How do you regain motivation when working on your mini truck just isn't fun anymore?
Hope for the Hard-Core
Do you ever just not work on your truck for about a week because you just wanna take a break from it? Do you ever look at it and say, "I have so much stuff to do that I'm never gonna get done," then just go in the house and flop on the couch? I like to think of myself as a hard-core mini-trucker, but sometimes I don't want to work on my truck for 18-hours straight. I hope I'm not becoming un-hard-core.
Jason
via e-mail
Jason
Don't worry, we've all felt the way you do at one time or another. Building a custom truck can take a lot out of you if you don't take a break once in awhile. The key to not losing your mind when facing an uphill battle is to walk away now and again. Go play some Xbox or go cruising with a friend. One trip around the block in someone else's truck with all the honeys staring at you will be enough motivation to work on your truck again. Relax, you're still hard-core.
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If you're into mini trucks for long enough (or close to someone who is), odds are you will, at some point, understand what Jason is talking about. What do you do when you feel like you're over the whole "mini truck building thing"? Perhaps an install isn't going right and you've just made a stupid mistake that has taken you five steps backwards. Perhaps you are stumped and fear your truck will never run again. Perhaps you've run out of time, daylight, supplies, tools, or skill.
If burnout has hit while working on your truck:
1. STOP. Step away and eat. Time flies when you're in the process of a botched install, and you're probably starving. You can't think clearly when this happens. Might as well go ahead and grab yourself a cold one. As our Japanese mini trucker friend says, "I'm out of power!"
2. REST. Sleep for a while! If you're going to snooze in your truck, it's probably better to be in it than under it.
3. INVESTIGATE. Think hard and thoroughly about what you're trying to do. Think broad and obvious! Bad ground? No gas? No fuse? Grab a pad of paper and explore. Every mini trucker has been there!
4. REASON. Grab a somewhat knowledgeable buddy or family member and explain what you're doing and what's going wrong (and right). Explaining the situation may reveal a solution. It may trigger your buddy to ask key questions, or tell you what's wrong. Another set of ears and eyes never hurts! (You can even do this while eating!) Your girlfriend's "silly" questions about dangling wires and missing bolts may reveal your obvious blunder.
5. CHAT. Browse internet forums. It's likely that someone has some sort of useful input, whether on a pre-existing thread or through your new thread. (Notice how this one is last? Give it a try by yourself first!)