Move On

Ok, so it seems appropriate that my last blog entry was about procrastination seeing as how it's taken me soooo looong to post this entry. Anywho....

There has been much deliberation on the subject of selling my pet sitting business, For Paws Philly www.forpawsphilly1.com (FPP) vs. hiring a manager to run it while I am away playing musical roads. My financial advisor calls selling the business "Financial Suicide". However, I think that this assertion is a bit premature. This so called Financial Suicide is based on the idea that Nick and I will spend all of our savings during the trip and not make any money. Of course, at the moment we don't have a solid plan of how we will make money but that doesn't mean that we won't. I think holding onto the business could possibly be ARTISTIC Suicide and take away from the freedom that we are seeking on this expedition. If I hire a manager, will I be able to focus on music and creating something new when my head is stuck in Philadelphia worrying about all of the moving parts of a business which I no longer have any physical control over? Whew. Sure, keeping the business may give me some financial security, but it will certainly cause other stresses. I will have to worry about my liability, and what if the manager running the business doesn't do a good job? Then the business could dwindle and I would wind up not make any money from it. Then again, if it works, having money coming in on a regular basis would free up my time and energy on the road, so I wouldn't have to worry about working all the time during our trip. Hmmmm. When do we know if it is time to move on?


Nick surprised me with tickets to the show Sunday In The Park With George. This is a musical about the universal artists' life. The struggles that all artists face: sacrificing one's life in order to live fully in the art that one creates, finding funding for the art (for art is nothing if no one can see it), taking risks and being criticized for it, being artistically blocked, connecting. "Art isn't easy." The quintessential moment of this play, for me, is the song Move On sung by the characters Dot and George.




This song truly touched me. All of the over thinking and complications we create, are just that; made up. They aren't real. We don't need to dwell on the past or worry about the future when we can simply move on and start something new and see where it takes us. Sometimes we worry that our new ventures are not original, everything's been done before, but as Dot says "let it come from you, then it will be new." This is a truly freeing statement because it allows us, not only as artists, but as humans to stop worrying and to once again get out of our own way. We tend to get stuck in our daily lives, in a schedule, or routine, but we aren't stuck after all. We just need a swift kick in the...


Assets, what are our assets? Financial success is not the only form of success. We are always thinking, "Oh if i can just get that raise, then I can afford to blah blah blah." Basically, we are trying to find happiness through financial wealth and inanimate objects, but we are not looking at ourselves; at our deeper desires and long term dreams. Money isn't the end all be all. Sure, it can buy you comfort, but it can't buy you happiness. I read the book Quarter Life Crisis around the time I started For Paws Philly and it told stories of corporate guru's who were wealthy and powerful, but stressed and miserable who changed their careers for much less money, but found happiness. In some of these stories they found financial wealth as well. None of these people regretted the choices they made to change their lives. I'm sure they had huge changes to make like downsizing from a 4 bedroom house to a one bedroom condo, or giving up their luxury BMW to driving a hybrid Honda. Changes can be made, it's not impossible, you just have to do it and it will get done. They were compelled to move on and they did it.

Dot says "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not". When we make decisions, sometimes in retrospect we could have chosen better, or differently, but at the moment of the choosing it was the right decision. Choices are never final either!!! Hello!!! Yes, It's true!!! When I was living "down the shore" a friend who I worked with who was a bit older and wiser taught me this lesson(Btw, Thanks Dawn!): Don't hem and haw over decisions. Make a decision, see what happens and then make another decision depending on the outcome of your first decision. No choice is wrong and no choice is final. We can amend our decisions. NO ACTION IS WORSE THAN INACTION. Some experiences we go through as a result of our decisions we will not benefit from until years down the line. Something that we are upset about now, in the future we will realize was essential to our growth. Our experiences make us into who we will become, both happy and sad moments shape us. Life is a journey, not a test that we can pass or fail. We cannot measure anything through "right" and "wrong". These are judging words and judging anyone, including yourself, gets us nowhere. What works for one of us, won't necessarily work for another. Each one of us is on our own journey.

Of course, I am still wavering between fully moving on and keeping FPP as an asset. Each decision here has it's pros and cons. I'm not quite ready to make up my mind and luckily I don't have to just yet. So, I'm beginning the interview process to see if there are any good candidates out there to manage FPP. Then I might shop FPP around and see what kind of market is out there for a pet sitting business. For me, I like to make educated decisions when it comes to my livelihood. That way I can feel like I did make the best choice with the knowledge that I had.

Procrastinating

"Procrastination is like masturbation. It feels real good while you're doing it, but in the end you're just fucking yourself."

Why is it so difficult to do the things that we know we are supposed to do? Why is it more fun to stalk old flames on Facebook or watch an episode of Lost, even though we've seen it already, when we have hundreds of more important and more productive things to do? I find myself procrastinating and putting off things like phone calls that will further my career, following up on business emails,even silly things like going to the grocery store. I say, "It can wait 'till tomorrow", then tomorrow I put it off again.


Well, let's face it, work isn't always fun and it certainly isn't glamorous. Keeping our goal in the forefront of our minds can help, I think. When I'm procrastinating (my latest guilty pleasure is watching Prison Break on Netflix. Damn you technology!) what brings me back to my goal is the thought of how I will feel when I don't have anything to show 3 weeks from now, except the same dream I've had for 25 years that's still burning a hole in my soul. So, I guess you could say fear motivates me.


Fear can be a motivator, but sometimes it can be crippling too. I had a very wise college professor who said we sabotage ourselves out of fear. Not necessarily fear of failure, but fear of success. Succeeding at something means change (which is scary), more responsibility (scarier), and having something to loose (we all have something to gain!). But isn't there a saying that says, "It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?" The way I see it, if you don't try for more, you've already surrendered to defeat. No risk, no reward. Apparently, I'd rather risk everything, than wonder about what might have been for the rest of my secure and boring life.

Yet another motivation for procrastination is simply that we are lost. I know I feel lost at least 3 times a day. A road map that clearly shows us where we are supposed to go would be a big help. How amazing would it be if we could google map our way to our dreams. Just type in the destination and a step by step guide on how to achieve our goals would pop up. Depending on the time frame, we could take the highway, or the scenic route. We could even send it to our phones and forward it to our friends!!! Unfortunately, that's the one thing google doesn't do...yet. So, until they do add the dream app to google, we must prepare ourselves for the unexpected, and create a road map to success on our own. I know I need to do this before I can even think about a road map across the country, hell, even to South Jersey, for that matter. I'm not sure how to do this just yet, but I've started by prioritizing. My number one goal is to save money. None of this can happen without the dead presidents. I'm also trying my darnedest to keep this blog interesting and informative so you are all inspired and thereby, hopefully, sponsors will be inspired to invest in this project. I always say, if you're gonna dream, you better dream big. How else will I get there?

As a dreamer, which undoubtedly, I am, inspiration comes and goes, it ebbs and flows. When you try to control it, it slips away like a fistful of sand. Or if you try hugging it too tightly you wind up smothering the life out of it. I find that when ideas come to me I get so excited and inspired, that I concoct these plans for greatness, but without follow through, they wither and crumble into a vague memory or worse, they become a regret.

They say "time is of the essence". What does this mean? Well, it means: Sure, you can do these things tomorrow, but, by then, someone else will probably beat you to it, and they will be living the dream that you put off 'till tomorrow so you could catch up on The Real Desperate Housewives of Whereverthefuck. I know it's a constant battle, and sometimes I will take a step forward only to take 2 steps back, but eventually I will find the strength to succeed. Life is short, so let's not waste it on the mundane, but instead live fully by pushing through obstacles, even if we are our own worst roadblock.

Please, Share your stories and struggles with me in the comments. We are all connected and there is inspiration within us all.

Next Step

Today I went to AAA to get whatever info I could from them. I was kind of surprised that they didn't have more to offer me, but they gave me a large map of the USA, which I requested, so that I can plot out the major places that we will stop. They gave me info on upgrading our AAA membership to cover an RV once we get one and info on the AAA auto buying program. I have no idea what the hell that is, but I'll find out. I got info on the auto buying program because in addition to the RV the plan is to have a little car that we can zip around in in cities that aren't necessarily RV friendly, plus once we plant ourselves in a campground for a week or for however long, then we'll save a ton on gas with the little car. This is the plan, anyway.


So I mounted the US map on a corkboard. I was going to just tape it to the wall in the living room, but then realized the pushpins illustrating our path will ruin the paint job that took me weeks to finish. And, I decided to move the map elsewhere. To a glorious place where much thinking is accomplished. Some of (hu)man's greatest thoughts were concieved in this place. The map has been mounted next to the toilet where it will get the attention it deserves. Plus, with all the time that Nick spends in there, he will be forced to daydream about something other than the Maxim and Playboy pin ups.

Ok, I have push pinned the cities of interest for me they are in no particular order:

Virginia Beach VA, Jacksonvile NC, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Atlanta GA, Nashville TN, Memphis TN, Miami FL, Naples FL, Tampa FL, Talahassee FL, Mobile AL, New Orleans LA, Houston TX, San Antonio TX, Dallas TX, Austin TX, Albequerque NM, Santa Fe NM, Tucson AZ, San Diego CA, Santa Ana CA, Pasadena CA, Santa Barbera CA, Los Angeles CA, The Grand Canyon (this would definitely be an inspiration stop), Denver CO, San Francisco CA, Portland OR, Seattle WA, and Chicago IL.

That's 32 cities. If we plan to keep this trip in a year, that is 11.5 days for each city and don't forget we still have to travel to and from each city. Maybe this trip will take 2 years! Clearly, we have a lot to figure out still. We might want to spend just a day or two in some cities, while other places may draw us in for a couple of weeks. Having a rudimentary schedule is going to be a lifesaver, but we don't want our existential journey to be dictated by time. That would defeat the point. I could lose 3 days of sleep trying to meet a deadline right here in Philadelphia. When opportunities present themselves we don't want to say, "oh we already have plans".

We want to be open and free as birds to meet new people and be inspired by whatever comes our way.

Financial Suicide

I'm not happy. I live a comfortable life, but I'm not happy. So how do I get happy? For me, I want to run off into the sunset with a motor home and my boyfriend and live happily ever after. But let's be real. As a financial planner told me yesterday "That would be financial suicide". Just what I wanted to hear. So everything that I've been working towards for my whole life would be gone in a flash and if my dreams don't work out, I'll be back at square one.

I was scrolling down my newsfeed on FB (Facebook) yesterday and saw a clip from the Late Show with Conan O'brian interviewing Louis CK. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8r1CZTLk-Gk&h=1ca54 That man is a genius. Talking about our technology today he said "everything is amazing and nobody's happy". Well he certainly pinned the tail on the donkey. Everyone I know hates their job, is bogged down by responsibilities and is so worried about getting through their day to day lives, that they have lost touch with what truly matters to them.

Is changing your life worth Financial Suicide? Do we have to choose between endentured servitude or financial death? Maybe there's a way to have your damn cake and eat it too, afterall, who wants to just look at a cake? If you can't eat it you're just gonna throw it away anyway. So, I'm gonna figure out how to get nice and fat on the cake of life and the icing of freedom without cracking the plate that it's sitting on.

Join me in this journey of liberation. Post comments, share your stories with me, we are all connected and inspiration comes from each and every one of us.

The Me Nobody Knows....yet.

This blog is about chasing your dream. It's about seeing an idea through, no matter how long it may take you; dreaming it true. If you never dream it, you'll never achieve it.

Our Goal in this blog is to catalog the journey, the ups and downs, and the eventual success (we hope) of an RV trip chasing my dream of becoming a professional singer. We are at the very beginning. We have nothing but an idea. We'll see how an idea can become a reality and how a dream can come true. It doesn't always go the way you plan, but that's kinda the point.

A Little History:
I'm Elise. I have been living in Philadelphia for almost 9 years. I came here with $2000 and a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University. In other words, I was a waitress. After a few years here, I started a pet sitting business because bouncing from restaurant to restaurant and serving unappreciative diners their overpriced grub got old, fast. Since the inception of For Paws Philly pet sitting and dog walking, I have bought a house in South Philly in an "up and coming area" where people like to throw their trash on the street and grafitti neighborhood buildings for fun. After 3 years of both living with a mortgage and running a business I am feeling, what should we call it, TRAPPED? Down trodden? Unmotivated and fed-up? Yes, all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I have good and bad days, but the unfulfilled feeling is always nagging at me. I'm sure there are many of you out there who can relate to how I feel.






My dream since I was a small child was to be a singer, like Whitney Houston. I remember when I was 6 years old singing "We are the World" at summer camp and I knew that was what I was supposed to do with my life. So, how the hell did I get here?





Money is how I got here, or rather a lack there of. When I got out of school, keeping myself afloat financially was the main goal in my life. My dream of singing, dancing and acting was overshadowed by my need to work and support myself. After years of working jobs I hated for money that i could barely live on, I changed my goals. I wanted to make money and be in charge of my own income. Hence, the pet sitting biz. While this has been a great success in my life, it has once again taken away from my true dream of singing and performing.

So, now I am an adult, or at least, that's what they call it. Now it's time for me to take my destiny into my own hands once again and reconfigure my goals, but this time, around my dreams. If I don't do it now, I'll regret if for the rest of my life.

A few years ago I was lucky to run into a hip hop producer named Rooks Star. A young motivated man from the 'hood with a passion for music and dreams of big business in the entertainment industry. He played a track for me that I wrote my first song to. I called it Better off Alone. From there, I got writing fever. I was always thinking of song ideas and lyrics. I had rediscovered the passion that I had lost in my race for financial wealth.

Another twist of fate brought me to producer Tony Moore, who saw me at an audition and chose to produce my solo project. I wrote songs, worked with musicians, booked recording time, took photo shoots (which were painful at first, but thanks to Tyra Banks and ANTM, I figured out how to be in front of a camera), took voice lessons, talked with artists, looked for inspiration and 2 years later my EP Break Open has been released.





Ok, so that brings us up to date for the most part. Now I have my EP, I have my voice, I have photos, I have an EPK (electronic press kit)and I have a camp of artists, from TMmuzix, who are there to support me. However, I don't have a band, which is kind of an important element but we'll touch on these details at a later time.

So, this combination of feeling trapped and unmotivated along with my re-inspired dream and passion for music is pushing me to make a change. There has been a voice in my ear telling me to jump off the cliff and take the risk for over a year now. There is an opportunity in front of me, an open door, a possibility and somehow I have been able to recognize it. It is up to me what I do with it and I think I should take the wager. So, my boyfriend, Nick and I are planning our escape. We want to buy an RV and plot out a course for musical success or rather, exploration. So, here's what we need to do:

We need to save money for this trip. Buy an RV and probably a small car to pull behind it. Rent out the house, find someone to run the pet sitting biz, and figure out how we can continue to have income on the road. Then we need to plot out our journey. Coordinating the time of year and musical events around the country, with where we will be and when. I'll have to start networking with musicians around the country and get my performance tracks, so that I can sing my songs without any musicians, oh and I should probably start picking up my guitar and learn to play it. So, there's not too much to do, is there?



We'll see how it all pans out. We are going to watch where we triumph and where we fall flat on our faces, but for now, we have to start somewhere, so here we go......