Loosing the passion

T

Tassadar

Car Detailing Whore
It seems as of late that I have been loosing my passion for detailing. All of the work I have been doing has been on mundane cars, 100+ degree heat (and im a big guy, so this is a killer), but nothing that really grabs my intrest. Im not the type that can do a simple repetitive job, I have to change things, make it intresting.

Thats why I am coming to you guys. Ive obviously been a member on here for a little while, and ive tried to make myself a decent member of the community. However, I was wondering if anyone had some ideas that would change how I detail. I need something that just requires me to focus and actually do something requiring in depth thought. My current routine is so...well boring that I just loose intrest, though I finish because I never leave anything half done. I do everything by hand, and I have a wealth of cars on hand to clean...but I just need something as a motivating factor to doing it. Sure, I love the end result, but its just not giving me the glory that it once did when I started.

Thanks for anything you can offer,
Dan
 
How about purchasing a PC! I know It has changed whole outlook on detailing! And honestly it cuts down on your detail time signifigantly, and the end result is very impressive!
 
Good morning Tass'.

Sounds like you are 'hitting the wall'. It's not unusual, and it happens to everyone, regardless of their occupation. You might get some comfort out of knowing that you are not alone.

Wish I had some words of wisdom that would clear things up for you, but unfortunately, I don't. Just keep at it until it goes away. If it doesn't, then you may have to consider a career change.

In the meantime, remember that you are doing something you love and don't fall into the 'self pity' trap - it will kill you.

Good luck and all the best.
 
Where are your goals?

A few of the things i would suggest is to everyday when you get up read a positive motivational book *remember this if you read just one chapter a day from a positive book you will have read over thirty six books every year*. Also have a DREAM book of the things you want one of mine is i will have a Orange County Chopper within 10 years but in the mean time i am going to have a much cheaper chopper built as a short term goal and have pictures of your goals all around you.
Sound like to me you are only stuck in a rut get up kick the dirt off get excited about your day your life .One of the the things i do to get motivated is i work with the Make-A-Wish foundation and the Dallas childrens hospital makes me feel awesome and helps me to see that i dont have it so bad. Go make it happen and report back.
 
Dwayne said:
I think a big order from Premium Auto Care would cheer you. I know it would cheer me up! :naughty
Click to expand...

Why didn't I think of that.

Good points made by 'detailmogul'. I've gotten a lot out of the 'self-help' and 'motivational' type books over the years. Some of them are really good.
 
Last edited:
A new product always cheers me up...Dan i think you need a new Poorboy's T-Shirt..I put mine on and got a big:D
 
We owe it to ourselves?

We are in the most competitive and prosperous times in our history of America and you must do all you can to be the best and it includes a daily improvement and motivation plan. To share a story real quick i am looking at setting up my own detail shop and mobile units. You know what astounds me is everyone wants to sell you on price right off the bat honestly I dont care about price what i want is 1-3 ideas a year that can help make me money and they have a customer now that goes without saying the products have to be good and inline on pricing. The things i hear so often are i need to cut cost save money what they are saying is i have quite marketing and have shut my mind to new marketing ideas when sales are slow sell sell sell sell and upgrade services learn something new open your mind.Remember the world is your playground or should i say the automobiles are our playground they need you.Go Kick some butt a awesome book to begin reading is MAGIC OF THINKING BIG BY DAVID J. SCHWARTZ
 
I sorta have two detailing jobs.

For one, I work for another person, I use all of his chemicals, towels, etc... I use the same basic stuff on every car I detail over there. Even though the cars are different, its still the same stuff over and over which gets very boring.

My other job is my own business. It takes a bit more work, is a bit more expensive, but so much more fun. What I have fun with is trying out new products all of the time. Instead of "lets use the same exact stuff to work on these wheels that I have used on the last 20 cars", its "hmm, lets look at the collection... I could use this, this, this or this...... well "this" one worked really well, but the customer mentioned he didnt like high gloss, so "this" will work better...... etc...

Its trying out new stuff all of the time and figuring out what could work even better is what I think makes detailing fun.
 
It always cheers me up when I click onto a suppliers website ( DWAYNE!!!!!) and see new items.
 
Steve, send me that t-shirt, and I will wear it. Probably need the biggest one you have though.

I guess I could order a PC, it would require more focusing and the results would make me happier. The only downside to that is that I am going to want more products...going into college kinda prohibits buying more products ,because I am getting poorer by the day!
 
Tas,

Be honest with yourself.......... maybe it's time to step away for a while and look for something that suits your interest more. Nothing wrong with enjoying detailing........... nothing wrong with "not" enjoying it. Many times, when a hobby starts becoming work, it starts losing it's appeal.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Boss_429 said:
Tas,

Be honest with yourself.......... maybe it's time to step away for a while and look for something that suits your interest more. Nothing wrong with enjoying detailing........... nothing wrong with "not" enjoying it. Many times, when a hobby starts becoming work, it starts losing it's appeal.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Click to expand...

I guess the reason its loosing its appeal is people are expecting it now. My family wants their cars cleaned all the time, they want them clean 24/7 as if I am some sort of machine. Its more of a chore than a hobby anymore.

Im actually to the point of taking my Saturn to a local detail shop to have it detailed because I don't want to do it. Im just so tired of it.
 
Dude, you're in college. You should be thinking of malted beverages, making new... "friends" :naughty, and studying. You can detail on summer breaks if you don't have something more worthwhile going like internships, travel, or research going on. Take a break and enjoy life!
 
Boss_429 said:
Tas,

Be honest with yourself.......... maybe it's time to step away for a while and look for something that suits your interest more. Nothing wrong with enjoying detailing........... nothing wrong with "not" enjoying it. Many times, when a hobby starts becoming work, it starts losing it's appeal.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Click to expand...

:yeah
tass, we all need the money, but you won't excel if you don't enjoy doing it.
Boss_429 is right "if" you can, step back, and reassess your goals.
Some people call it "burnout", sometimes a break in the routine will give you new vitality or not...

Good luck to you in whatever choice you make.
"J"
 
Tassadar said:
Its more of a chore than a hobby anymore.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I meant!

Don't feel "bad", if you don't want to do it all the time. After all, it's your time, do with it what you want!

I use to be in the same situation.............. I quit doing it for other people, and some of the "fun" came back. Of course, it was a different story when I had to do it to make ends meet.
 
My family wants their cars cleaned all the time, they want them clean 24/7 as if I am some sort of machine. Its more of a chore than a hobby anymore.
Click to expand...

Quit for now. I found that if you keep trying to please people and its not enjoyable at all, your motivation of course is not there. You have to be happy to do other cars. Detailing is a hobby! not a chore. :)
 
Boss_429 said:
Exactly what I meant!

Don't feel "bad", if you don't want to do it all the time. After all, it's your time, do with it what you want!

I use to be in the same situation.............. I quit doing it for other people, and some of the "fun" came back. Of course, it was a different story when I had to do it to make ends meet.
Click to expand...

Boy oh boy, does this ring a bell. A good friend and very wise man once told me almost the exact same words. It all proved very true and I can't thank him enough for helping me get things back into perspective.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top