What Dream Did You Trade In For Your 9 - 5?

The reaper comes for us all, how do you want to live??

In a world where one could seemingly become anything (keyword here being seemingly) , it seems a large majority of us have willingly decided to follow along the path of those before us. Those that have given up, traded a chance at living a life beyond their wildest dreams for a life of responsibility imposed by both external circumstances, and fear. We’ve taken on jobs and careers we don’t want because we couldn’t see ourselves crossing the finish line to our true desires. Have you ever wondered why you traded in your dreams for a 9-5?

Fender guitars and skateboarding were a large part of my childhood through teenage years, but it wasn’t until 2011 when my brother passed away that I decided to pick up the mic and try my hand at hip hop & RnB. I had always loved music - from blasting Radio Disney full blast in my bedroom to performing my first “rock show” with my band in front of a whole 3 people. Music, no matter what form it came in always excited me, and hip hop was no different, especially since it was attached to my brother Dj. He passed leaving a legacy of music he never put out, and in homage to him he was the motivation I needed to start “rappin.” What I didn’t know was just what kind of experiences waited for me.?

My rap career started slow. I made parody songs often using my friends as muses. Between my friend group it was a hit, to others - not so much. But it was the perfect stepping stone because it gave me the confidence to start writing real lyrics. Once I started that, my career seemingly took off.?

Years later, my name started making rounds in the Indie Circuit (Google Dru Paris or search on Apple Music, or whatever streaming service you'd like). I put out a couple projects, and after chasing down enough gate keepers, I found my work getting placed in multiple playlist and indie sites across the Internet. It was interesting to see how my work was started to play off, but my holy grail was getting signed to a label. Something I felt would confirm not only my notions that I could do this, but also that my music was genuinely good. So I kept chasing it, kept making connections and at some point while working at Crunch Fitness - I met someone who I didn’t even know could help me get to the next level, but did.??

Wu Tang clans tour manager (name redacted) was a consistent gym goer. A guy who kept to himself, wore a low brim hat and was already in incredible shape, so he wasn’t someone I would reach out to as a potential client (I was a personal trainer at that time). I’d see him everyday so eventually I’d say hi, engage in conversation if I could, or offer help if it was needed. Over time we actually developed a genuine friendship, and at some point music came up in conversation.?

When he mentioned he was the tour manager for Wu Tang, internally I bubbled with excitement but on the exterior I played this really cool, I didn’t want it to seem that I didn’t just realize this was one of the biggest opportunities that had ever come across my proverbial desk, but again - internally I connected the dots and realized the opportunity here was massive. I waited a couple of days before I mentioned I made music, and when I did he happily took my demo tape - it was a month before he responded.?

Nearly 30 days later, he came back with some critiques for me. He went through my catalog, chastised what he felt were my bad songs, keep the good ones, and from chosen few remaining, selected five songs. This whole time I thought he was picking out his favorite songs of mine, but after selecting the songs he then turned to me and told me that these were the 5 songs he’d want me to perform as an opener, and from the 5 I need to choose 3. That was one of the happiest, toughest decisions of my life.?

I chose my 3 songs. Weeks and a dozen practice sessions later I found myself backstage at Starland Ballroom waiting to open for Wu Tang Clan in front of about 300+ people. I was used to stages, but nothing on that scale. I was nervous - but I knew what this meant for my career, so I walked through that hallway, took a shot, a photo with my friends and headed out the door ready to open my first ever concert.?

It was only 10-12 minutes. The longest 10-12 minutes of my life, but also the most blissful. Seeing people actually sing my lyrics, cheer, and most importantly, connect sonically - was an experience I’ll never forget. Unfortunately - I had to go to work the next day. When I was a coach at Crunch, I was also a class trainer that taught a specific class (TRX)?in the morning that was hard to find a replacement for. I spent the week looking for my replacement but no one was available, so I couldn’t continue the tour with them, which surely would’ve launched my career further than what happened. This was the first time I traded a dream for a 9-5.?

A month later, my performance paid off. I was able to land a connection from the label Human Resources in 2018 and thus was signed for a short stint. From there my life, career and relationships took an unexpected turn, and my depression took a toll on me, as well as my music. Since then - I haven’t put out a new piece of music out. If you were to check out my discography, all recent songs are unreleased recordings from 2017-2018.?

Recovered from my depression, but unable to find the will to write music again, I was eventually dropped from my label, stopped writing music and found myself back in the workforce, working at Equinox. I enjoyed my experience so much so that eventually I learned how to obtain clients on my own and eventually took on private clients. This was a short period of time in my life where I felt a sense of true freedom. That year I went to Jamaica, California and Miami. Best of all, my life moved on my own time.?I was living with a roommate, but making enough to pay rent, bills and save. This all came to a halt during Covid.?

When Covid came around I did make the transition to tech, but due to my customer demographic, I lost a bulk of my clients due to the technical friction, some just couldn’t get the full benefit of coaching from a virtual platform. So with my cash reserves low, my roommate gone, and nexts months rent slowly nipping at my heels - I decided I could get a career in tech sales while working on my business. Honestly a move I regret because it was made from “fear and not faith” so to speak.?

I liked the tech sales world, but during my tenure within it I couldn’t help but feel like I sold off a piece of me. A piece of me that was intuitive, creative and a tinge more empathetic, and had a greater capacity for connecting with others. That side of me that wasn’t able to flourish elsewhere like the sales world. Although the companies were remote, my home office eventually felt more like a cell instead of a convenience. What was worse was after spending 7-8 hours sending emails, attending meetings, demo calls, 1:1’s I virtually had no energy to pursue my fitness endeavors, let alone my music and other creative hobbies. My goal was to use fitness to fund my music and Vice versa, two things that felt so intrinsic to me beginning to slip away due to the amount of time I was pouring into my career.?

Fast forward to today, it’s been nearly a month since I was caught up in the nationwide firing event, and I’m finally starting to get back to “the old me so to speak”. The fear of not having a “job” does alarm me at times. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right thing by building my fitness business, and work on my music and other endeavors but then I think of the moments where I had a choice to make. From my time opening with Wu Tang, what if I skipped work and went on tour? Likewise with my fitness business, what if I stayed faithful to my vision and worked on getting more clients instead of going back to school? This isn’t to say any of those things were the wrong choices within themselves, but were they the right choices for me? Being that I made them out of fear, I’d say no.?

Here’s where I throw you into the mix. Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you achieved (fill in the blank)? Or what if you finally started that (fill in the blank)? I understand we have various responsibilities we must tend to in our day to day, but if we gave ourselves the moment to reflect, how much of your choices were based out of genuine desire and interest vs the fear of an unforeseen circumstance coming to you in the foreseeable future??

The average life span is about 70 - 75 years old in the US. and most people retire at around 60 - 65 years old. If we’re keeping the numbers simple, this gives you about 5 - 7 (7 if you’re lucky) years to live your life, discover yourself, reconnect with your former passions and ignite new ones. Which (to me) sounds terrible. For the majority of us, we will spend the rest of our life, building someone else’s dream, making them richer, happier, and more fulfilled. But for those that are in unfulfilled careers and unwilling to get off the exit ramp, presuming you have no major responsibilities to manage , what dream have you traded away in exchange for your career??

For those that have decided that this will be the year that they bet on themselves, or have been forced out of their roles but have decided they will forge their own path, I wish you the best of luck on all your endeavors, the strength to carry on when things get tough, and the faith to know through proper planning, execution and consistency - you can make your dreams a living, breathing reality.?

Cheers to all your future endeavors.

- Serge?

PS. When I’m not making music or helping clients, I’m modeling or making content. Check out my modeling portfolio,?YouTube content and more here : www.Maisonderoy.com / www.Youtube.com/@maisonderoy?(content is NSFW- I warned you)?