If time is money, what kind of beat does your bank account dance to? Is it a steady samba or a funky jazz improvisation? Both are okay, ya know, as long as you cover your assets and load the jukebox for the next set. You gotta move to your own rhythm. Here's the thing about that: your contribution to society and how much you collect for it all comes down to individuality. I'll illustrate here in the brief bio of a long gone musical luminary. Stick with me now...

Jaco Pastorius was not just a bass player - he was the bass player of the 1970s and into the '80s. He was also a weird guy. Some folks would argue with me on that point, but the fact remains that with his fretless bass he changed the shape of music in a big way.  It made him a lot of money, sure, but it also helped forge something bigger - Jazz Fusion, a funky instrumental groove synonymous with the '70s, Black Cow and singles fern bars. Like a host of other musical pioneers, Pastorius also hit the vices in a big way, which fed his imbalance and anti-social tendencies. Nice way of sayin' he often acted like a jerk. His lifestyle contrasted sharply with that of his pal and musical compadre, the wholesome Pat Metheny, now winner of umpteen Grammy Awards. So Pat got the Grammies, Pastorius got the grave. Although Jaco Pastorius met an untimely end at a young age, I gotta ask the question:  if he'd known his years were numbered, would he have done things the same way? To which I proffer, probably. Jaco is the only modern bass player widely known by a single name. This couldn't have been true if he'd tried to be somebody else, though in hindsight, I sheepishly suggest he might have tried to be a better Jaco. I dunno.

The Hand of Reluctant Conformity On Your Wallet

See, the thing about conforming to society's norms is that it exacts a price. I say this knowing that it's just the opposite of what most people would prescribe following the story I just told. Reluctant conformity tells on you in all pieces of the lifestyle puzzle, health and hearth, and especially in your finances. I'm not sayin' that anybody should run amok. Personal discipline is definitely a requirement for success... not to mention stayin' on the right side of the Grey Bar Hotel. Discipline is what keeps society, well, social. But everybody's got a different metronome - you gotta stay in touch with that quirky beat you hear. How you spend your time determines the value that you bring to the marketplace, and therefore the compensation you receive - the bucks you bring in. The kinds of choices you make on a daily basis directly affect your ability to plant, cultivate and harvest a nice fat money crop. ...Yeah, like that.

Living like a fat cat even if you're on a money diet means that you're obligated to be your best You, not society's version of whoever that might be. This idea is further expounded on in a book by Mike Robbins, Be Yourself: Everyone Else Is Already Taken.  I just love that title. It's a quote from Oscar Wilde, speaking of highly individual people. You can get the book anywhere, but of course I prefer that you get it through SectorMatic Money Site. It's just makes good sense.

I was thinkin' about The Individuality Factor as I woke up this morning, contemplating the path of a high school buddy o' mine, a recent addition to my online network. Great guy. In one tough class we shared back in the day, he always did the assignments, turned in his homework on time, and got good grades. Steady was his natural bent. I myself was sharp but lazy. He went to on to college, picked the right field, maneuvered through career politics just so, and now he's the Senior Vice President of an ubercorp whose widgets are used by 99% of the Fortune 1000. Jeez, the guy's got it on the ball, no question. And from what I know about him, the lifestyle fits him like a tailored suit.  "I guess I shoulda studied more," I yawned to myself this morning over a steaming cup o' joe.  Then I looked at the clock. It was 10:30.

And I was in my bathrobe.

Now, I say that without apology. I like bein' Jack Schmidt, and I do it pretty well. Time is a fluid instrument, fretless and dull without our striving, maleable under the force of human will, gilded and all too brief.  So what kind of music are you making?

For more great tips on managing your money, make SectorMatic Money Site your Home Page.  With literally THOUSANDS OF ARTICLES, reading only one article a day on SectorMatic will take you several years to get through the whole site. Start making better decisions, and you'll find your dreams turning into goals, and your goals turning into accomplishments.  Can you imagine the look on your neighbor's face when you start driving that new car, start building that new addition on your house, and put that sweet watercraft in your driveway?  You know, to be friendly, you just might want to tip him off about SectorMatic.  It's not a competition here, and there's plenty to go around.  And it's all there for you - gratis, FREE, no charge.  Now you have the power and the means to start living the lush life.

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Until next time,
Jack Schmidt
Spokesman

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