Opinion wanted

[Nightwalker]

If you are still in high school, don't start planning anything yet. Wait till you graduate and get a taste of the graduated life first.

Things change abruptly when you get out of highschool. Afterwards, whatever you do, set your mind to it, and set goals. Then write down those goals. SERIOUSLY. If you don't, you will forget them, and probably never get to them. Set small goals to help accomplish big goals. Thats where it all starts.

Remember, if you want to do something (like race professionally) you have to be dedicated. Here's a couple questions that are asked of people who want to be a professional race car driver...
-Are you willing to give up your girlfriend, or give up never having one?
-Are you willing to give up all your nice things?
-Are you willing to practice and drive 8 hours a day?

I sometimes think about these questions. When it comes down to it, it is a lot harder than you think.

I practice as much as I can. ...is my heel-toe accurate? am I always smooth when throttling, or braking? ...can I use the maximum amount of braking in the minimum amount of space? are my turns maximizing the entire available road?...am I apexing too soon?...too early? ...am I holding the steering wheel too tight?...can I carry more speed into a turn? ...do I know what speed I am at without looking at the speedo at all times?

Yep, thats a little taste of what practicing means to me.

read that \/ (look down)

[zdss14]

goast i completely agree with you im 15 but but i dont whant to go work in some ofice or something i whant to have fun while i still can. im not saying that like im gona be a bum and start up a band (not that there is eneything wrong with that) im going to try my best in colleg and all, but i whant to do something fun, that i like, (and hopefully pays a respectiful amount of money)

obviously i haven't graduated, but it seems like planing would help greatly?

just courious, but how much do d1 drivers make?

[driftmunky]

wow, this is alot more responses than i expected for what i thought to be a near pointless thread, but man has this helped me alot especially ghost,
RamoneGuru: some great advice there bro, as far as getting into trouble and such, kinda hard without a car yet. but im making an attempt.

Ghost of Duluth: wow, some of the best advice ive got in a long time. i never thought someone would put so much thougth into helping me. thanks eternally, youve almost turned my perspective around. You prolly dont know(definatly actually), but lately ive been having trouble with this whole "happy" thing. But what you have said here has helped me more than you can probably imagine. Thanks alot.

oh and zdss14, D1 drivers dont make an extreme amount, i mean, Ueo got i think somethin like $2g's for winning the D1 here in the states? somethin like that, someone correct me if im wrong.

[Ghost of Duluth]

My pleasure. Life lessons are the hardest lessons to learn so anytime one can get help, take it. Like I said though, I am not rich, weathly or hell even upper middle class. I am a working stiff same as anyone. But I do what I want because life is way too short to restrain ones self from enjoying it. I also have my down moments, I am not the happiest person out there either but I have the ability to make myself happy by going out and doing what I want to. Also more good advice is to go out there and meet people. I have met the most interesting and talented people by stopping on the side of the road to look at a car and talking to them. Everyone has a story and if you listen the their stories, they will do the world for you. Especially if you are into what they love. Cars are a great thing because under all the glitter and crap, a car is a car and men love cars. Old men want to know what that funny whooshing sound is under your hood probably more than ricer. They are fascinated by Japanese cars, especially fast ones because it is new to them. They want to know.

Thats how you tella true enthusiast, if you show up in something that is new to them and they want to come out and check it out, they are true. If they don't then they are not true. Case in point, I took the LaForza to an import techs shop yesterday to get a vibration checked out. He would not even come out and look at it. Yes it is Italian and prolly 99% of the population has never seen one but it is Ford powered. So instead of coming out to look at it and formulate his own opinion, he just said nope cant work on it. That is not a car lover. A car lover would have at least looked at it because he had never seen one. I said It
s a Ford, My Grandmother can work on Fords. He didn't like that and I left, went to the Ford dealer and the tech came out just so check it out, told me my problem and didn't charge me. Now that is a car lover.

Little off track there but the point is this, Graduate high school and then go out and check crap out. Take an exchange class to Japan or something, go in the service, do something totally unlike yourself and shake your life up. It's a wonderful ride, much like Drifting. You are at the edge of control but yet you bring it back in. To Drifters thats routine, to the average joe.......you are a god.