Self Discipline...

[Mac Maestro]

... Is one of the hardest things to master when you are a glass blower and act as your own boss.

How are YOU doing with all that??

[yinzer]

hahahaha
yeah, great:twitch:

[ShttrdSpctrm]

I'm on a seven day binge

[Chris Carlson]

i've worked probably 48 out of the last 50 days... not always on what i'm supposed to be doing, but usually something sellable... having a motivated significant other helps keep the pace up too.

[JANKYglass]

i'm a lazy mofo

[beachglass]

^^ same here...i go in and work every day but usually end up slacking after a couple hours. i'm severely prodo disabled lol, i get very sick of making the same shit over and over. the shit that is unfortunately profitable

[yinzer]

id probably be better if i didnt have a 6-7 day a week job.....

[Emmett's Glass]

I perfer to have someone else disipline me. I'll bet you can find a good dominatrix down there in FL.
E

[beachglass]

also, even when i am motivated i find it hard to work much more than 5-6 hours at a stretch, my eyes and knees are fried after that long

[Blade]

Chris nailed it with the motivating significant other part.
even better, pop out a few kids.
Oh ya, a day job too.
-B

[HOSS]

So far so good! :D My production is starting to outgrow what the local market can support, so I'm looking into finding a national distributor to handle the excess. :peace:

[mer]

i use a date book with quotas in it. most of my orders have deadlines and the others have deadlines imposed on them. deadlines are good motivators. i'm also pretty reasonable about my work load so that if i ever fuck off a day i can still make it up over the next couple. when it gets hectic and rough i ask the wifey to offer me a goal oriented reward. lovin is a great motivator too.

all in all i'd say that it gets easier as you get older though.

[susheke]

I agree being self motivated gets easier as you get older. I don't get so distracted by friends dropping by with some must do activity. I have a pretty structured life now compared to before I was married wtih children. My block of work time is school hours. I have my list of what has to get done that week and I get it done.
But, I'm looking out the window at the snow falling and it is screaming .... "FRESH TRACKS!"

[Alfred]

Disci-what?

[somberbear]

man im dissappointed i was thinking this was a BDSM thread *sighs* maybe one day

ummm im on break doing pressents and finishing up back orders and customs with the little time i have left for that. but im also trying to get my new work area built and office finished out and putting most my work into that....

i am still putting off brewing a batch of beer..... *sighs*

peace
rob

[jethro]

id probably be better if i didnt have a 6-7 day a week job.....

I got 5 nights a week.(thinking about going part time there woohoo)

My sales are just getting to the point that I cant get all the glass made,work a full time job,and have time for things like sleep.I'm lucky if I get 3-4 hours a day right now.

But my motivation at this point is coming from the possibility of some day not having to work for someone else.

I'm sure all will change once the holidays are over though.:bummed:

[Glassroots]

Just finished working 16 hour days for a month in preparation for a studio tour, It paid off though. Tons of inventory and the studio/gallery looks great. plus a grip of cash. I don' think I could keep it up for a long time but definitely am gonna work harder now that I am in the groove. Its all about stay in in the groove

[Cosmo]

I haven't turned a torch on in three weeks. Of course, I've had the flu for two out of those three weeks, so that's probably part of it...

[ech]

I eat when I'm hungry and sleep when I'm tired, and I work in between.

[wildrokproductions]

It's work or die! There is no job option, and glass is all I got! Discipline? Naw, I'm just hungry!
and I have a great family and few close freinds that always got my back...

[garrick]

for me its when i realize i got 2 days left to finish an order. i spend way too much time on this computer

[Swampy]

When I left the army and got a job (just to see what it was like lol) I soon figured out that whoever was employing me, or rather, whoever was in control of my destiny, was only doing it for their own personal gain and their greed.

So they were driving round in Mercs and bee em dub and there's me in a Rolls Canardly (rolls down one hill and can hardly get up the next one) so I said hey wait a minute... and set up my own business at the soonest opportunity.

Twenty years later I/we can lean back a bit and enjoy the time.

We figured out working smart is the key. I mean getting paid for what you know, not what you do. and still be able to develop your own personal skills by using your time wisely to get to be able to do what you want to do eventually.

'Know what you want, know why you want it, and believe it's achievable' -the motivation and self discipline soon fall into place once the goal is in sight.

My missus is the foot on the ground all the time, keeps me in line and we're a good team.

[Racer X]

Since breaking my hand and stabbing my thumb on my other hand with a sizable point... I have been slow to work on much other than what I absolutely want to develop. So instead of making the piles of stuff I'm supposed to, I've been making murrini and implosions and stuff.

So, not so good on the self descipline.

[wisco lala]

Hey Maestro,
Nice thread.....I personally am getting worse at discipline. I don't have a lot of shows in winter so the motivation factor is missing. I finally started running some aucitons but I need to make christmas presents so I hope the motivation bunny stops at my house soon.
Good Luck with yours!
lala

[themoch]

Talk about motivation....

I have 4 days left to make about another 3 cases of stuff so i have some crap to sell at a 2 weekend holiday market. I don't have time during the day (re. see full time job) and in reality i only have about 12 hours of time in which to work...

ornaments, bottle stoppers, and pendants, that's all i'm selling, it's kinda nice because when i'm tired of hollow work i go to marbles (stoppers) and when i'm tired of that i just make pendants... it seems to be working well, but man am i tired going in there after a full day of working at a desk (i know how lame is that?).

the pay-off when it's all done should be worth it though.

[harpentuan]

I used to have self discipline, now my self discipline blows. Does that mean I fired myself?

[Mac Maestro]

I gotta tell you. I read this before I went to work today:


Just finished working 16 hour days for a month in preparation for a studio tour

And Glassroots, you are my hero for the day. Especially if that means you saved up money so you could go on a tour of glass studios. Re-reading it, I don't think that's what you meant, but still, that would be cool.

Hi, WisCompton Lala!

[Mac Maestro]

oh ya- Guess I should contribute to the topic. I'm good at the self discipline. Wasn't always that way.

I fought myself for years and years to get work done. Where I used to live there was SOMETHING important to do almost every night. (Celebrate a birthday, celebrate at a party, celebrate cuz it was wednesday....) I used to have a radio program I liked that would keep me working until it was over. (Loveline. I know. Throw things at me - I thought Adam Corrola was hilarious and I liked the psychology)

Anyways, as said before, I am older so it is easier. Kids and high cost of living is a big motivation as well. My main thing is consistency. Get in the shop EVERY day. Or at least Mon-friday if that's all time allows...

Now you can't keep me out of the shop. Bench is always clean, and work gets done. Having a quota per day helps too. I have to make X amount each day to keep everything successful. Once X is consistant, I find a way to raise it to Y.

[misled youth]

used to be 60+ hours a week on the torch aint torched in almost 3 month's.

[newmexicomagma]

i open the fridge and when there is no more food i light my torch. :jack:

[ShttrdSpctrm]

I am broke now. I am working 6 hours a day to keep up with all the bills. 7 days a year. :D

[UmaJulz]

I have no self-discipline any more. I suck at it. If someone tries to push me, I just push back.

But sometimes I trick myself into working for long hours, making cool stuff that I enjoy making, and is marketable. When it sells, I give myself an "Atta Girl". Positive reinforcement training through $$ I guess.

[mer]

i came across this verse and it reminded me of this thread so i thought i would bring it back;

from Part One of Goethe’s Faust

Lose this day loitering - ’twill be the same story
To-morrow - and the next more dilatory;
Each indecision brings its own delays,
And days are lost lamenting o’er lost days,

Are you in earnest? sieze this very minute -
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated -
Begin it, and then the work will be completed!

[Glassroots]

I used to have a radio program I liked that would keep me working until it was over. (Loveline)

I have a funny story about that show. I was on my way to a friends house like 4 years ago. while in the car loveline was on and a caller came on and I couldn/t place my finger on the voice but knew I recognized it. After racking my brain I finally figured out whose voice it was, this girl who dated a good buddy of mine. I knew her pretty well too which is why i recognized her voice, anyways, I get to my friends house and a lot of our mutual friends our there ( the girl on the radio and mine) we are all hanginf out and I go into the kitchen and see one of my best friends who was also really good friends with the radio girl. I start telling him I think it was her and that she was talking aout how she could not have an external orgasm and blah blah blah all the personal shit she was saying on the radio. I was not trying to gossip but once I told him I thought it was her on the radio he wanted to know what she was talking about, and he being a close friend did not think that he would gossip about it or embarass her. Ten minutes later she shows up to the party, the first thing my friend says is " jon heard you on the radio and you were talking about your sex issues, was that really you!" The room goes silent, she gets super red in the face and says, what are you talking about, I wasn't on the radio. Man was that super ackward and funny.




Any ways. I usually don't work that hard but had no inventory and knew I would sell everything I made. the studio tour is an event where people travel around studios in the county and buy lots of art.

I think it is where when your in the groove you stay in it and are really productive, and then when you get sidetracked and start having to focus on life issues and that need to be taken care of, you get away from it. Thats whats so hard about being an artist. Thats how it is for me at least PEAKS AND VALLEYS! Look for me in the smithsonian

[JHog]

room mate says that I need to hire someone with an Asian accent to stand beind me and yell
"You bwow glass NOW....You bwow WOTSAS glass!!!"

[Mr. Wonka]

From the people I know personally, to what I read about those that I don’t know, I can say with absolute conviction that discipline and motivation is not a problem for many of you on this forum. Seriously… look at what you accomplish:

-Spending countless hours per day reading and responding to chat board posts
-Playing video games
-Getting drunk and / or stoned
-Downloading porn
-Browsing and commenting on GP / GA galleries
-Searching the internet for anti-establishment propaganda
-Complaining about competition… foreign and domestic

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that all of these things take a tremendous amount of time, effort, motivation, and discipline. If you spend more than “x” amount of hours per day doing any or all of the above, just think what you could accomplish if you put the same effort and enthusiasm into your work.

It’s not about discipline, it’s about priorities.

[mer]

wow.

[Glassroots]

wow to the fukin wizow

[Kool]

From the people I know personally, to what I read about those that I don’t know, I can say with absolute conviction that discipline and motivation is not a problem for many of you on this forum. Seriously… look at what you accomplish:

-Spending countless hours per day reading and responding to chat board posts
-Playing video games
-Getting drunk and / or stoned
-Downloading porn
-Browsing and commenting on GP / GA galleries
-Searching the internet for anti-establishment propaganda
-Complaining about competition… foreign and domestic

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that all of these things take a tremendous amount of time, effort, motivation, and discipline. If you spend more than “x” amount of hours per day doing any or all of the above, just think what you could accomplish if you put the same effort and enthusiasm into your work.

It’s not about discipline, it’s about priorities.

The list of accomplishments that I strive for is closer to the following:

-Ignorance
-Assumption
-Judgement
-Condescension

It helps me to feel better about myself, which in turn keeps me motivated.

[Udai Hussien]

From the people I know personally, to what I read about those that I don’t know, I can say with absolute conviction that discipline and motivation is not a problem for many of you on this forum. Seriously… look at what you accomplish:

-Spending countless hours per day reading and responding to chat board posts
-Playing video games
-Getting drunk and / or stoned
-Downloading porn
-Browsing and commenting on GP / GA galleries
-Searching the internet for anti-establishment propaganda
-Complaining about competition… foreign and domestic

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that all of these things take a tremendous amount of time, effort, motivation, and discipline. If you spend more than “x” amount of hours per day doing any or all of the above, just think what you could accomplish if you put the same effort and enthusiasm into your work.

It’s not about discipline, it’s about priorities.you aso forgot,all the time I spend mutilating, and choking out hookers

[Glassroots]

you aso forgot,all the time I spend mutilating, and choking out hookers


Finally! Someone who understands me

[Mr. Wonka]

Yes, my last post was very blunt, but there’s nothing I said that many of you haven’t said yourselves in so many (or not so many) words. The main point I was / am trying to make, is that if you want to be successful in ANY field, you have to apply yourself 100%.

My apologies for sounding condescending (I really didn’t mean it to come out quite that way), but just as there are formulas for success, there are formulas for failure as well… and wasting too much time on unnecessary things will definitely point you in the direction of failure (or at the very least, mediocrity).

I don’t want to see anyone fail… or even struggle to keep food on the table. I really feel that if glass working is your main source of income, that it should be the first priority over everything else (except of course for family).

Thanks for listening… Tom

[mer]

i hear you tom and i can see that your post ws somewhat tongue-in-cheek. in my 20's i struggled to find discipline because the world seemed to travel by at such tremendous speed. i may have had troubles with discipline back then but at the same time i was distracted by things like meeting my wife and friends that i will have forever. bonghits and video games were just an aside.

as for spending too much time on the board, i don't really get that. this board is part of my inspiration for my glass carreer. i think that associating with ones contemporaries is one of the most enjoyable parts of my career as a glassblower. i think it's a great way to have regular breaks throughout the day. many of the people in this thread were just trying to offer advice on what worked for them as far as finding discipline.

were you always a super disciplined person who put work higher than anything except your family? what kind of suggestions would you have for the younger members of our board who are looking to incorporate discipline into their routines? i think that there's a time for play and a time for work. i just want the younger lampers on the board to see that discipline comes with time and patience. if your heart is in the right place your ass will follow eventually.

i really just brought this thread back because i found that verse from goethe that i though might inspire somebody to sieze the day. i think that's what you were trying to do to. it's just the thing about catching more flies with honey, ya know?

[NUBBLET]

Im still trying to get enough to google it so I know what this thread is about.

[Mr. Wonka]

Perhaps if I used different references in my post, it wouldn’t have been so offensive to people. For instance:

If someone’s desire / goal in life is to be a professional body builder, they will never realize their fullest potential if they spend most of the time watching television.

I’m sure none of you would disagree with that statement. Furthermore, you would tell this wanna be body builder that it’s his own fault that he’s not succeeding. How could you be a full time body builder if you treat your training as a part time hobby?

I am very disciplined (most of the time), and I’m also brutally honest with myself because I find that it’s the only way to get results. For instance: I stopped smoking several months ago, and shortly thereafter I found myself drinking a little more beer than I usually did.

Let’s take a look at that phrase… “drinking a little more beer than I usually did”. I was lightening it up with language, as I increased one bad habit after dropping another. When I was truthful, and told myself that I was on the road to becoming a full blown alcoholic, it held a lot more weight than “drinking a little too much”. As a result of that, I’m nicotine AND alcohol free.

Back to glass blowing: If you are not as successful as you wish to be, there’s a reason for it. Be honest with yourself, find the reason(s), and take massive action to change your situation, which will ultimately change your life. If <fill in the blank> is currently your top priority (or consumer of time), why not make glass your top priority and reap the long term benefits of your efforts?

Thanks again for listening, and I hope it helps…. Tom

[Racer X]

Hey Tom, let's go get a beer.