- Joined
- Feb 5, 2010
- Messages
- 3,911
Every week we see new posts coming from someone who has just decided they want to join the ranks of knifemakers. It usually follows a familiar pattern:
* They are looking for some way to make fistfuls of money and be their own boss
* They are approaching retirement and want some way to eat up the empty hours
* They are convinced they have a cool new design that will make them millions
Whatever the motivation, once they announce their intent to become a knifemaker the standard spate of advice is doled out to them. We tell them:
* Being your own boss is great so long as your boss isn't a fool
* The best way to make a million at knifemaking is to start with two million
* There are very few radically new designs on a tool as old and useful as the knife
This morning I was reading an article about older folks being more susceptible to gambling addition because they are looking for ways to fill the empty hours, ways to make millions so they can be worry free, and so on. The article said that many are helped by participation in Gamblers Anonymous, who allow them to see the fallacy of their addiction. It occurred to me that the causes and symptoms of gambling addiction are similar to the causes and symptoms of wanting to be a knifemaker. So maybe be need to for Knifemakers Anonymous.
It would be a sort of self help program that sorts out the problems budding knifemakers have. I can see an opportunity for several programs in the group:
* Patience Workshop: Teaching people that looking for shortcuts and cheats is the path to destruction and danger
* Reality Checkbook: Showing real world knifemaking costs verus profits, and letting knifemaking legends describe their road to success
* Wall of Pain: A hallway full of pictures of scars and fresh wounds from knifemakers who had momentary lapses of attention
* Truth Circle: Where people share real opinions about the knives others are making and the methods they used
Of course, all of this wonderful treatment only becomes available once someone admits they want to be a knifemaker. However, the real success we should be aiming for is to prevent the disease so we no longer need to cure it.
* They are looking for some way to make fistfuls of money and be their own boss
* They are approaching retirement and want some way to eat up the empty hours
* They are convinced they have a cool new design that will make them millions
Whatever the motivation, once they announce their intent to become a knifemaker the standard spate of advice is doled out to them. We tell them:
* Being your own boss is great so long as your boss isn't a fool
* The best way to make a million at knifemaking is to start with two million
* There are very few radically new designs on a tool as old and useful as the knife
This morning I was reading an article about older folks being more susceptible to gambling addition because they are looking for ways to fill the empty hours, ways to make millions so they can be worry free, and so on. The article said that many are helped by participation in Gamblers Anonymous, who allow them to see the fallacy of their addiction. It occurred to me that the causes and symptoms of gambling addiction are similar to the causes and symptoms of wanting to be a knifemaker. So maybe be need to for Knifemakers Anonymous.
It would be a sort of self help program that sorts out the problems budding knifemakers have. I can see an opportunity for several programs in the group:
* Patience Workshop: Teaching people that looking for shortcuts and cheats is the path to destruction and danger
* Reality Checkbook: Showing real world knifemaking costs verus profits, and letting knifemaking legends describe their road to success
* Wall of Pain: A hallway full of pictures of scars and fresh wounds from knifemakers who had momentary lapses of attention
* Truth Circle: Where people share real opinions about the knives others are making and the methods they used
Of course, all of this wonderful treatment only becomes available once someone admits they want to be a knifemaker. However, the real success we should be aiming for is to prevent the disease so we no longer need to cure it.
