Dues and Dreams
Posted on August 5, 2010 with 0 comments
“All ya got to do is remember back home, you know what I mean? When you was sittin out behind the house, practicin' on the old guit fiddle. Trying to get things together. But you couldn't make up your mind, kind of half way knew what you wanted to do but you didn't have it all together you know. But you did know you wanted to travel... ain't that right? Yeah. I remember them days real good. Didn't have very many clothes. Didn't know anybody to call... to send for you. So you had to get out there and hitch hike. So. It didn't make no difference, you said… I'm goin'', I know I got to hitch hike, but I'm goin' anyway. Whatever happens, well then it happens. I got to pay my dues somewhere." – Bluesman Albert King off Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn’s In Session Live album
What was Albert talking about? Going after his dream, what he felt he needed to do. It wasn’t a matter of “if he could go” it was a matter of “he’s goin’ and that’s it”.
Are you the kind of person, or do you know the kind of person that can’t go to the movie lets say… until the housework is done? A month later the movie they wanted to see is off the billboard and a new one is in its place. “Monday I was going to go but I had to fix my truck. Then Tuesday looked OK until I saw the grass needed to be cut. Wednesday is the day I promised I’d help out around the house some so I thought I could go Thursday but I had the basement storage area tore apart looking for that blasted tool I lost, so had to straighten that room out. Friday night is the start of the weekend and I was just going to treat myself to the movie and have fun… but then the dishwasher broke and I had to run to get a part for it. Saturday I couldn’t go because the garage was getting messy and I just couldn’t take it one more day. Sunday I thought for sure I’d go, but the grass needed cutting again and weed whacking too this time. Monday… well Monday was…”
Sound like anyone you know? The same thing can happen with one’s goal or what we feel is our life purpose. If we wait for just the right time to follow it, we’ll never do it. Life has this way of keeping us busy all the time if we want. Somewhere along the way, if you’re too busy to pursue your life dream… you are too busy period.
So I’ve got a question for you. How much is your dream worth to you? How much would you pay to achieve it? It was interesting to see Albert’s last comment there… “I got to pay my dues somewhere.”
Speaking in public terms, we pay for our cars on a monthly basis and think nothing of it. We pay for our houses on a monthly basis and think nothing of it. We pay for new clothes, the kid’s dance lessons, new glove for Jimmy because he out grew last year’s and think nothing of it. We pay for our lawns to be cut, cars to be washed, we pay, we pay, we pay.
Want an interesting look on your face? Look at your car payment if you have one, if not maybe your house payment… if you got neither, send a little my way as an investment in my dream if you’re not investing in yours *smile*. Anyway look at your car or truck payment and break it down per week, per day, per hour, per minute. While that can be sobering, look at what you spend on it. Then in equal terms look at what you spend on your life purpose, or the thing that gives, or could give you joy. Are you spending any on it? None?
Then look ahead 10-15 years and realize there is an excellent chance you’ll either not have that vehicle any longer or it’s ready for the bone yard Then look at if that money was spent on your dream, goal… life purpose how much more of a lasting investment would that be? Sort of like asking how much are you willing to spend to make some memories. You can’t limit it. Is your dream any less important?
I’m not suggesting you run off half cocked and dump your car, what I am suggesting is in our dues of truth, the “investing in self” deserves to be in there too isn’t it? How much more “it” let’s say than putting in a new pool in the back yard.
How much do you value “you”, living out the “truth” in you? The part that makes you joyful everyday and not griping you need to show up to work yet another day. We have day jobs, that’s part of life. Some are lucky to either just happen to like their day jobs they picked and all is well, or they’ve purposefully made their dreams their day jobs. Or perhaps minimally their day jobs are a means of supporting the real life, their goals and they look at that day job as a sacrifice or “due” to fund their dream and that’s fine, as long as it is in fact funding it and not just earning money to buy more stuff to take care of and rob even more time and resources from your dream.
I can give you example after example of successful people who put in dues toward there dream. John Gorka, a long time songwriter’s songwriter spent his first years living meagerly, less than $100 a month rent expense. For those of you younger folks that don’t remember the good Colonel, KFC was started by a Colonel Sanders who spent two years living in the back of his car at age 66 trying to pedal his recipe to restaurants… this after he got his Social Security retirement checks and said “I ain’t living off of this the rest of my life”.
So if you have a dream, a goal, a life purpose that you’ve been putting off because… the stars aren’t lined up just right and you don’t have tons of money saved up for the journey, maybe its time to re-evaluate and find out just how much, or little your dream means to you in tangible measurements. How much do you believe in yourself to see it through? How bad do you really want it? What dues are you willing to pay to make it happen?
What was Albert talking about? Going after his dream, what he felt he needed to do. It wasn’t a matter of “if he could go” it was a matter of “he’s goin’ and that’s it”.
Are you the kind of person, or do you know the kind of person that can’t go to the movie lets say… until the housework is done? A month later the movie they wanted to see is off the billboard and a new one is in its place. “Monday I was going to go but I had to fix my truck. Then Tuesday looked OK until I saw the grass needed to be cut. Wednesday is the day I promised I’d help out around the house some so I thought I could go Thursday but I had the basement storage area tore apart looking for that blasted tool I lost, so had to straighten that room out. Friday night is the start of the weekend and I was just going to treat myself to the movie and have fun… but then the dishwasher broke and I had to run to get a part for it. Saturday I couldn’t go because the garage was getting messy and I just couldn’t take it one more day. Sunday I thought for sure I’d go, but the grass needed cutting again and weed whacking too this time. Monday… well Monday was…”
Sound like anyone you know? The same thing can happen with one’s goal or what we feel is our life purpose. If we wait for just the right time to follow it, we’ll never do it. Life has this way of keeping us busy all the time if we want. Somewhere along the way, if you’re too busy to pursue your life dream… you are too busy period.
So I’ve got a question for you. How much is your dream worth to you? How much would you pay to achieve it? It was interesting to see Albert’s last comment there… “I got to pay my dues somewhere.”
Speaking in public terms, we pay for our cars on a monthly basis and think nothing of it. We pay for our houses on a monthly basis and think nothing of it. We pay for new clothes, the kid’s dance lessons, new glove for Jimmy because he out grew last year’s and think nothing of it. We pay for our lawns to be cut, cars to be washed, we pay, we pay, we pay.
Want an interesting look on your face? Look at your car payment if you have one, if not maybe your house payment… if you got neither, send a little my way as an investment in my dream if you’re not investing in yours *smile*. Anyway look at your car or truck payment and break it down per week, per day, per hour, per minute. While that can be sobering, look at what you spend on it. Then in equal terms look at what you spend on your life purpose, or the thing that gives, or could give you joy. Are you spending any on it? None?
Then look ahead 10-15 years and realize there is an excellent chance you’ll either not have that vehicle any longer or it’s ready for the bone yard Then look at if that money was spent on your dream, goal… life purpose how much more of a lasting investment would that be? Sort of like asking how much are you willing to spend to make some memories. You can’t limit it. Is your dream any less important?
I’m not suggesting you run off half cocked and dump your car, what I am suggesting is in our dues of truth, the “investing in self” deserves to be in there too isn’t it? How much more “it” let’s say than putting in a new pool in the back yard.
How much do you value “you”, living out the “truth” in you? The part that makes you joyful everyday and not griping you need to show up to work yet another day. We have day jobs, that’s part of life. Some are lucky to either just happen to like their day jobs they picked and all is well, or they’ve purposefully made their dreams their day jobs. Or perhaps minimally their day jobs are a means of supporting the real life, their goals and they look at that day job as a sacrifice or “due” to fund their dream and that’s fine, as long as it is in fact funding it and not just earning money to buy more stuff to take care of and rob even more time and resources from your dream.
I can give you example after example of successful people who put in dues toward there dream. John Gorka, a long time songwriter’s songwriter spent his first years living meagerly, less than $100 a month rent expense. For those of you younger folks that don’t remember the good Colonel, KFC was started by a Colonel Sanders who spent two years living in the back of his car at age 66 trying to pedal his recipe to restaurants… this after he got his Social Security retirement checks and said “I ain’t living off of this the rest of my life”.
So if you have a dream, a goal, a life purpose that you’ve been putting off because… the stars aren’t lined up just right and you don’t have tons of money saved up for the journey, maybe its time to re-evaluate and find out just how much, or little your dream means to you in tangible measurements. How much do you believe in yourself to see it through? How bad do you really want it? What dues are you willing to pay to make it happen?