Seems the older folks get the better they can deal with stress, the less they panic, the less the are totally stumped, the easier it seems to think your way thru(in our trade).
But the tradeoff seems to be...a loss of drive.
So I guess this is a poll(yuk)...
Have you (in your own view) lost your drive?
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I sure as hell havnt, but..I find myself daily reminding myself of losing that drive. Never had to think about it before. It was always balls out...no fear...now it's...oh shit how am I gonna do th....grrrrrrrr LIKE ALWAYS, Get agressive bitch!.
Just wondering if this is a natural part of this trade or am I burning out? And if I am burning out...what the hell do you do about it?
When you feel the burnout trying to get to you, ask yourself why you love doing what you do. Is it the competition? If so, who are you competing against? The guy next to you? The shop down the street? Yourself? I used to do it because I wanted to be the best. Then I coasted for a while, because I could coast and still machine circles around my coworkers. After noticing this, I refocused my efforts to try to set the best example possible for anybody watching. Today's awesome solution will be next month's old idea, so I keep striving for something better. I got over the "no fear" part, though. A healthy sense of fear keeps you whole.
Other than that, injections of HGH/testosterone???
With all due respect to Charlie's admirable rah-rah-rah, go-go-go, push-push-push, faster-faster-faster motivational stuff, man, dat shit gives me the willies.... and hives. I ain't building pyramids, yo.
I think that personal-best jive is basically a psychological con-job foisted on The Pubic to disguise the fundamental Ponzi scheme that "advanced cultures" find themselves rutted in. It really just benefits an ultimate few, with the rest of us tagging along for the ride and some effing affirmatory/social crumbs.
Fugdat.
Having said that, there is indeed the aesthetic of accomplishment, but.... at what price? And for whom?
I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that "vinny" wrote on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:25:44 -0500 in alt.machines.cnc :
Generally, it is in part because our "passions" decline. "This too shall pass" which experience teaches you about stress, apply as well to the other "passions". The highs are lower, the lowers are higher.
With age comes wisdom - or so it is hoped. You've learned to pace yourself in all things. I thought, years ago, that perhaps what we call 'maturity' is more 'fatigue'. "Been there, done that, ... not fun anymore." Years later, I think maybe I was on to something. Whether my "drive" has burned out, or I've just decided that some things are no longer worth the effort, it is hard to tell the difference.
tschus pyotr
-- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!
If your sense of the word drive is failing to fight battles I'm going to lose then yes. Now I just let the kiddies know how things are going to play out and do my piece of the puzzle and get along.
Refocus your OCD to exercise. You can't push your mind without pushing your body too. When you need to pull a 36 hour shift to save the day, your fitness will pull you through.
The only time I ever lost my drive was due to boredom. Making molds for polymer optics is about as mind numbingly boring as it can possibly get, so I found another job doing work I actually enjoy (I'm driven by being challenged and am unhappy otherwise) and rediscovered my drive.
Yep...that's experience. Having the ability to tell your boss how it's gonna end up in the end. Being young and gung ho means I will succeed no matter what, but that goes awefully wrong sometimes.
Well after much thought, meditation, lol Iv'e come to a few conclusions:
The first one is I'm not losing my drive, seems the people working closest to me "have" lost their drive and it's depressing me. The daily waaa waaa bullshit has started to control how I feel. Seems it can't be ignored afterall, people pull you up...people pull you down, your a product of your souroundings to a point. How did I fix this?...since I work nights, I now go off on my own, pull the ole "Leave me alone".. lol Problem with that is learning from others is a bit hindered. Not good for the growth issue, but seems necessary.
Next thing was I had a toothache for like a year. I didn't realize how much I was being brought down by the constant nagging of pain till I had it yanked last week. Damn, I can think again..lol.
And the other thing is I'm just working too much. This trade is just too hard to be working these long spells at mega hours. Problem is...we all take it when we can get it, it's a recession...but it tears us up physically and mentally.
The best advice I seen here was stay in physical fit condition. Lifes a balance, we need physical and mental health...as well as skills. The first 2 used to get me thru when I didnt have the skills, but skills don't seem to be able to carry a screwed up brain and an unhealthy body these days.
Tonight...I drag out the dumbells(no pun intended)
Thanks to all for the advice to those who gave it.
Get checked out for pancreatic cancer. The other benefit of exercise is indicating when your body isn't functioning properly. If a 5 mi run sends you into a 48 hour nap, perhaps all of your internal organs are shutting down. Or not.
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