At a Midwest zoo, an elephant from Kenya was on display in a 20ft. cage. The cage allowed the elephant to roam its entire length but no further.

The elephant, held in captive for years, would pace the cage from one end to the other all day. Back and forth it paced.

Back and forth it walked for hours on end, for the entire 20 ft. length that the cage would allow.

One day, animal rights activists, seeing what limited conditions the elephant was forced to live under, decided to mount a campaign to send it to a nature preserve in its native Kenya. In a matter of months, enough money was raised to do just that and the elephant was freed.

After many months had passed, the activists decided to check in on the elephant to see how much it had thrived since being released.

The activists were surprised to be informed by officials at the preserve that the animal had not thrived at all. Shocked, they asked to see the elephant.

When the activists were brought to where the elephant was, they were floored by what they saw:

Despite having thousands and thousands of acres to roam in, the elephant simply shuffled back and forth all day in one area—an area measuring 20ft. exactly. It seems that the elephant had gotten so used to being in a cage that it behaved that way even when freed

I bring this story up this week because many people who want to be in the music business act just like that elephant.

They have become so conditioned to a set of circumstances, that even when events change dramatically in their favor, they still stay locked in a limited range of thinking and behaviors.

I realized this was true when I began teaching about the music industry at colleges in the Detroit area. Many students who took my classes listened attentively as I explained the nuances and legalities of the business, and would often approach me afterwards seeking my advice on how they can leave jobs they considered mundane and boring and change to one they felt was as rewarding as the music field.

My response to them came from an episode of “Star Trek”: learn all that is learnable. This would usually leave them with a puzzled expression. I would then elaborate by telling them to fully grasp everything they can about their chosen interest in the music field. I would explain to them that it is not necessary to re-invent the wheel when deciding to enter this field, so READ about others who are/were doing the same thing they wanted to do and learn from their experiences.

I would advise them to read biographies and autobiographies about any and every singer, entertainer, technician, and administrator they could get their hands on.

Furthermore, I would suggest that they should visit libraries for the free information, buy books cheaply from used book dealers and thrift stores, or even buy them new from the various bookstore chains.

Once books had been acquired I advised them to read one a week. This could be accomplished I told them by dividing the chapters of the book up over the seven day period and reading the MINIMUM amount needed to complete the task. In one month, at least 4 books should have been read on the music business. In 6 months, twenty-four should been completed—more than enough to qualify the reader as an expert on that particular subject. This approach is one that I have personally used with tremendous success I would tell them.

To further help their dreams and goals, I would even provide a list of books which I considered “must-reads” for anyone entering the business. If they followed my advice, they should be well on their way in the music field and should avoid many of the pitfalls and problems this industry brings.

One of the things I have found out, however, is that many of these people would not do ANY of what I advised. They would never make the time to go and visit the library or bookstore, or they would question the need to read about a country and western star like Reba McIntyre or a classical pianist like Van Clyburn when their desire was to be a rapper, gospel singer, or jazz producer.

The few who actually went out and obtained the books would make not the effort to read the book on a daily basis until it was completed.

They simply returned to patterns and actions they have grown so comfortable with over the years. They returned to jobs that they claimed they utterly despised, deluding themselves into believing that “one day” their dreams will happen, not knowing that the piece of freedom they yearned for was within their grasp.