Several nights a week, I feel guilty when I choose to sit on the couch and watch TV, or hop in the sim rig and do some racing, rather than going out in the garage and working on one of my track cars.
If you know me you or have been reading RE, you know I've been struggling with motivation, specifically with little desire to work on my track cars.
Just like my 6-year-strong build thread, RE has become a way to track my own progress. When each day or week passes and I only got a little bit done, it can seem insignificant. But when I update my build thread, like I did yesterday for the first time in about 4 months, I get to see that I've made a lot of progress!
The same thing can be said when I re-read one of my own articles from 3, 6, or 9 months ago. That is part of why I started this site – as a cathartic outlet for my own racing-related neurosis.
Ever since starting a regularly-occurring "shop night" with some local buddies, as well as staying in better touch with all of my racing friends, I have had more motivation to work on my cars at least semi-regularly again.
And you know what, updating my build thread yesterday showed me how much I've actually done this year.
I set two NASA Time Trial track records. I have the #74 TT6 E30 so dialed in that I've essentially parked it in long-term storage. I've made a lot of progress towards getting my racing license with NASA. I've attended two GridLife events that were 750 miles apart. I finally shook down my new #73 E30, and it was quite solid! I've made some new friends and hopefully helped some out through RE.
Last year, I set the goal of getting my NASA racing license, so I bought a new car that I could do comp school with (it must be fully race ready, caged, fire system, window nets, all of it). Me being me, I spent months tweaking and fixing up that car. It also sat for months at a time while I either did nothing, or worked on and drove my other car.
Here we are in the middle of 2023, and I still haven't done comp school. On the other hand, I can safely say I've been steadily working towards it. I have my medical approval in process, I have a tested car that is just about ready to pass race tech, and I have already purchased the few remaining parts that will bring it up to race-ready-spec (in-date belts, window nets, and a new fire bottle).
In my business, my team and I often lament that we don't spend enough time to celebrate our wins and successes. We are so focused on the next big thing that we don't take an afternoon to have a celebratory lunch or even to just sit down together at the office and toast to a job well done. We want to be better about that, and we've been working at it.
Similarly, when track weekends wrap up, it's usually a flurry of loading up and getting the eff out of there, with little time to reflect or bask in the success of the weekend.
I want to be better about recognizing that I'm making progress, even if not as fast as I'd like to. Be it on the car build, on my driving skills, or where/how I am competing, I am making progress.
The long term documentation on my build thread and on RE definitely help me with recognizing that. So if you are like me and sometimes feel discouraged about your progress, find a way to track and document what you are doing, even if it is just in private.
Keep a written log book or journal, use the Notes app on your phone, share on a private or public social media account, or start a build thread on your favorite forum. Whatever is comfortable and easy for you to stick with.
I promise when you look back at things over the long term, you will realize that you accomplished more than you give yourself credit for.
