I had an interesting realization a couple of days ago: I am not all that interested in making money. Don't get me wrong; I love it when I get paid to sing, but it usually involves doing something tedious or debasing myself just a little bit as an artist. The thing about getting paid is that it means that someone else is calling the shots. It means you're doing something that someone else chose and could not do alone. There's nothing wrong with it, but the motivation is not coming from one's own heart. The music is a means to an end, usually. It's a commodity. There's more to it than that, of course, but I guess I always assumed somehow that all of my studies and practice was intended to lead me to paying gigs, but I've discovered that this is not the case. The appeal of getting paid speaks primarily to my ego, and not at all to my heart. Anyway, I think that most people would throw down a lot of dough in order to feel the satisfaction I feel when I'm making the kind of music I want to make.

Speaking of hearts, did you know that our heart cells do not regenerate and die? We have the same cells in our hearts (and brains) from childhood until death.