Re: Life Choices... Passion vs Practical


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Posted by joe exley on March 05, 2004 at 16:09:12:

In Reply to: Life Choices... Passion vs Practical posted by ben on March 05, 2004 at 10:17:20:

Hey Ben,

First of all, I want to say bravo on your courage. Your response says that "your gut is telling you something..."

NYC is an extraordinary place – like no other.

It boils down to this: Where do you (want) to see yourself in 10 years? in 20 years etc?

If you want to come to NYC, then do it. Do it now. Do it before you get any older, have more kids etc... The older you get, the more "entrenched" you get, the harder it gets to make these type of life changes. Go to the place where you WANT to be entrenched.

It sounds like you have a lot musically going for you. You can do those things here, and one of the great things about NYC is that everyone has a variety of creative projects going on, and the basic level of performance is quite hi, and the amount of dedication and initiative is absolutely extraordinary -- people live here for a reason. The environment is kind to people who are doing many different things to survive, and nurtures those who are involved in creative and entrepreneurial projects. That is one of the main reasons people flock here.

Let me be a little Zen for you:
Don’t let the financial details and worries make your decision for you. Too many people let those anxieties rule their life choices. Their paths through life are chosen by their ruthless sense of entitlement and endless need to keep up with others, especially when it comes to material things.

Be prepared for a radical change in things. And remember that there ARE NO RULES. For every rule for this and that, you can always find someone who has made it big by breaking them.

You will have to make sacrifices. Acknowledge that, and let it happen. You get what you pay for!!

Ask yourself what is most important in YOUR OWN definintion of "quality of life".

Life in NYC is radically different than life in an anywheretown burb, but in my opinion, in a very very good way.

Some practical advice: Don’t just show up and try to pay the market rate for an apartment. Find a temporary place to live at first, then find a place through networking, it can take a while, but it works.

Contact everyone you know and have ever known and that your relatives know... Tell them you are coming to NYC. Chances are, someone knows someone who knows someone who lives out here. This is imperative; get all the contacts you can, this city thrives on networking.

Feel free to drop a line anytime.

peace

joe

ps -- check out this post: I preach a lot here about much of the same stuff.



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