Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).

Oh, today’s writing prompt rubs the proverbial scab off the wound for me today!

I spent $12k on an annual business coaching program (in 2019) which I may have gotten a few hundred dollars of benefit from. I made this outlandish purchase because I had never met someone of the coach’s caliber (he had ‘connections’ in Hollywood because his dad was a screen writer and had written some of my favorite movies), and because my job had told me I would be laid off in a couple of months. So, I guess I must admit fear and greed drove my decision. Boy, have I regretted it ever since!

I didn’t end up getting laid off, so I had no time to focus soley on the business program as I had planned, but since I signed a contract, I felt obligated to continue (and make the monthly payments I had agreed to make).

I enjoyed the Zoom calls we had and I did meet some exceptional people (a few I am still in contact with), but the coach couldn’t control the group and didn’t add much. I think my husband and I had two or three one-on-one calls with him. I had thought we would get a monthly call with him. He gave everyone a roadmap on how to plan out a business launch. And he gave us call scripts for how to sell others on hiring us as a coach. But I never wanted to be a coach, I wanted to get our original songs in a movie or TV show.

I would have been better off to have hired a song publicist.

Then again, my husband hired a song manager who ended up scamming him out of thousands of dollars and then moved to Mexico.

I suppose I am too gullible to run our own business. Nor am I a salesperson. Lessons learned!

17 thoughts on “Answer to today’s writing prompt”

  1. Terrible for you to spend out like that and get such poor results. That is why I left the band back in the 1980s to become a potter. The negative energy from those in the music business using their own so called skills, then giving nothing of value from the monetary backing of others is terrible. That line in my latest song was about similar experiences. Those who played the game and won…

    ‘Living was forgiving, was for those who did. Played the game and won. No taste of the fruits of a richer kind. Turned everything into lies’.

    Despite being a victim of it all, I still shrugged the shoulders and forgave them.

    Good unexpected answer to the question. Cheers Sheila.

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    Reply

      1. I suppose there are people who have agendas. We, as bands with own songs, just loved the vibe and energy. Getting to recognition was always a dream at that time. But as time progresses, something else becomes far more important. Just enjoying life as it is by surrounding yourself with positive energy. Energy that is basically doing what makes us feel happy and content. We can still seek the best we can achieve, but not saddle the overall feelings we gain from the artistry we try to produce with self driven desires for monetary gain of a certain magnitude. Just seeing the amount of download individual song listens on the Jetpack app since last April gives me a fantastic warm feeling. Hence motivation for continuing the songwriting and its contribution to my own well being. Music is a great healer.

        Cheers Sheila.

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      3. I do admire that you are pursuing different media presentation options like YouTube, etc. It keeps the mind active when you have to build on how to provide visual presentations to your music. It helps to give both new learning and exploration for expanding your artistic growth in the visual arena. But also provides the listener too. They access both the listener and watcher status. Gives a whole new dimension to the songs.

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      5. They do provide a different experience. The songs on their own are equally as valued. Variety is key. I listen to vinyl or CD regularly. But often visit YouTube to check out the video imagery supporting songs. I suppose the phenomenon of MTV becoming essential viewing, after decades of radio listening, was always on the cards.

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      9. Crazy money. Richard and yourself do well in presenting your songs’ imagery. I am currently thinking of how to present songs for video too. Getting inspiration is one thing. Having the skills to make it happen is another. But that is part of the challenge isn’t it. So, with my deliberating on ideas, I can understand how much time and effort you both put into your own YouTube presentations. With great results too.

        Cheers Sheila.

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      10. Thank you sooo much, Gray. It really helps us to hear that. It’s fun to do for the most part, or was. The older we get the less fun technology is. I tried sending Richard a file five times yesterday, and it was so frustrating. This morning it went through with no problem. I knew I just needed to stop yesterday when I got annoyed. At least I am better at sensing that and letting it go until another day! Ha!

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      11. Very true regarding getting older. Both Angie and myself are in constant battles with getting to grips with what is required nowadays. These new ‘Bot’ sites that require information where you outside source files and ‘drag’ them into the form’s spaces, take photographs that they say are not compatible, answer a long list of questions only to be blocked out after answering them, etc. Crazy how they think older people than ourselves can cope. Over here, you cannot park a car in a car park and simply use cash in a machine. It is all mobile phone apps and paying on line! Or use of bank card which often fails recognition at the tiny windows provided. Progress? Nope. Anyways…..Rant over. 😊 Cheers Sheila.

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      12. Yep! Totally agree. I really feel bad for the folks who don’t understand the technology as well as we do, Gray. I even make mistakes! I figure if I make mistakes, how in the world do other less technical people handle it all? Ugh.
        As I continue to ‘go around’ with my credit union over a form that isn’t working right on their app because I am quite sure the iOS on my iPhone is not new enough to display/input the info properly. Ugh
        Today is another day. Cheers, Gray.

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