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Thoughts on Money and Priorities

9/16/2016

4 Comments

 
Money is a medium that can be used for good and evil. If you're reading this, you need most likely need money, because you need to pay someone for internet service. Money is one of the hottest topics in society. Some people think those who have a lot of it are evil. Some people think those who have a lot of it are successful. Some people think those who have little are lazy. While every one of those statements could be true, they're not universal by any means, and they are beside the point. Money is simply a medium. It is necessary for survival in today's society, but beyond covering your necessities, money is simply a game, and this is where it gets interesting.

Why do you work? You may love your work. You may just need the money. You may not need the money. You may hate your work. I recently had the blessing of having too much work (teaching too many students, a work which I love). It was robbing me of a lot of my practice time. Performance is my greatest passion, and my music is one of the ways I define myself, and it certainly defines my teaching style and abilities. I was finding that taking on just one more student, then another, then one more was easy. But, after awhile, finding even an hour or two to practice each day, to develop the skills and make new discoveries that makes me a quality teacher in the first place, was getting more and more scarce. More work means more money, but does it really mean more happiness? Covering the necessities is important. Having a little surplus is nice. But allowing money to rob you of what really matters must be avoided at all costs. 
4 Comments
Kim Grant
9/28/2016 02:13:38 am

Hey Josh,
Many years ago when I had a very bad depression and was in the hospital, someone came to visit and gave me a lottery ticket to 'cheer me up' I managed to accept it graciously but really I was just confused at the gesture. If I had had €millions in the bank right then I would have given it to the first person that could take the pain away. But money could not help me, not one tiny bit. Previously, I had never cared that much about money anyhow. My sisters despaired at my 'fragile' financial affairs as a full time musician. One even said she really admired me but didn't know how I could sleep at night with a mortgage to pay. I slept very well! Everyday was new and fresh and different and I sang and sang and sang. And I wasn't stupid. Of course I knew I had bills. I made sure to do lots of boring corporate gigs to pay the rent but the rest of the time was my own, to be creative and excited and challenged.
I am much older and 'supposedly' wiser now. And sometimes I get to thinking, especially with my own business, Ah! Bills, bills, bills. The staff must be richer than me! But really it's just with an inward chuckle.I have never, nor will I ever forgot that time in the hospital. If my bills are paid, if I open the fridge and there are groceries there, I pinch myself for how lucky I am to be still surviving and with music still as a full-time career....with a teacher like you who opened up a whole new genre of music to me. At an age when this dog shouldn't be able to learn any new tricks, you have taken me on whirl wind of magic and discovery and I thank you most humbly for that. The odd depression now but music always saves the day, not money. Shakespeare said "To be contented is rich and rich enough" And I am not very rich but very contented 😊

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Anthony
10/15/2016 01:19:46 am

Was it Tchaikovsky, who described money as "being like muck?"
In that it needed to be..."spread around".
Anyway, he gave away money as quickly as he made it.
To friends and aquaintainces.
Why Tchaikovsky?
Well, as a child the first memory I have.
Is of my bedroom door opening.
And hearing 'something'.
And years and years later...in high school.
I was in the record library.
And learned that..."something".
Was called "Piano Concerto No 1"!
And years later...l learned that, unlike Chopin.
Tchaikovsky had written music that a beginner could play!
The Childrens Album...$12:99.
And years later still.
Discovering the "Old French Song".
Was right in the middle of his Joan of Arc?
Priceless!

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Emily Alyn
5/9/2017 11:14:30 pm

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James Harding link
7/5/2021 06:49:05 pm

SUCH a great point! It's so easy to get caught up in a job you love and - before you know it - ALL you do is work! I love my job and I have to remind myself to take some time off every now and then. It's not even about the money really... it's just that I love what I do. Still, I LOVE traveling. I'm crazy about it. I have to time time off from one thing I love so I can do something I really love or I'll burn out. GREAT reminder. Thanks!

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