
job. He wanted so badly to quit and pursue his dream. He tried to do both, but
found it impossible. Never enough time to
devote to his music, he devised a plan to work until he saved enough
money to be unemployed for a year or so to pursue being a songwriter, play
guitar, and perform in different cities.
Bob owned a townhome which provided
a monthly income. He had already saved money to buy a self-contained van to live in
while he traveled. He and his friends drove to San Diego from Las Vegas to
check out a van advertised on Craig’s List. A little too eager, with a lesson
learned later, he bought the van and drove it home. He lived in it for six
months, parked it at different venues around the city and at friends’ homes.
Obviously he didn’t hook up water during this time, so he showered at friends,
his mothers, and the local Athletic Club.
Being thrilled with the van at
first, Bob later realized it was too expensive to maintain. He put money into
it and lost money when it sold. A hard lesson learned, but through life
experience vs. a textbook.
Feeling prepared on the day he quit
his job, Bob felt anxious, but very, very excited. Coincidently, shortly after
he quit his job, his tenant asked if he would mind if he got a roommate. Bob
figured it made perfect sense if he moved in. He saved money from renting a
studio room where he practiced and kept his instruments.
From day one, Bob worked on
fulfilling his dream. He played guitar and wrote songs to sing. He had friends
in the music business that helped him record and create artwork for his album
and merchandise. He titled his album, “We Are the Blues We Write,” apropos
describing Bob’s new lifestyle.
None of this was easy, but Bob had
the time of his life. He loved the music world. Recording his album was a
learning experience that took him months to perfect. Failing numerous times before he succeeded,
he remixed and remastered, until he completed the album goal before his first
Living Room Show.
Spending countless hours until he
learned how to create a website to promote him and his show was well rewarded.
The site was well done and The Living Room Show was a huge success. He and
three other musicians played for a local crowd of fifty. He sold some
merchandise and was thrilled. Selling items on the road for an income in
unfamiliar venues will be the challenge.
Bob networked and followed
musicians who traveled and performed on the road. He learned a great deal from them. Many
musicians couch surfed to save money. He
worked on a list of people and cities and mapped out a route to have a plan. He
already participated by having musicians couch surf at his home.
With upfront expenses for the
album, maintaining a car and townhome, and life’s necessities, he is close to
flat broke. He thought his savings would last a bit longer. He admitted to
being scared.
Did he give up? No. He wanted to
follow his dream regardless of how poor he’ll be, how hard it is, or how many
times he’ll fail.
He’ll be ready to travel the
country when he sets up his venues. My son fulfilled his dream he wrote about
in Mrs. C’s fourth grade class.
COPYRIGHT MARY CROCCO 2013
COPYRIGHT MARY CROCCO 2013