RANT: Fighting an uphill battle.....

[BOSSMAN]

Starting to loose my strong motivation lately. Seems I can't catch a break to button up some personal goals of mine. My car is 6 months behind schedule, my building is well over 2 months behind schedule (and getting worse), work starting to stack up for the off season, and winter is around the corner. How do my fellow Bang Shift guys keep the fire lit to keep going when you know a long road is still ahead battling you each and every day?

Please motivate me!

[Deaf Bob]

Step back, recharge, come back with vengance..
I've done NOTHING derby related this month!

[pdub]

Motivation?

Boss, you live in the United States of America. Not that you've chosen the most temperate area of the continent to live in, but you're free to do as you like.

You can buy PARTS for the car and put them on when you want to.

Motivation? (From way over ten years ago) ... Ride a big fancy cruise ship into port in San Juan. It's a septic tank, the port itself. A literal septic tank. All you have to do is to look and see elsewhere to know every one of us here In Country has it good.

Build that dadgum car and burn the tires off of it! Because you CAN.

[dulcich]

Nick, you just need to stay steady and realistic if you have ambitious goals and want to achieve them. You also have to constantly readust and reevaluate and rearrange priorities based on ever changing circumstances and demands. Sometimes that can be hard to do when you have the end result clearly pictured in your mind. That is just a fact of life. Keep the ongoing progress in perspective rather than fixating only on the end goal, since it is almost always a bumpy and winding road in getting to a worthwhile achievement.
-dulcich

[Scott Liggett]

I get burned out a lot. My job consists of driving in the worst city in the country for driving. I average 12-14 hr days too. If I am stupid.enough to work through my weekends that burn out comes very quickly. Trying to keep puhing just make things worse.

I have to step back and recharge. Take a long weekend. Then I find I can get other stuff done as well. Same goes with working on long projects on my cars. Even though I am on a time crunch, I have to take a break. If I dont, my progress slows and I become even more frustrated.

Take a break for a week. Go do something else, or just sit around with a beer and watch the world series. I bet you will find you can hit it hard again and see real progress on your projects.

[Gary 351C]

My car is 10 years behind schedule! Don't beat yourself up. Like the other guys have said, find a diversion for awhile. One thing that helps me is not to think of the entire car because there is so much to do. I pick small things and get them done before I move on to the next. Hopefully I'll get mine done before I'm too old to drive it.

[Thumpin455]

Going through the same thing here, except I have a persistent thing keeping me from doing very much. Went to the shop today and stood there for five minutes. The knees started aching, its chilly, and I just didnt have any desire whatsoever to be in the shop. Ive been burned out for a while now, but I have been forcing myself to get stuff done. This winter I hope I can get my groove back, but at this point it doesnt look likely.

When I get this way I take some time off, but some things simply canot wait. I also do some dreaming, I think of driving the car that is kicking my ass, what it will be like when its done. I plan other cars, engines, and paint jobs. I read magazines and watch videos of burnouts and wheels up passes to keep me motivated to do something. The problem is up here there is no car scene, no drag strip and not much of anything to do with my machines. So I have a strip toy that is resting and probably screwing up the valve springs, a GTO trhat really needs work so I can drive it, but the other GTO and the beaters are taking up the time from MY stuff.

Now its 0330, and I cant sleep, and I cant stay awake all day. I want to make the 70 do a big smoky burnout yet this year, then video it and put it up here. Part of me really wants to move back to Nebraska, but the sane part of me doesnt.

[Beagle]

Nick, you just need to stay steady and realistic if you have ambitious goals and want to achieve them. You also have to constantly readust and reevaluate and rearrange priorities based on ever changing circumstances and demands. Sometimes that can be hard to do when you have the end result clearly pictured in your mind. That is just a fact of life. Keep the ongoing progress in perspective rather than fixating only on the end goal, since it is almost always a bumpy and winding road in getting to a worthwhile achievement.
-dulcich

well said... you might consider slowing down the incoming work to keep from burning out too. There's nothing like a pile of undone stuff that keeps growing to keep me in a funk.

example, I'm trying to take care of five different properties. My house, dad's, lake property, location x, and dad's old family homefront on the Galveston bay. There's 400 miles between the longest of the two, and I manage to spend a bunch of time working to stay only a little further behind each year. I'm gonna have to lose 3 of them, I can't take it any more. Every one of them has merits... but I can't keep up so something has to give.

[BOSSMAN]

Thanks guys, been a rough year when it comes to over working myself but I usually manage it better. My building has really brought me down lately since it is something needed so badly. My contractor walked off the job (building needs repairs due to his poor craftsmanship) and I was set to pour my shop floor this morning but couldn't line up enough help in time to do it properly. You know how you get frustrated when things don't go right after getting things lined up, just a battle. Luckily I have an awesome 3 year old son to keep me busy and makes me take the time to smell the roses. I agree, I think I will take a short break and come back refreshed. I still have some celebrating to do at home from my trip to Ohio!

Nick, you just need to stay steady and realistic if you have ambitious goals and want to achieve them. You also have to constantly readust and reevaluate and rearrange priorities based on ever changing circumstances and demands. Sometimes that can be hard to do when you have the end result clearly pictured in your mind. That is just a fact of life. Keep the ongoing progress in perspective rather than fixating only on the end goal, since it is almost always a bumpy and winding road in getting to a worthwhile achievement.
-dulcich

Steve, I think I'm gonna print this out and put it on my office wall. Lots of wisdom in what you wrote and it will help keep things in perspective for me. Sometimes you just need that reminder, I appreciate what you wrote.

[TC]

You got to take control and prioritize what you need to do and do it...... I've found lately that if I make a list of things to do that I seem to get them done a lot faster than if I just "try to remember" what I have to do...... I've also had to swallow a bit of my pride about doing everything myself and hire people to get the job done.... I actually did this with my painting business, I now just take the calls, do the bids and collect the money and have a crew do the work for me...... It is what I've realized I have to do to be able to work on my cars if I ever want to get them done........ And so far it's working, I have more time to do stuff and I'm actually making more money......

[Monk]

There's an old saying.......With the new day comes new strengths and thoughts.(or something like that)

The stepping back & recharge works as well.
Good luck with your projects.

[SpiderGearsMan]

you could be working the drive thru

[Adger Smith]

Take time off and do something that is what I call "separation". By that I mean something totally different from your work or the play that is connectwed to work. We are the type people that have both our work and play connected in so many ways. Over my LONG business life I've used being involved in civic functions, politics and property development (I was even on the local school board)to "separate" from work & play work. Do something that has people that may know you, but have interests totally away from anything automotive. Lately I've bought an airplane and switched to "hanger flying" instead of "bench racing". You would be surprised how it refreshes your mind and body & you look forward to going back to work. When you get a handle on that you need to learn to not over commit and have unrealistic or too lofty self goals. The last has been tough for me. Good luck,
Adger

[Beagle]

For some reason this morning I'm reminded of the phrase "how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time" and think I might venture out into the garage today to see if I can take a bite or two out of the elephant of overcommitment.

[Monk]

For some reason this morning I'm reminded of the phrase "how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time" and think I might venture out into the garage today to see if I can take a bite or two out of the elephant of overcommitment.

That's a good one