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I could type it out here.. I think most of it comes from the competitive nature of this business. Its competitive as all heck, more than I could have ever imagined. A thought crossed my mind in conversation with an old friend which ended up coming out into words to him and it made perfect sense.. You see, I really enjoy my job. There are ups and downs, but at the end of the day (which is usually after a good 12 hours being at the shop), I leave here and feel fulfilled. In the morning, I get up and no longer have the first thought of the day being "shit, I have to go to work." I actually look forward to going to the shop. Its not like even going to work in the contemporary sense of the word. Although it may sound all happy-go-lucky and there's no such thing as a bad day; "what's a bad day?"; I have a great passion for my work and there is great satifaction in doing what I do, there is an actual, real downside to it. When you love something, what hurts the most about it? Its certainly not the feeling it gives you that hurts, its not the time spent loving it, its the things that come between you and it, any threat that may take you away from it be it real or not, but the perception that it might not be there the next day for some particular reason. That scares you and your reaction can be percieved a number of different ways, but there is a very strong and real reaction to it. This is more than just a business for all of us at Z1. If it were just that, I wouldn't be here typing this, we all would be at home doing whatever it is we actually enjoy doing (rather than the 8-5 grind), and we would be halfassing our work, pissing/ripping customers off, dragging along just to make ends meet, and unhappy 2/3 of our waking hours in the day. This is a passion. Psycologists probably have a name for it (obsessive, compulsive?), but its what drives us. Some may even percieve it as a sickness, but I'm sure you can recall going head over heels over some girl, or maybe over a car (Z32?) or anything you passionately desire - you'll go that extra mile, you'll do just about anything for it. Sickness?, perhaps. Happiness, definately. So what was said in that moment of the conversation? What was the 'epiphany' leading? Well, its easy. With love comes pain. No way around it. So what you are calling a bullshit enemy game (and I respect your perception) is simply your perception of a reaction anyone would have if they felt as if the connection to what they love is threatened. At my last job, UF Foundation, a fund raising organization for the university of florida; they were $750,000 behind their projected earnings. In the two years I worked there and with the volatile state of the economy, they doubled that figure. Did I lose sleep over it? pfft, YEAH RIGHT. But the fact of that scenario was that it was just..a..job. You see, I enjoy what I do. I enjoy it so much that its not as if it is even job. I can't believe I get paid to do it. But the downside to it is that it is all sooo very personal, very close to me and who I am. When someone comes out with their own ECU, or puts up a rock-bottom-price JSPEC fasciaa group buy, or aadvertises their own version of my ZEM, or a kick-ass timeslip, the effect it has is nothing like 'its just a job'. We all here at Z1 are highly ambitious, highly motivated, incredibly talented, and we want to be the best at what we do. Even if we are unparalleled in accomplishments, we still want more, we still want to be better. That comes from the love, brotha... So maybe next time when you see a reaction over the top, or kicking the dead horse over and over, or one of those bullshit enemy games, I just hope that this conversation brought about an epiphany of your own. =) ciao-
[ ashleypowers.com ]
[ agpowers@bellsouth.net ] [ Zemulator Information Sheet ] [ Z1 Motorsports Website ]
.JPG) Enthusiasts soon understand each other. --W. Irving.
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