"Oh Guys.... What are we doing with our lives???" - Jed Zimmerman
Just what the hell am I doing with my life?? I probably should have asked myself that question a long time ago. The answer could have been something cheezy like "Trying to live the American Dream". I once had a goal to be retired at 40. I worked my ass off. Played the corporate game. Worked my way from Lowly engineer to Vice President in a global corporation with over 400,000 employees. Before I was 40 I had enough paper value to retire for the rest of my life. It's funny how you can't spend that kind of paper! Then the tech stock crash hit and I became a multi thousandaire overnight.
I left corporate life the end of last October. I polled all my friends and some folks that I don't even like that much. The message was unanimous. "Persue your Dreams" "Follow Your heart" "The Money will take care of its self".
Not one person said "You'd be a fool not to go out and get another executive management job"
So I did.
It's been 10 months since I packed up and moved to my house here on Spygoat Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. I can now report a few things for others who wish to persue their "dreams".
First some of the negatives....
These things take time patience and sacrifice..... hummm.... sounding just like the corporate ladder! The difference is, I get all the benefits in the end, not my employer.
Health insurance is killing me. You don't realize what a racket the whole insurance thing is until you are responsible for paying for your own.
It's VERY hard to stop spending like you are making a decent living. It's been a long time since I had to be concerned about how much my groceries cost.
There are others but this is getting long....
Now some of the positives...
Stress... what is stress? I know it's coming when the money gets a lot tighter but for now, I feel good!
Shopping on weekdays, working on weekends.
Watching the birds in my front yard every morning (where I'm typing this).
Working for myself - Mostly doing Sound gigs and gigging. I'm getting repect and compliments from people I don't know and other musicians when I play.... My Sound work is growing slowly but steadily. Customers are satisfied and I am getting referrals and new work from word of mouth.
There are others but this is getting long...
So here's some what I've been doing in the last 10 months....
I recorded and released a CD "My Mind's Eye" produced by Legendary Texas Songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Started my own Music production and publishing company "Spygoat Music"
Provided sound for the Stingaree Music festival on the Texas Coast. Over 25 acts on two stages.
Played LOTS of open mics!
Have my music on iTunes, CDbaby, Amazon.com, and about a dozon other online outlets.
Tubed the Horseshoe on the Guadalupe river twice.
Went to the Kerville Folk Festival FINALLY.
Played paying gigs in Atlanta, Columbia South Carolina, Houston, Dallas and some points in between...
Enjoyed life as much as possible!!!!
If I was trying to live the American Dream before, maybe it was all just setup for my life today... There are still issues, problems and stresses, and I expect it to get a lot harder... but now that I'm on the other side of the fence... I think the grass really is greener... so... go.. Persue Your Dreams.
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