DIY Project Phases - Excitement, Drudgery, then Victory!

When I take on a project, I'm usually pretty excited about it at first, but then there comes a time in nearly every big project when the excitement and motivation runs low. Take, for example, the half-way rebuilt transmission in my garage. It's been there as-is for almost two years now. I keep finding more important things to work on.

If there's a necessity, then I usually find a way to get things done. But for the non-essential projects, I'm easily distracted. So I've decided that most big projects go through several phases, among which are:

• Excitement - dreaming and planning
• Drudgery - doing what you planned
• Victory - enjoying what you've accomplished

If I can manage to keep working through the drudgery phase, then I can enjoy the victory. I definitely went through drudgery during the turbo project. I had second thoughts about buying that truck. I wanted to just quit and leave it on the back burner for a while. I'm running out of back burners. It had to get done because it was going to be my daily driver until I got the transmission in the garage done. Yes, that one that's been in the garage for two years.

I was so excited to get the truck, but while I was working on it, I was asking myself "what was I thinking?" I really didn't need another project. But I persisted through the frustration and pain and can now enjoy it.

My neighbor wonders why I have to spend every weekend working on cars. He says he gets his cars to work for him, but I have to keep working on mine. He used to say it's because I drive Fords. Then he got one. See, neighbor? They're not so bad. There are several reasons I work on cars every weekend.

• I have a bad habit of buying used cars that need help - because I can get them for cheap. I've learned that just because I can, doesn't mean I should. 
• I like everything on my cars to work, but don't want to or can't afford to pay someone to do it for me. 
• I like to keep my car clean, to the extent I have time - after all the essentials are done. 
• I hate oil leaks. My truck's oil leak is driving me crazy. I haven't tracked it down yet. The Cougar's oil leak was toying with my sanity. I felt bad that the oil ran off the edge of my driveway into my neighbor's landscaping feature. 

One day I'll probably buy a nice used car. only a couple years old or so. I might someday even buy a new car. But Dave Ramsey says I should have a million dollars in the bank and pay cash for it. Yes, someday I'd like to buy a new car like that. The newest I've ever bought was the 1996 Thunderbird back in 2003, at 54,500 or so miles. It was a great car.

In short, don't give up. Finish what you started. Then enjoy the victory.