Russ...you might not be "proud of that," but I thought it was brilliant. A great recipe for "re-inventing" yourself for practical reasons.

You reminded me of something very important that happened to me. Around 1995 I became a disc jockey doing live music as a sideline for the next 15 years. Up until then, being a "purist" I fought against the growing trend for years....insisting to everyone AND myself that I'm not going to compromise myself. That I was a musician.......period!

Then someone said to me: "Don't you realize that if you "pay the bills" as a disc jockey, it free's you up to play live. Additionally, you can pick and choose your live jobs and play the music you enjoy playing.

That's just what I did.....studying DJ-ing the same way I studied music. The interesting thing was I became a better musician by becoming a better DJ!

So maybe "what generates the reliable returns" is also what helps you to grow in different ways!

That's a great post you did......I got a lot out of it!