How much does this REALLY cost?

      One day not too long ago, I was walking past the front window of a music store. Displayed in the case under beautiful showroom lights was the keyboard of my dreams.

      As a vocal coach, having a piano is a key factor in being able to perform your job duties at the highest level. I had been working without one for some time, renting studio spaces that provided pianos, but I was limited to where I could go and how many students I could teach due to scheduling conflicts with the studios. At the same time I had been saving up enough fund

s to put my car into the shop to fix a dent put into it by an anonymous individual who seemed to have , *ehem*, difficulty parking in the space next to mine.

 ( Gotta love those people who hit your car and don’t leave a note!) 

 Along with the other dings created by people who cant seem to be able to control their shopping carts.

                                              

      Coincidentally the amount I had saved matched the cost of this shiny new keyboard. I felt the money burning a hole in my pocket and had to make the choice, pretty car? or shiny new keyboard?  As I weighed the pros and cons, I realized that the cost incurred for going with car over the keyboard was more than money. Yes I would love for my vehicle to be presentable (rather than the embarrassment it currently was), but buy buying the keyboard, it would increase the profitability of my business as I would be able to work out of my home rather than renting studio space and I would be able to increase my client roster by travelling directly to a students home with my portable keyboard.  What do you think I chose?

      Every time you make the decision to do something, you are giving up the opportunity to do something else. This is referred to as opportunity cost. A lot of times it can be measured monetarily ( when one thing costs more than another) but other times it can be the decision between something that will provide instant gratification over long term benefits. I think we as artists, musician, and small business owners tend to look at things one way or the other: money, or value. A prime example is  concert guitar-piano duo Robert Bekkers and Anne Ku who discuss the "cost" of attending a concert when you are a musician yourself in their  Concert Blog.

 It is important to growth of our businesses, careers, and personal lives to revaluate every choice while factoring in what you would be missing out on as well as the “cost” of the choice. Sometimes the cost is time, other times its experiences, and often, its education. Remember, not all things can be measured in money.