Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A Clarifiaction: Dreams and Debt

In a previous post I encouraged young rockers to go for it, and pointed out some common pitfalls. Since posting it, I've had some conversations and experiences that warranted a follow-up post.

GO FOR WHAT??

My own heart is to see musicians make a good try for it.... but I really mean whatever dream that God has put on your heart — whether that's chasing music, or business ventures, or inventions, or a Ph.D., or whatever. You have a window of opportunity between the ages of 17 and 23 that you will never, ever have again. It's apropos to use this time to do some serious dream chasing. However, music is unique in that if you don't chase it seriously during this phase of your life... you probably won't be able to ever pursue music as a serious vocation again (only as a hobby). Usually you can seriously go after the other stuff even after you become respectable.

So, whatever your dream is (even if people think it's silly), if you're young: go for it!

DEBT

If you have a car payment, a house payment, and an HDTV payment — that forces you to be respectable and hold down a regular job. This means no touring and infrequent practicing. Whatever you do, avoid all debts like it's a sin. It bogs you down. The Bible says that "The rich rules over the poor / And the borrower is slave to the lender." Don't be a slave.

Really, the more general theme is: avoid entanglements. Things that tie you down. Things that prevent you from moving freely toward your goal.

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