If you want to get rich and famous make sure the price is right!
How much are you willing to pay and can you afford it?
Is it worth the price?
Decide now, while you are judging your aspirations.
Set your priorities and don't forget to:
Take great care of yourself, and those whom you love (that is, if health, and happiness are a priority to you!)
If you can't manage alone, seek moral support, even if you have to pay good money for it.
It is often said that, "Life is what we make of it," and yet sometimes, situations can overwhelm us and ignite fires of wrath and dischord (similar to those chord clusters you hear by Alban Berg for all you former Music majors.)
Be a peacemaker, and a "pacemaker." Set a positive pace and make things sweet and simple whenever you can.
Create systems of simplicity and organized focus and maintain them.
I am writing this little article because yesterday my duo, "Molly and Sonny Boy" encountered a few unforeseen stressors involving our 2 gigs that nearly discombobulated our equilibrium as a dream-team.
We rose early to the sound of our alarm that screeches like a freaking chantaclear (rooster.)
We left the house early forsaking the pooch's dog-walk so as to arrive on time.
Note: We sometimes have a tendancy to arrive in the eleventh hour and wind up hustling to set up our sound equipment, thus starting our gigs 5 or 10 minutes late and in a frantic mood.
Although we left early, we surprisingly arrived in the usual tardy time.
Why? What happened?
A train just outside the town we were heading to was stationary on the tracks. The train blocked the highway for a half hour as railway workers leisurely chose to re-connect a bunch of train cars.
Impatient drivers were in abundance.
Some idiots tried to pass us, but to no avail.
Nothing and no one budged.
Thank goodness we had our Ipod along.
We calmed our nerves by singing along to hilarious Dr. Demento Songs such as, "Star Trekkin', "King Tut," "Time Warp," "Ti Kwan Leep," and "Monster Mash!
After our first gig, we thought we had plenty of time. We dropped by a coffee shop to see if they still booked live acts (alas, no they stopped doing that ages ago.)
Afterwards, we walked a couple blocks over to a Music Store to purchase guitar picks, (which we forgot to pack along with us on our gigs,) and find out some gig leads from the store owner.
On our happy way to the next gig we were alarmed when we discovered that we'd missed the exit signs to where we had to go to perform, and so we had to backtrack to find the right city.
Like Steinbeck's book and the movie title both of which I have yet to read or watch we were at the mercy of the saying , "The best laid plans Of Mice and men."
After the gig, unthinkingly, in burst of A.D.D. enthusiasm, I chose to book my band, "Molly and Sonny Boy" for a future gig, on one of our Most-Lucratve-Gig-paying Days of the Year (we will be publishing the Molly and Sonny Boy Favorite St. Patty's Day Ditties CD in Feb. Stay tuned!")
In foolish haste, I jumped at the chance to perform, with just a cursory remark to my singing partner. My unbridled enthusiasm had erased all my common sense (a typical A.D.D. trait-listen our our Molly and Sonny Boy song I wrote called, "A.D.D. blues" which you may listen to here: http://www.myspace.com/mollysonnyboy.
In ignorance I wound up upsetting my singing partner (because he did not know his work schedule, nor did he want to play for so little pay either at that low-paying venue on St. Patrick's day, thus tossing me into the proverbial drink, or rather, the proverbial grog!
Yup, along with being persuasive and articulate, I surprise myself sometimes with how I am able to be tactless and annoying too.
After deep apologies and a sober conference with Sonny Boy, matters were clarified, and Molly was forgiven her faux pas.
In addition to that, I felt like an idiot for being so insensitive to my music partner's wants and needs, but poo-poo happens, and you hopefully, learn and grow from it.
Lessons are learned each day my chaotic hubbub of pursuing the dream of fortune and fame, and I hope I can document these lessons each and every time online for others to benefit from my experiences.
One more thing I have to add is this warning; Wash your hands and before you shake the hands of others look out for brown-under-the-nails. Please don't ask me why.
I believe that it is in the actual chasing of our dreams that we find the great experiences such as the stress and challenges we need that will prepare us to endure and enjoy our future fortune and fame.
It is time to get real! It is time to get Humble. It is time to get ready for success mentally, emotionally and physically.
Thus, I have created the following 3 rules to live by.
Follow "Molly's 3 Success Rules to Making it in Your Career" if you want to avoid celebrity-induced mental illness and enjoy a happy and hopefully, successful career in the field of your choice:
1. Work with someone you really love that loves you back, and who is someone whom you can communicate with honestly.
2. Say, "I'm Sorry!" when you screw up because you will screw up, and stick to them like Crazy Glue if they forgive you your errors.
3. Remind others that you are not perfect nor do you expect them to be perfect.
They are not Jesus Christ, even if they might look like him.
They cannot perform miracles as He did, neither can you nor I.
They may raise Cain, but they can't raise the dead.
None of us can read minds or motives as He did.
Believe my 3 rules, and practice these success rules every day.
Here's the fun part.
When success finds you because you overcame all your life's hurdles with my good advice (which is worth more than the price you paid for it- LOL) don't forget the source of your good advice.
I hope you will pitch some dough-re-mi our way and set Molly and Sonny Boy (Jim and Me) up in our own Penthouse Palace in Manhatten, or we would enjoy living in a beach house on Catalina Island if that suits your fancy.
If you care to put us in your wills or send us your money, go right ahead. Yet we don't like those televangelists who, although entertaining, are just asking you to help God by giving them your money! (Who are they kidding! God doesn't need your help or your money! God owns everything, he's not like Barbie--where you have to buy her friends!)
In conclusion, I hope you will remember that no matter what the others say, success will never be had for free- Success if just too classy to be had for free!
Though we may jokingly ask something for nothing, remember that everything has it's price from your Ipod to your happiness.
Decide if you are able to pay the price for success in your career.
If you can pay the price, and if you want to pay the price, then pay it.
Please never forget to enjoy the profits, but be willing to accept the trade-offs too!
Remember success is a whole lot like love...
How do you spell love?
T-I-M-E
Musically yours,
Amalia a.k.a "Molly" of Molly and Sonny Boy
