Joshua Street’s Blog

I took a journey of 40 days without television to focus on some spiritual things. I have completed that journey and learn a few things in the process. #1 being the discipline one can find by just adding even the slightest bit of restraint to one’s life. Other things that surprised me though were a little more complex. When I blocked out one area of my life another would seem to flourish, but additionally other areas would seem to suffer.

The first two weeks were cake, but the last three were very trying not because I was tempted to watch TV. I could have cared less. Instead it was a temptation to fill my life with other means of entertainment and addiction I think we all share. Sure it may not be tv, but movies, music, video games, the gossip column, the Internet, or even your friends can all fall into this category. It becomes our methods of escape from reality.

This revelation made me question a lot about myself. Am I needing to escape? Am I running from something? The answer was a clear yes, but the “why” is left to more study. I don’t view my life as bad. As a matter of fact it is quite good. My family is awesome. I enjoy my job. I have financial stability, which is saying a lot in the world today. I think the “why” didn’t come to me until I sat down to write this blog today. One word came to mind, helplessness.

Entertainment happens in a controlled environment, even when we think it is out of control. If we don’t like something we turn it off or we simply restart the level for another chance. Couple this with the fact that humanity has a God-given nature compelling us to subdue the world around us. Genesis 1:28 be fruitful, multiply, and and subdue the earth. It was God’s first commandment to man.
It’s not my nature needing to change as much as my application of that nature. And truthfully I may not be able to change everything as easily in the real world (subduing the world seems to be the impossible task)…but I certainly can change more of it if I am spending less time escaping it.

Here I am living in a what I would call, small coastal city, and trying to grow a national brand for independent music. While certain things would be easier in a much larger city, I enjoy the corporate absence. Small business has always been my goal sized company to work and build. I’m not looking to answer to a board or an excutive council. All those things look good on paper….scratch that.  They look exactly the way they are; complex, boring, and wasteful. The guys I have the most faith in to create something great are the ones focused on the exact opposite. Corporate tells you to systemize and build distribution channels, while the next group of successful entrepueners tell you to personalize and get intimate with things. That doesn’t mean you act on every suggestion and tailor make everything. It means that your focus is becoming more knowledgable and producing a more knowledgable product. I’m not sure that this type of system will ever produce another Bill Gates, but I’m sure it will eliminate a lot of system errors and blue screens in the long run.

Before jumping into a project, a band, a relationship, or any idea, you need a gut check. Save yourself an adult headache or two. Motivation is key in anything you do. Misinterpret it and you are guaranteed disappointment before you start.

Why…do I need to do this? If the answer is for money, get in and get out. Money is a short lived motivation. Rarely do people sell their soul for one lump sum. It typically takes place over a very long period of time in small incremental payments. If money is your cause, then at some point you will just lose interest.

Why…do you want to do this? If the answer is for “love” it’s a lifelong commitment. Love is not something you let go. Sure you can walk away, but it’s not something you forget. It’s something that becomes a part of you. Every project, person, place, or thing. Sometimes it is beautiful and sometimes it is a 7 headed dragon. Be aware that love is rare. Few people stick with things long enough to see them for the way they really are. Love what you do! Love whatever or whoever it is! Just invest in a big bed because you will spend some nights with a beautiful 7 headed dragon.

Why…should I not do this? If you are not asking that question, you could end up in way over your head. It is normally easy to find a reason “not” do something, but if your heart is truly in something the “not” is almost always the loser. Our problem is our heart does not always guide us correctly. Like when my heart tells me to choke my business partner or when my heart tells me to run away to Tahiti. It would be bliss to act on these impulses. But if I choke my partner I’d end up in jail or at minimum more work. If I ran away to Tahiti, I’d gain a lovely umbrella drink, but mostly a lonely beach and eventual skin cancer. The heart is an excellent motivator, but a poor navigator. Sometimes you need a few “not”s to restrain you.

Consider this your gut check.

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
-Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

A pastor friend from Africa messaged me this today. Of course I, like many of you reading this, know Dr. King for his words “I have a dream”. But after reading these words on our capacity to forgive, it made me think perhaps Dr. King’s most powerful words lay in the statements that have not echoed quite as loudly through history. The capacity to forgive is what empowers, separates, and marks us for greater things. Without it, we are mediocre men at best. Perhaps it is time to train our skills not just as professionals, but as people too.