Kiss' Paul Stanley gives career advice

Paul Stanley of Kiss — (Image credit: Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images)

While it's important to set big goals and never give up working for that dream job, Paul Stanley is here to offer up a helpful serving of realism in being practical about what is actually possible for you to achieve.

In a new interview with Big Rig of the West Palm Beach, Florida's 98.7 The Gator radio station, the Kiss vocalist/guitarist suggested that sometimes, thinking with a rational mind as to what's truly attainable in terms of your career is better than getting lost aiming for the stars.

As transcribed by Blabbermouth, Kiss' frontman says: "In this case, what I can do, you might not be able to do in 10 years or in a hundred years. And vice versa — there's things that I'm just not equipped to do. If I had decided to pursue becoming a mathematician, I'd be homeless."

"I think at some point, each one of us has to do some sort of self-assessment — brutally honest — of what we are capable of and what's out of reach," he continues. "And if you choose to pursue something that's out of reach, you're an idiot."

Speaking of why it's vital we spend our time carefully and not waste hours spent on an unrealistic goal, he adds: "As far as I know, we have one time on this earth, and time is precious. It only becomes more precious as time goes on. So I think it's always important to chase something that's realistic. It doesn't have to be realistic for the person next to you, but you have to believe that you can do it."

Stanley, who managed to secure one of the more "unrealistic" jobs on the planet, globe-straddling rock 'n' roll icon, says he never once saw his own dream as unreachable.
He explains, "I still remember being in high school, and I certainly don't advocate someone else doing this, but I remember one of my teachers saying to me, 'Why aren't you doing the work?' And I said, 'Well, I'm gonna be a rock star.' And they said, 'Everybody wants to be a rock star.' And I said, 'Yeah, but I'm going to be'.

"So you can either delude yourself, which is insanity, or you can give the full-court press to what you believe you're capable of doing," Stanley added. "And the obstacles, you only see them when you lose sight of where you're going."

Listen to the full interview below:

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Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.