mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

mitko_denev posted a photo:

Life’s hard, isn’t it? There are lots of things in life that you shouldn’t have to do, and work is one of them. So don’t waste another second of your time in feeling good about it? With my top ten tips for feeling utterly miserable at work, you’ll soon be walking around with a permanent frown and a head full of misery!

Focus on problems, especially ones that you can’t control This is the most important skill to master. If you can crack this one then all the rest will be easy. Here we go. You should always look for problems in every situation. When one problem appears to have been solved, which does occasionally happen for some reason, look for others. The great thing here is that there are always problems – they are everywhere, so it’s really easy to focus on them. This means you don’t have to spend a lot of time finding problems because they tend to present themselves naturally, and you can focus all your energy on complaining as loudly and as widely as possible. As well as finding problems, it’s absolutely vital that you spend as much time and energy as possible complaining about them. This basic skill of complaining about problems is the foundation to a truly miserable life, and at work you have ample opportunity to practice this skill.

You’re not perfect, but you’re doing your best. But why extend this way of thinking to others? Why not berate and condemn other people at every opportunity? It’s especially appropriate to condemn your boss or others in some sort of authority. To make yourself feel important, consider condemning others in public. Things like inconsistency, not being perfect and making mistakes are ideal flaws for you to shout about. And remember – the louder you shout, the better.

Take everything really seriously, especially yourself Whenever someone tries to make light of a situation, tell them it’s inappropriate and that their attitude offends you. You can even take the opportunity to make yourself super-miserable by making a formal complaint against someone who behaves in such an unprofessional way. Remember – you have the right to be taken seriously at all times by all people. Don’t let others get away with levity!

Become a martyr There are lots of ways to approach this one. The best way is to volunteer to do something and then complain about doing it. The more time and effort it takes, the better. The important thing is to get everyone to realize that you are indispensable. Let’s face it, if you leave then the whole place will fall apart – they can’t possibly survive without the kind of sacrifices you make day in and day out. And they all need to know it.

Never forget an insult, however small Amazingly, and despite your importance, there will always be some people who don’t appreciate this and make inappropriate remarks (see above). It’s vital that you remember these remarks in as much detail as possible. Go over them in your mind whenever possible, and recount these incidents to an audience whenever you can. Ideally, you should weave these insults into a narrative about how bad your life is and how other people are against you – everyone loves a good story!

Remember – there’s always someone better off than you Think about it – how many people earn more than you, have a bigger office and a better job title. Lots, right? It’s vital that you focus on this fact and spend your time and energy complaining about it. Many of these ‘better off’ people aren’t as skilled or as experienced as you are, and this is really unfair. You should have that job, not them! Try to channel as much of your energy as possible into feeling bitter and resentful about this.

Accept the fact that you’re totally impotent You have so much to offer – if only people would listen to you! If only you had some authority, some power; if only your boss would take on board your ideas then things would be better. But sadly, you’re totally impotent – you have no say and no influence, and the sooner you embrace this fact the better. Ideally, you should tell the world about this fact at every opportunity.

Never try to improve anything On no account should you attempt to improve any situation whatsoever. Remember – it’s not your job. You don’t get paid to find solutions. Instead, you should focus your energy on finding problems and then complaining about them. Try to dwell on these problems as much as you can. On of the best ways to do this is to complain as widely, as loudly and as publicly as possible (see point number 1). The more you complain, the more attention you will draw to your terrible plight and the more miserable you will feel. This also has the added benefit of not getting you anywhere near a promotion because for some reason the bosses don’t like complaining. This is outrageous and unfair – an added bonus – and it also reinforces your martyr status. Great!

Learn from others Like any skill set, it’s important to copy others. You’ll have no shortage of people to copy – most work places are full of individuals who have spent a lifetime mastering these skills. Try to latch onto the most skilful and under no circumstances associate with those naive and inexperienced people who don’t complain much and try to find solutions to problems. We are very much influenced by those around us, so choose your companions carefully! All of these skills are interconnected and, with practice, you can take them to a really high level. Eventually you can become a master, but in the meantime, spend all your time in the company of those who really know how to be utterly miserable. Some of these points may, at times, seem to contradict each other. But no matter! What counts is that you feel as miserable as possible and try to drag everyone down with you as much as you can. Now you know the key skills, go to it!

Mark Harrison is a Guest Blogger for PickTheBrain. Check out his latest book, Thirty Days to Change Your Life.

http://lawofattraction30days.com/

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!

Related Articles:

How To Learn From Mistakes

Free Audio Books

When I was growing up, I noticed that my dad kept the trunk of his car well-stocked with supplies. A lot of the equipment in his car was for his job busting poachers as a game warden, but most of the things he packed in his trunk were for emergency situations.

And there were plenty of times when my dad was able to put his trunk equipment to work.

For example,  about 20 years ago my dad was driving home to Oklahoma from New Mexico in his old burgundy Caprice.  Just outside of Groom, TX,  near the famous leaning water tower along I-40, a hellacious snow storm hit. It was a complete white out, so my dad had to pull over until things settled down.

But things didn’t settle down until a day later.

My dad had to spend the night in his car in the middle of nowhere while a blizzard roared outside. But because he had the forethought to prepare for situations like this, he was able to keep warm with some blankets and avoid ravaging hunger with some MREs

Many of you will be hitting the road this holiday season to visit family, so I consulted my dad, Tom McKay, and asked him what supplies he thinks every man should keep in his car. Here’s his suggested list.

1. Fully charged cell phone. Cell phones have significantly cut down on your chances of being stranded on the side of the road, but don’t count on it as your only line of defense. I’ve been in plenty of rural areas where my cell phone was only worthwhile for playing pong. In addition to you main phone, have a backup one that you can use to call 911. Any old cell phone will do, even if it’s not activated. Cellular carriers are required by law to complete 911 calls from any cell phone. Just throw that old Nokia cell phone from 1999 into your glove compartment and keep it there.

2. Jumper cables. You walk out to your car after a long day of work, stick the key into the ignition, give it a turn, and…. click, click. Crap! You’re going to be late to your kid’s football game! You then look up and notice you left the dome light on all day. It happens to the best of us. Car batteries die, so be ready with a set of jumper cables. And even if you never suffer a dead battery, it’s always good to have a set of jumper cables so you can help a damsel (or dude) in distress who needs their car jumped.

3. Flashlight. Good for providing light at nighttime when 1) putting on a spare tire, 2) jump starting another car, or 3) exchanging insurance information with the clueless driver that rear ended you at a stop light. Get a Maglite and you can also thump would-be car jackers in the head with it.

4. Roadside flares/reflective triangle. When pulled over on the side of the road, you’re basically a sitting duck, hoping that other drivers don’t turn the situation into a clip for one of those extreme video shows. It’s especially dangerous to be hanging out on the side of the road at night. Ensure that you and those around you are visible when you pull over to the side of the road by using road flares or at least a reflective triangle. The old school flaming flares seem to be harder to find these days as people switch to LED “flares.”

5. MREs. You never know when you’ll be stranded for long periods of times in your car. If you’ve ever driven out West, you’ll know that it can be hundreds of miles until the closest source of help. Unless you’ve built up a tolerance for extended periods of fasting, keep some MREs or granola/power bars in the back of your car to munch on while you wait for the tow truck to come.

6. Warm blankets. Tom can tell you firsthand why warm blankets are a must. It got pretty dang cold in his Caprice that night. But blankets have uses that go beyond emergency situations. It’s always good to have a blanket in the car for snuggling with your gal while you cheer for your team on a cold fall night or for laying it on the ground for a picnic.

7. Ice scraper. Don’t be the chump that’s out there scrapping their windshield with a credit card at 5AM in the morning. A good ice scraper will set you back just a few bucks, and it will make clearing your windshield much easier and much faster.

8. First aid kit. Whether you’re cleaning up a head wound filled with glass shards or fixing a boo boo on your two year old, it’s good to have a first aid kit. You can always buy one, but putting together your own in an Altoids tin is more fun.

9. Water bottles. For when you’re stranded in Death Valley in the middle of the hottest heat wave on record… or for any other time your car decides to break down on you. Or, for after you’ve left a concert and you’re so dang parched!

10. Tow strap. I don’t know how many times my dad saved my butt with this thing back in high school. Towards the end of my blue ‘92 Chevy Cavalier’s (aka, “The Smurf”) life, it would just stop running and no amount of cable jumping would help get it started. For moments like these, my dad busted out the tow strap. You just attach one end of the tow strap to the front of the car that you want to pull  and the other to the hitch on the back of your car. The stranded driver stays in the dead car, puts it in neutral, and steers and brakes while it gets towed to its destination.

11. Folding shovel. There are a couple of instances where a folding shovel might come in handy. The first is when you get stuck in the snow or ice. You can use the shovel to dig some snow out and place some dirt under the tire to get more traction. The second situation is when a car tire gets stuck in a hole or something. You can use the shovel to dig about and create some ramps to help get your car unstuck. Also, it can be used as an improvised weapon, Green Beret-style.

12. LifeHammer. When you’re trying to escape from a sinking car, this little piece of plastic and metal can be the difference between life and death. Use it to break your window, cut your seatbelt and make your escape.

13. Portable air compressor. My dad feels like this was the best purchase he made for the car. When your tire is leaking but hasn’t totally blown out, instead of putting on a spare, you can use a portable air compressor to get back on the road. The compressor fills your tire up enough to allow you to drive to a repair shop to get it fixed. It plugs right into your cigarette lighter. Bonus use: no more paying 75 cents to fill up your tires at stingy gas stations.

There are kits you can buy that have a lot of this stuff in them, but I personally think it’s satisfying to assemble your own cache of supplies. And you can put together a better choice of things.

What do you think a man should carry in his car? Give us your tips in the comments!

• How To Jump Start a Car
• How To Change A Flat Tire
• How to Rotate Your Car Tires
• 7 Exercises to Make You Look and Feel Like a Man
• The DIY Gym: 8 Pieces of Equipment That Will Get You Strong & Save You Money

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

I intended to do a “Zen Habits Gift Guide”, full of frugal and green gifts that I like, typical of the gift guides you see everywhere at this time of year.

Then I revised the post to show ways to avoid consumerism — to give no gifts, or to give experiences instead of crap that will clutter people’s lives, to give consumables and hand-made things. But the post took too much research and I got lazy.

So here’s my third attempt at a post on gifts. This is exclusively on books, because, hey, books are one of the best gifts you can give, and you can even find them used sometimes if you’re trying to be frugal and green. Or give ebooks, which I personally love, and they’re usually cheaper and use far less resources than print books.

I’m listing some of my recommendations below, but this is not an endorsement to go consumerist crazy and get into deep debt. I cheerfully call bullshit on that great tradition. Remember, giving doesn’t have to cost a ton of money, and you don’t need to fall for the corporate propaganda. Be better than that.

That said, here’s a list of stuff you can spend your money on, many of them published by corporations. Enjoy, in the spirit of reading and knowledge and love.

1. My book. I would be remiss not to mention my print book, The Power of Less, partly because it helps me to pay the bills around here, but also because I think it’s a good gift for anyone who is looking for some simplicity in their life. And who isn’t, these days? The Power of Less will help your loved one to take control of a life that’s become too much, to simplify information streams and to-do lists, to form good habits in the face of previous failures, to declutter a home and workspace filled with junk.

Buy it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Borders, or an independent bookseller near you.

2. Ebooks. Ebooks are great because they aren’t printed on dead trees, and if you buy one of mine, you can buy them once and give copies to many. Here are ebooks I offer for cheap:

• Zen To Done, the best-selling productivity ebook, a book that simplifies productivity.
• The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life, my latest, a series of articles on minimalism in many facets of your daily life.
• The Zen Habits Handbook for Life, basically the core articles of Zen Habits, showing you how to live a simpler, happier, motivated life.
• Essential Motivation Handbook, a joint ebook with Eric Hamm, designed to be a motivation resource when you need it most.

3. Awesome novels. You can’t go wrong by giving a novel as a gift. The novel has an unquestionably magical power to transport the reader into new worlds, and that is both necessary and unmatched in today’s world of technology. I could give a long list of a couple hundred excellent novels I’d recommend, but I’m going to limit myself to a handful that I read or re-read this year, and absolutely loved.

• The Pleasure of My Company: A Novella by Steve Martin. I don’t think of Steve Martin as a writer, but in this tiny little book, he’s created a wonderful, wonderful read. I’d read Steve Martin’s Shopgirl and enjoyed both the book and the movie, but The Pleasure of My Company is even better. I can’t believe I hadn’t read this or even heard of it until recently.
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Not really a novel, and not particularly new, it’s still a really gripping tale. I don’t know why I never read this before — maybe it sounded too depressing or something, but boy was I wrong! This was an amazing memoir, and usually I don’t like memoirs at all. Such great stories, and overall it’s a moving and superbly written book. You won’t believe this woman’s childhood — at the same time unbelievable, sad, funny, inspiring, unconventional, brave. If you haven’t read this book yet, please please do!
• Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn. Two beautiful books by Jonathan Lethem, one of my most favoritest of current writers. All his stuff is good, but these are my two favorites right now, and you can’t miss by giving either as a gift.
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Wonderful little historical fiction novel set in the mountains during Communist China under Mao, about the magical powers of reading.
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Historical novel, utterly fascinating tale of white people raised by the black help, set in Jackson, Mississippi just as the civil rights movement was taking off. Really well done.
• Bel Canto. This isn’t a new book, but if you know someone who hasn’t read this book by Ann Patchett yet, but who loves reading, give this book to them. I love all her stuff actually but this is the best.
• Read more of my novel recommendations here: 50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library.

4. Personal development books. Also known as “self-improvement books”, these are popular this time of year as people look to change their lives for the better. There are lots of books I could recommend, but I’m going to highlight just a few:

• Unclutter Your Life in One Week. The fantastic Erin Doland of Unclutterer.com (a must-read blog) just published a book I love and think you’ll enjoy very much. Highly recommended if you’re looking to declutter.
• Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love. Author, blogging friend, and career expert Jonathan Fields wrote the perfect tome for creating the life you want doing the work you’re passionate about.
• No Impact Man. Written by Colin Beavan of the No Impact Man blog, full of great tips for reducing your impact on the Earth in a practical way, without having to go live in a cabin in the woods.
• 365 Ways to Live Cheap. Written by Trent of The Simple Dollar, one of the best at extremely practical advice on living a frugal life.
• The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. From Gretchen Rubin of, yes, The Happiness Project blog, it’s not out yet (will be out Dec. 29, 2009) and I haven’t read it. But I know Gretchen’s writing, and there isn’t a better writer on creating happiness in your life.
• The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man. For the men in your life, this isn’t about how to win the “chicks” or get six-pack abs … it’s a refreshing guide to being a gentleman, a lost art in today’s world. By Brett of The Art of Manliness blog.
• 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget. Similar to Trent’s book, written by the authors of the excellent Wise Bread personal finance blog, the title says it all.

5. Even more books you’ll love. Some of my other posts on books:

• 50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library
• 20 Amazing and Essential Non-fiction Books to Enrich Your Library
• 10 Books That Shaped My Life, and 40 Others I Love
• 7 Current Writers I’m In Love With
• Best All-Time Children’s Books

For other books that I recommend, see the Zen Habits bookstore on Amazon link. I get a small cut from each sale made there. In fact, if you click through and buy other products from Amazon (not just the books I recommend), I will get a cut. So feel free to click through and buy anything you like from Amazon, if you were planning to buy it anyway. Don’t buy a bunch of useless products just for me.
—
If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.

Image Courtesy of Tom Podolec

Figuring out why people procrastinate is simple, it’s figuring out how to get over it that’s difficult. Overcoming procrastination is at the top of many people’s lists for bettering themselves. If you keep procrastination to a minimum you’ll lead a productive and efficient and likely happy life. Who wouldn’t want this for themselves?

In order to stop procrastinating now, consider the following procrastination tips:

1.    Deal with Your Stress. Many people find themselves procrastinating because they lead stressful lives. You can solve many problems by dealing with your stress in a healthy way. Start getting enough sleep. Take plenty of time to relax. Ask for help when you need it. Find something that works for you.

2.    Set a Schedule. It may help you to get a day planner or other type of scheduling plan. Not having a set schedule is one of the main reasons why people procrastinate. It’s easy to forget to do something, or to avoid doing something if you’re not holding yourself responsible at the end of the day. Look at your schedule throughout the day and make sure that you stick to it.

*   Another tip to remember is to set attainable goals for yourself. If you try to cram too much into one day, your body and mind will fight it with procrastination. Also, make sure you schedule in time for you to relax too.

3.    Break your Tasks Apart. Sometimes you’ll find yourself procrastinating because the task at hand seems too large. An example would be cleaning out your garage. You may have boxes everywhere and just the thought of going in there is too daunting. In this situation you should tell yourself that you’re going to sort through one or two boxes per day. Before you know it the job will be done little by little.

4.    Take Breaks. When you’re on the journey to overcoming procrastination, you must learn how to take breaks. If you push yourself too hard, you may eventually burn out. After you accomplish each small task, give yourself some time to yourself. Don’t be tempted to take breaks that are too long. If you are tempted then make sure that you time yourself.

5.    Do It Now. When it comes to the little things, take on the “do it now” mentality. All those little things can add up to some serious stress if you continue to procrastinate. This just means if you get a bill in the mail, go online and pay it. If you find something out of place around the house, put it away. Stop allowing yourself to save things for later.

6.    Give Yourself a Firm Deadline. When you have one particular task that you must accomplish, don’t leave anything up in the air. Give yourself a firm deadline that you must adhere to in the end. If you end up wasting time at the beginning, you’ll be hurting as the deadline approaches. If this happens to you, maybe that’ll be just the push you need to start staying on top of things.

7.    Get Someone to Hold You Accountable. It’s easy to feel alone with your problems, but when it comes to overcoming procrastination there are probably many people that can offer you their assistance. Maybe you have a friend that also has a problem with procrastination and you can start to check up on each other. When you have a particular thing that you need to accomplish, have someone check up on you during certain intervals. It’s definitely a good way to hold yourself accountable in the end.

Author’s Bio:??Ever wondered how great successful people achieved great success? You can find the answer in The 77 Traits of Highly Successful People. Mark Foo has brought together 48 personal development bloggers and writers to co-author the success eBook that spells out all of the success secrets of the very successful people. This eBook is available to you FREE and you can grab your free copy now at http://www.77SuccessTraits.com.

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain of Twitter!

Related Articles:

3 Roadblocks To Success

The Path To Success

George Hackenschmidt – Legendary Oldtime Wrestler and Strongman

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Jedd Johnson, CSCS from DieselCrew.com.

In the past, the pioneers of strength, like George Hackenschmidt, and other classic strongmen and wrestlers, were built like machines and were able to move serious weight and do feats of strength that left you thinking, “WOW.”

The primary focus on the part of these performers was strength, while the appearance of their body came secondary.

They foucused on strengthening their legs, back, and grip first and by using complex, ground based movements, the size of their shoulders, arms, and chest followed right along.

George Hackenschmidt didn’t try to build a V-shape torso with flared lats and a wasp-like waist. He built a thick back, a thick core, and could support tremendous amounts of weight in movements like the squat and deadlift.

_________________________

These days, it’s different. Most of the weight training that goes on in the gym today is not nearly as focused on the development of strength. Now, the focus is mostly on aesthetics – perfectly proportioned biceps and calves, a broad chest, and big biceps.

You can bet the Sandows of the day didn’t care about the peak on their biceps. The Hackenschmidts of the era weren’t worried about a big pump in their chest.

Somewhere along the lines, there was a shift from being strong to looking good. Much of this shift can be blamed on the overwhelming presence of bodybuilding literature at the newsstand.

For me, however, when it comes to a rewarding experience in the gym, bodybuilding falls short. I am more interested in building strength. In fact, much of my training revolves around doing what the oldtime strongmen considered “feats of strength.”

I want to share with you all what I feel are the best feats of strength to perform in order to build a strong back, powerful body, and an impressive grip.

Overhead Lifts

Without a doubt, one the best pure feats of strength is lifting something from the floor and up overhead. I don’t care if it’s a barbell, a dumbbell, a stone, or a beer keg filled with sand and water, there is just something about getting the object to arm’s length overhead that means you are truly strong. To do this requires practically all the musculature in the body from the ground to the hands. If your back is weak, the object won’t make it off the ground. If your legs are weak, they will crumble beneath the load as you try to push it up overhead. And if your mind is weak, you can get halted at any point along the way.

The best thing about overhead lifting is that you are getting up out of a seated position and performing the lift on your feet. This type of lifting requires more talent and athleticism than the seated variations which in turn makes you more of an athlete and more of a man.

The Log Overhead Lift

The majority of my overhead lifting is done with a log. I have competed in many Strongman competitions and the Log was always one of my favorite events, whether it was for max weight or for repetitions. Not only does it build your overhead strength, but also makes your lower back stable, as well as the grip.

The Keg Overhead Lift

I love Keg Lifting also, because kegs are so unstable. While you can hold a barbell or dumbbell pretty easily, the keg has a dynamic center of gravity that you have to compete with along with the fact it is so heavy and bulky.

Odd Object Lifting and Carrying

It is one thing to lift something heavy off the ground. It’s another thing altogether to pick it up and then carry it.

This is the primary difference between the sport of powerlifting and the sport of strongman. In the sport of powerlifting, the lifts that are executed are the bench press, the deadlift, and the squat. While tremendous weights are lifted in these three disciplines, all that takes place is the lifting and lowering of the weights. In many strongman competitions, however, the objective is to lift and then move heavy and bulky items such as stones, farmer’s walk implements, yokes, and sandbags. This is often done at high rates of speed as well. The athletes in strongman competitions have to be extremely strong, and be able to move nimbly over the course to be successful.

Carrying heavy objects, just like overhead lifting, requires the recruitment of every muscle in the body. With each step, tremors course through the body, requiring you to re-adjust and stay on track. The joints have to be strong and stable in order to keep from buckling with each stride, all while keeping your breathing under load. Carrying objects is a great way to train, and it can be done in the gym or in a parking lot or field. The most important thing is not where it is done, but that it actually gets done.

Homemade Farmers Implements

The Farmer’s Walk is a basic strongman event. You just pick up the farmers and take off. My farmers were made by a friend from scrap industrial pieces. He made the handles extra thick so it is more taxing on the grip and the handles are extra high, which causes swing. You have to be ready to stroll with these things.

Keg Carrying – The Toughest Walk in the Park You’ll Ever Have

Carrying the keg is a challenge not only because you have to pick it up but because you then have to move with it. Also, because it sits on your belly, it can be very hard to breath.

Bending Steel

There are few things in strength training that feel as good as bending steel. Strength feat enthusiasts have enjoyed bending nails, bolts, stock, wrenches, hammers, horse shoes and more for years. Training for this type of feat is becoming more common all the time as resources become more available to the public.

Generally when bending steel, there is some form of protective covering placed on the ends of the item being bent to avoid puncturing the skin. Usually this is a towel or thin piece of suede leather. This is extremely important because the hands have to press on the ends of the object with a great deal of pressure. If there is no protection, there is a much higher risk of injury, especially punctures and lacerations. Also, with no protection, the pain factor is escalated and when that happens it is much harder to apply full strength into the object, and the feat might not be completed.

Obviously, there has to be some limitation to how much protective gear is used because eventually it becomes padding. A balance needs to be maintained between protecting yourself and making the feat too easy.

There are two main types of bending – braced bending and unbraced bending. Braced bending is done by pushing the object against your thigh, knee, or other part of the body to get the bend started. When bending very long objects, like steel bars, very thick objects, like wrenches and hammers, or very resilient items, such as frying pans, bracing is needed. Unbraced bending is done by keeping the object free of the body for the most part and relying more on hand and wrist strength to start and complete the feat.

In order to bend something, you have to go about it with intensity. When going for a top-level bend, if you are not 100% focused on the bend at hand, you will not be successful.

Short unbraced bending, such as nail, bolt, and stock bending is featured in many grip strength competitions each year. Unbraced bending is chosen because it is a better means for testing hand, wrist and grip strength.

Double Overhand Bending

Double Underhand Bending

Reverse Bending

As you can see, there are many ways to bend steel. However, short bending should not be considered a grip strength feat only. There is a great deal of engagement of the core and torso to create radiant tension that travels down through the arms and into the hands to strengthen the grip on the object being bent. This increase in tension increases your bending ability while at the same time making it a safer practice as it keeps your hands from slipping off the object and causing injury. If you are interested in learning how to bend nails, bolts and other items, there is no better resource than the Nail Bending eBook. It is the definitive resource on short, unbraced bending.

_________________________

As you can see, there is much more to training that can be done in the weight room than just bodybuilding. While bodybuilding is a perfectly healthy and rewarding endeavor, feat of strength training can actually be just as effective at building muscle and getting a respectable body. The added benefit of feat training is the real world strength that comes along with it, strength you can keep under wraps until you need it for something serious, like changing a tire or carrying your friends out of a burning building. If you have any questions, please feel free check out my site, DieselCrew.com. Feel free to leave a comment or to drop me an email at jedd[dot]diesel[at]gmail[dot]com.

Jedd Johnson is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Northeastern PA. He specializes in Grip Strength Training but studies all types of strength training disciplines. His website, http://www.DieselCrew.com is an on-line community with the objective of helping its readers become as strong and healthy as possible.

• The DIY Gym: 8 Pieces of Equipment That Will Get You Strong & Save You Money
• 5 Ways Strength Training Will Make You Man Up
• 7 Exercises to Make You Look and Feel Like a Man
• 10 Manly Feats of Strength
• The Ultimate Push-up Guide: 35+ Push-up Exercises

Photo by Vadim Pacev

By Tina Su

Two weeks ago, I wrote about optimism when things don’t go our way. Well, this week, I could have used some of that optimism. I think the honeymoon period of living in a hospital is over.

So, I’ve been at the hospital for a little over 3 weeks, on bed rest. It’s been two weeks since Jeremy returned to work, so I spend most days alone on my fancy multi-adjustable hospital bed, with 7 pillows, a laptop and the TV remote.

In the beginning, I thought I was at the Ritz hotel. Nurses remind me of when I should take my pills, I get to hear my baby’s heart beat twice a day, my contractions are being monitored regularly, there’s daily house-keeping and an array of food choices at the push of a button - just like room service, except, it’s free and no tipping.

Then, I found out a week ago that I had Gestational Diabetes (GD) - a common but temporary symptom for 16% of pregnant women during the third trimester (28 weeks until delivery). Which means I’m on food restrictions.

The nurse of the day happily walked in and handed me a new menu - it says “Diabetes Diet Menu“. Because I don’t eat meat or eggs, my choices became further limited.

I was frustrated. I felt sad.

On top of wanting to eat all the time, I was also getting lots of cravings for sweets. But gone are the days when I could gulp down a tub of ice cream. I checked, and chocolate cake is not on the diabetes menu. I now have to count my carbohydrate intake, and have my finger pricked two hours after every meal to monitor my blood sugar level.

Pre-GD, my breakfast added up to 110 grams of carbohydrate, which consisted of: oatmeal, two orders of fresh fruit, one slice of wheat toast, and a glass of steamed soy milk.

My new diet restriction allows me no more than 30 grams of carbohydrates. When I saw that the small bowl of oatmeal alone is 30 grams, I wanted to cry. I didn’t want to be hungry.

If you’ve never been pregnant or been around someone who was, the frequent hunger pangs feel as if you haven’t eaten for days. Usually, food at the hospital takes around 45 minutes between ordering and delivery. By the time the food shows up, I’m so hungry that it feels as if I could swallow the whole tray without chewing.

On top of being hungry all the time, I was also eating more. In Mexico, I was consuming more food than the 210 pound Jeremy, who watched in amazement and curiosity as my once 105 pound body (now 129 pounds at 31 weeks) took in more food than himself.

I know myself, and feeling hungry makes me cranky and unreasonably irritable. So now, my day revolves around carefully timing the ordering and consuming of my meals and mandatory in-between-meal snack.

I eat every two hours, and every meal-snack has to include a protein source. After the baby’s born, I don’t think I will be able to even look at Tofu or cottage cheese ever again.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7pm

After being curled up in a ball from contraction cramps, I was drifting in and out of sleep. Then I looked up at the clock, it said 7pm. I realized that my medicine (to stop contractions) was an hour late, so I called the nurse to remind her. I eventually got my dose of Nifedipine. This made me feel agitated. I felt the urge to blame the pain on her.

I felt really hungry and ordered dinner. Half an hour later, my food came - covered to keep warm.

Eager to eat, I adjusted my bed to a near sitting position - propped up by three pillows on my back - tucked a napkin under my chin, and was about to gorge myself. I uncovered the plates and saw that they had screwed my order up, again. But, I was so hungry that I started eating anyway.

As I was chewing my first bite, I felt sad, then thoughts of all the unfair things that happened this year came rushing at me all at once, I felt that everything was going wrong, I wanted to re-order the food, but I didn’t want to wait another 45 minutes. With my abdominals still hurting, I felt like a victim, and before I knew it, large tears started rolling down my cheeks. The tears quickly became sobs, and I couldn’t stop. It felt good to let it out.

But right then and there, sitting in front of a hospital tray, holding a fork and crying, I realized that I was lonely.

Continues …

Just then, Jeremy came in, did his usual joke behind the hospital curtains imitating a particular softly spoken nurse, and peaked his face out from behind the curtains. His beautifully happy face quickly changed to that of sadness when he saw me - hair in a messy bun, sitting there crying like a toddler, in front of a tray of food.

His eyes turned pink, he quickly moved the hospital table away from me, shifted me over on the hospital bed, climbed in and held me. I felt like a baby being calmed by her mother. At the touch of someone who loved me, I felt safe, I felt understood, and I calmed down.

Jeremy said, “This Friday, we’re still gonna have our [pre-bed rest] date night, I’ll get take out from our favorite Indian restaurant, I’ll take you on a wheel chair ride, and I’ll get you a flower from Trader Joes [grocery store], and you can hold the flower on your wheel chair ride.” I began to cry again, but this time, happy tears, tears from feeling an enormous wave of love for this man, and grateful for all that I have.

My OB doctor once said that being pregnant is like going through puberty again. The hormonal changes can make you emotional, and crying is common. So that’s what I used as an excuse.

A Loner’s View

In college, people used to call me a hermit, because I didn’t go to parties, or spent a lot of time chit chatting with people. I actually preferred being at the library focusing my energy on school and getting good grades.

As an adult, I focused on being efficient with my time, and enjoyed being on my own. I liked having a door in my office, and it was always closed. I wasn’t exactly a “team player”, but I played the part when I needed to be.

If you met me in person, you wouldn’t think I was an introvert. I can be very interactive and animated when I speak, and can carry on conversations without awkwardness. But if I could choose, I would prefer not to speak, period. If I had to categorize, I wouldn’t say I’m an introvert either. I just don’t like to mingle, it feels like a waste of time, and sometimes very artificial. I realized that most things people talk about in social settings aren’t very interesting or relative, and are really spoken to fill the awkward spaces that we associate with silence.

Before I landed in the hospital, I spent most of my days alone, without much interaction with people. I worked from home, I rarely talked on the phone, and I avoided face-to-face meetings - sometimes even with close friends.

Since I’m a natural loner, I didn’t think being at the hospital on my own would be a problem… until that day, sitting in front of a tray of food, holding a fork, crying my eyes out. For the first time, in a long time, I suddenly felt alone.

The feeling didn’t last very long, but enough to make me want to understand what was causing me to feel that way.

At the hospital, most things I did were done lying down. As such, regardless of what I’m doing, it makes me very sleepy; I haven’t read much, simply because that’s the fastest way to put myself to sleep. So, I’ve been napping a lot, and distracting my mind with playing minesweeper on the computer, and checking craig’s list for baby stuff.

The other day, while I was on my tenth consecutive game of minesweeper, I suddenly felt embarrassed. The thought of “What would people think of me, if they found out this is how I spent my time?” kept flashing in my mind.

Aside from the hospital routines of medication six times a day and being put on the baby monitor twice a day, my day pretty much consists of eating, planning the next meal - every two hours, playing minesweeper, napping, watching educational pregnancy videos, and periodically flipping on CNN to see if there are any more development on the white house party crashers, or the number of Tiger Woods mistresses.

I felt pathetic. I felt guilty for not getting any work done. I felt uncomfortably unproductive. I felt regret for not having better spent my time on something more meaningful.

The thing with our mind is that once we start on a self-defeating thought, a string of similar thoughts follows, until you - the master of your mind - consciously decide to snip it off.

In the end, I realized that just because I am alone, it does not mean that I needed to feel lonely. And the idea of loneliness was the cumulative result of what I was thinking, and how I perceived my surroundings.

It’s amazing what a simple shift in perspective can do.

What I Learned About Loneliness?

Photo by Anna Kieblesz

I believe that loneliness is like many other emotional experiences, it is a product of what we choose to focus on and how we craft our perspective based on our external circumstances.

Beyond the initial emotion that comes with a change - such as hurt, or sadness - I believe that any prolonged emotion that lingers on continuously after the event is something that we have unconsciously chosen, without realizing it.

Here’s what I’ve observed and learned:

1. Repeated Suggestion

Every few days, someone would come in and ask if I felt depressed, bored or lonely. I would then be passed a telephone hot-line number if I needed help, and web URLs to find pen-pals - so we could complain about our sad situations together - no thanks!

Even today, the doctor shouted, “Have a boring day!” as he left my room. I think he meant to say, “Have an uneventful and relaxing day without going into labor.” But none-the-less, the word boring, after repeated repetition, has been subtly ingrained in my head.

Apparently, many people on bed rest have a hard time. There’s even a support group at the hospital for pregnant women on bed rest, and someone will pop in my room to ask if I need to go.

I was feeling great during my first week, but after repeated suggestions by nurses, social workers and doctors, I started to subtly and unconsciousness question myself, “should I feel bored?“, “Am I lonely?” When I was feeling down, my brain took the opportunity to insert, “I’m lonely” into my focus, even though, that wasn’t the real cause.

2. Aloneness is Not Loneliness

Feeling lonely is a state of mind that is independent from whether or not we are actually physically alone. One could feel lonely even when surrounded by people.

Often, we think that by finding a romantic partner or having lots of friends, we will no longer feel alone. So, we go on this goose chase for relationships or friends, in the hopes of feeling complete.

Once we find love or friendship, we may feel great temporarily, but in time, we would discover that something is still missing. This is why people still fall into depression even though they are in loving relationships.

You see, the problem isn’t outside of us. It is within us. Only when we can feel whole and complete on our own, can we bring that into our relationships.

3. What We Focus On Expands

Just like repeated suggestions by other people, repeating the same phrases or types of thoughts to our selves can convince us that we are in fact having that experience.

If we repeatedly tell ourselves that “I’m lonely”, soon we’ll start looking for and collecting ‘evidence’ that we are lonely. The evidence becomes ‘proof’ that further reinforces our belief. Before we know it, we’ll be convinced that we are in fact lonely.

The same is true for any phrase we repeat, if you believe and continuously tell yourself that you’re the luckiest person alive, you’ll start looking for evidence of auspicious events that occur to you. It is for this reason that I cringe whenever I see TV commercials for depression medicine - they actually encourage people to go into depression.

4. Choices

Whenever I feel lonely, I know that there are people who I could talk to, or techniques to shift out of this state, but I refuse to turn to them. In that moment, I feel the pain, but I also allow it to linger on, by choice. I do this, to reinforce my victim mentality, and this gets me the attention that I feel I need. This whole mental process, of course, happens quickly and unconscious when we are not in present moment awareness.

Next time you are starting to feel lonely or depressed or sad, try your best to observe your thought process. You know you have choices to get out of this state, but because you want the pain to linger just a bit longer, you choose not to use these routes to get you out.

How to Snap Out of Loneliness?

The following are techniques that I’ve found helpful:

• Realize Your Power - In the moments of despair, recognize that that you have choices, and you hold the power to choose what you focus on. You can choose to focus on thoughts that bring you down, keeps you in a low mood, or you can choose to focus on away from self-destructive thoughts. Take responsibility for yourself.
• Find Help - Talk to someone even if you don’t feel like it. Be open and authentic with your feelings and thoughts. If you have the choice, find someone who’s a good listener. It really is helpful to let it out and verbalize your frustrations to another person.
• Change your Physical Position - When ever you’re having an emotional experience that isn’t pleasant, remember to quickly change your physical position. If you’re sitting down and slouching, jump up from your seat and do some stretching, then walk to the kitchen to get something to drink. When you feel the feelings of loneliness emerging, stop what you’re doing and shift into doing something else that puts you in a physically different position. For example, while on bed rest, I would get up and take a quick shower.
• Meaningful Activities - I’ve discovered that certain activities cause me to be less conscious, and more prune to low mood. For example, if I watch more than 1-2 hours of TV, my mind will start to wander into the zone of self-destruction more easily. As such, other activities that raises my consciousness, helps me not only get out of the low mood, but also, results in me feeling more peaceful, relaxed and fulfilled. Try doing something more meaningful, something that feeds your soul, instead of distracting your attention - Reading something inspirational, meditation, go to a yoga class, writing down your thoughts and what you’ve learned, or painting. These are just ideas, but anything creative or spiritually fulfilling will lift you out of the negative spiral you were in.
• Physical Touch - If you are in a relationship, ask your partner to touch you (not in a sexual way), and hold you. Gentle caressing on the hands, arms, back, and face can do wonders. Even if you’re not in a romantic partnership, you could ask a friend to touch the back of your hands, stroke your spine, and give you a big hug. Sometimes, it’s the physical connection we need.
• Deep Breathing - a relaxation technique I use is this simple breathing technique. Start putting your awareness on your breath, inhaling and exhaling as slowly as possible, while keeping your eyes closed. Do this 10-20 times. Then imagine that you are inhaling and exhaling, also through the tips of your fingers, toes, and from the top of your head. Do this for at least 20 times or more. This technique will not only relax you, but also, bring you to a higher state of awareness. When you are more aware of this moment, you can make more conscious decisions, and can more clearly rationalize the situation you were in.

Parting Words

Photo by Kevin Russ

Based on past articles, people may think that I’m an extreme optimist. While, I do tend to lean towards being optimistic, I am just like everyone else. I go through ups and downs, I have bad days, and sometimes react in ways that I am not proud of.

The point of this article is to let you know that you are not alone. Our stories may be different, but at the emotional core, we are very much alike, and that there is always hope for healing regardless of what we are going through.

Regardless of where you are in the world or what you are experiencing, always remember that you are being loved deeply, and that the universal dance is choreographed such that whatever is happening to you is the best thing for you, even if you don’t recognize it, yet.

Treat every moment as a gift, even the ones that make you cry. Because in those moments, life happens, and growth happens - which will lead you into becoming a stronger version of yourself.

Now, close your eyes, and tell yourself silently, “I am whole, I am complete. I am deeply loved.” And feel the wholeness from the core of who you are, and feel the love pouring out of your big soft heart. Life is beautiful, huh?

* What are your experiences with loneliness? Share your stories and thoughts with us in the comment section below. See you there!

Personal Update

Tina at 26 weeks, compared over 6 weeks. Photo by Jeremy Sawatzky

At 31 weeks and 3 days, Ryan is measured at 4.5 pounds, and 16 inches long. He’s a very active little boy who interacts with us with his movement, when he feels pressure on my belly.

Since two weeks ago, Ryan also frequently has the hiccups. I can feel it physically, as my belly vibrates rhythmically. And if he’s hooked on the baby monitor, you can hear the tiny sounds of hiccups intertwined with the racing sound of his heart beat. Poor little thing, it must be uncomfortable… but it’s so darned cute!

Whenever I shift my lying position from one side to another, he too would shift his position. Upon feeling the turning of a little body inside me, I would touch my belly, and feel an unexplainable sense of love for this tiny person I can’t wait to meet, and gratitude for the experience of carrying a human life.

In a few days, we will be at 32 weeks (Dec 18, 2009), and we are expecting to be discharged from the hospital. After spending almost a month here - while I loved the room service - I am really looking forward to going home, and spending Christmas with Jeremy and our puppies under one roof.

If you enjoyed the article, please join TSN on facebook (add Tina on facebook) or follow us on Twitter. And we’d love it if you can share this article on twitter, thumb it on StumbleUpon or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thank you for your support. :)

Other Articles You May Enjoy:

• Embracing the Unexpected
• The Ups and Downs of Life
• How to End Suffering
• 6 Steps to Eliminate Limited Beliefs
• How to Get Over Breakups
• The Secret to Self Loving

Once again we return to our So You Want My Job series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable jobs and ask them about the reality of their work and for advice on how men can live their dream.

When people think about diving, tropical vacations and swimming next to brightly colored fishies comes to mind. But there’s a grittier world of diving: commercial or deep sea diving. These are the guys that keep the world running above the water, by putting in the hard work below it. Ron Null has been a deep sea diver for almost 30 years and he sounds like exactly the kind of man every employer is lucky to have on the job. Thanks for taking part in our interview, Ron!

1. Tell us a little about yourself (Where are you from? How old are you? Where did you go to school? Describe your job and how long you’ve been at it, ect).

I’m originally from San Diego County, CA.

Following high school, I fell into the diving business through a friend who had spent time first as a Navy diver, then as a Reservist. He did commercial diving work around the San Diego harbor and connected me with a job. Later, due to insurance reasons, I enrolled in a commercial diving vocational training school to formally obtain a certification. So, with the combined time before and after formal training, I’ve been at this for just about 30 years. I began in the harbor market on piers and pilings, moved into the offshore oilfield on platforms and pipelines for about 15 years, then migrated into civil work on dams, bridges etc.

2. If a man wishes to become a deep sea diver, how should he best prepare? Are there schools that can train you?

The best way to prepare is to be as well-rounded mechanically as possible. Polish your common sense. Develop confidence without arrogance. Stand by your decisions. Worry less about competing with others and more about elevating your professionalism. If you choose to do this as a career, be the best at it that you can be. Don’t dabble in it just because you can earn a few bucks, because that is an unsustainable motive and you’ll eventually either be found out as your abilities will get dull through complacency……or, you’ll kill yourself.

3. What kind of jobs do deep sea divers do?

Manual, unglamorous labor and tasks ranging from the most strenuous grunt-work to the installation and repairs of relatively technical instrumentation and just about everything in between. If it can be done above water, at some point it will need to happen underwater.

Inspection divers are often the ‘eyes and ears’ for engineers and technicians, acting like organ-grinder monkeys operating at the command of someone else that directs the diver to obtain information that that person is unable to obtain for themselves.

Construction divers perform just about the same kind of concrete, steel and timber construction that you get on other kinds of small, medium and large civil jobs, the only difference being that the environment is different. It’s the same kind of construction tasks like concrete forming, welding and cutting, rigging etc. with the additional factors of wearing a helmet and rubber suit, invariably in marginal to absolute zero visibility, in cool to downright cold water for sometimes hours on end, often deep and what can mess with your head is being a long way from the safety of the surface if you allow your mind to run away with your thinking. Sometimes in current or tidal flows, sometimes with the pressure of time or budget constraints, sometimes in miserable locations or weather conditions. Often the working environment is uncomfortable, and it’s challenging to maintain enthusiasm if the job at hand is mundane or boring, physically exhausting, or if the decision makers directing the operation just don’t get it or insist on it being carried out in what you know is not exactly the best way, but their way.

4. How competitive is it to land a job as a deep sea diver? What sets a candidate apart from others when he’s applying for a position?

Anybody that has money can pay the tuition and attend a diving school. In spite of what the dive school recruiting salesmen or “career counselors” would have you belive, they don’t turn anybody away that has money. They are businesses after all.

Following successful completion of a training school, the entry-level position is called a Dive Tender or “Tender” for short. The tender is essentially an apprentice who works as part of the above water team that supports the diver working below. A tender works in this capacity for a period of time during which he is supposed to keep his eyes and ears open to learn the business. Learn the way systems, tools and equipment operate. How to properly send tools to the diver, how to stay aware in a dynamic industrial environment, and how to carry out directions as part of a team or cohesive group with a common goal. During his (or her) time as a Tender, the supervisor will often grant the tender dives from time to time to carry out simple tasks in order to both give the tender some water time as well as possibly utilizing the tender as an interim diver in order to save a more skilled diver for some upcoming task that requires more talent. Once the tender has spent what has been determined to be a reasonable amount of time learning his craft, he is then declared to be “broken out” as a full fledged diver, allowing him to be assigned to jobs with the title “diver.” During this time as tender, it is also the time of determining self-washout or attrition. Few are cut out for the career. While you are a tender you come to find out that the lifestyle is not exactly what they painted when you were in dive school or watching the Discovery Channel. That is the time to go back to bank teller or trucking school. Or, make your parents happy and save some of those tender earnings and go to college and get a degree.

The tender phase is a subjective one. The duration that one toils in this most thankless and arduous role is as determined by one’s luck in being in the right place at the right time as the rate at which one learns the trade. As with anything in the competitive free-market, supply and demand plays as much a factor as talent and enthusiasm in break out. Following hurricane Katrina, graduates of dive schools were breaking out as divers sometimes in just a couple of months. This was to satisfy a need by diving companies to satisfy the windfall workload. And, while I understand the profit-sided rationale for this, I have little endorsement for this practice. The best, most well-rounded divers I have ever worked with had learned their craft in a controlled and methodical system of experiences and opportunities to witness and participate as a tender before being thrust into the demands of delivering quality workmanship as a diver. It is an injustice to shortchange someone that plans to be in it for the longhaul in this way. Because, if the inexperienced is suddenly asked to achieve at a level that they are not fully prepared or qualified for, their failure or paltry success will set their reputation in a direction that it probably won’t ever recover from. There are also those who “break themselves out” by buying all the gear while they work as a tender for one company, then heading down the road and selling themselves as a “diver.” With the modern advent of cell phones and email, this has gotten to be less of an issue since the industry is so small that just about everyone can check someone’s reputation with just one or two degrees of separation. Just about anyone you find yourself working with has worked with someone else that you’ve worked with. It doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to find commonality in the diving business. For this reason, reputation is something to be careful with. Yet, because the work is down deep in the dark, there will always be the divers that can bullsh**t their way for a long time on self-selling rather than performance. But, eventually they run out of companies where nobody knows them.

The “break out” diver is the most dangerous time for anyone in this business. It takes a large measure of self-control to keep an ego in check once you have been labeled a “diver.” Many break out divers develop the swagger and the big headed attitude that they now know everything and that no one can tell them anything. Many never recover and stop learning and perfecting their skills. Indeed, the diving industry is populated at all levels by huge egos. In my experience, the divers that I prefer to work with are those who are silently competent, humble enough to perform the menial task without being asked if they see that it needs doing, pass along tips and hints to the other divers and younger members of the crew, and are always looking to find a better way to do things.

5. Are deep sea divers employed by a company? Or do they do freelance work, signing up for different projects?

Both. The larger diving companies (those that primarily stay within the offshore oil market) maintain company divers. When I first started, there was more acceptance of the “freelancer.” Nowadays, the big players prefer to invest training and time into divers that will stick around and be counted on to be ready to go to work when called upon. But, as with any business, if the company can’t deliver, you gotta go where the work is.

The civil or so-called “inland” diving market has generally smaller companies. The larger of which maintain a similar attitude of wanting to keep a core group of divers. Some of the smaller “mom and pop” companies will expand and contract to fit their job loads at any given time, be it economic or seasonal. This allows many divers to shop themselves around and make a decent living as a transient employee.

6. What is the best part of your job?

The variety of jobs, tasks and locations. I have had some great jobs over the years: some very satisfying salvages, demolitions, construction projects and year-to-date earnings.

7. What is the worst part of your job?

Sometimes the travelling and living on a boat or in a hotel can get old if it goes on for a long time without a break. Being cold can suck. Divers that wear all the deep-sea diver t-shirts and belt buckles and turn the job into their only identity can be kind of comical.

8. What’s the work/family/life balance like?

As with any career, it’s pretty much what you make of it. It does take a special person to be the spouse of a professional diver. I don’t know this to be a statistical fact, but I do feel that anecdotally there is a larger than average divorce and break-up rate for divers. Owing primarily to the time away from home and the ups and downs of personal economics. But, conversely, it can be very liberating to work for a chunk of time, then have a period of time off, rather than the Monday thru Friday with weekends off then back on Monday. The balancing act is maintaining the work coming in and not finding yourself with too much time off.

9. What is the biggest misconception people have about your job?

“What’s the deepest you’ve been?”

“Do you ever see any sharks?”

“You guys are rich, right?”

10. Any other advice, tips, or anecdotes you’d like to share?

Learn to communicate and convey information accurately and objectively, without drama or sensationalism. Remember that no matter how deep and dark and alone your work is, someone will eventually see it or inspect it. Don’t cut corners to make yourself look faster or better at accomplishing something. Do it right. You may be by yourself down there while you’re working, but you should keep up your ethics.

Experienced supervisors and senior divers know that you can tell everything you need to know about how a diver works when he’s on the bottom by watching how he works on the deck. All of his efficiencies, strengths and ethics are revealed if you just watch him work ‘in the dry.’ If he moves slowly, tentatively or with what is observable uncertainty, or if he has to make four trips to get the right tool, or if he stands and stares at the problem and just can’t quite figure it out, or if he tells you the job is done and you can look right at it and see that it wasn’t done correctly…….that is how he is working when he gets over the side and you’re hearing him down there over the dive radio and envisioning what he’s doing.

Every working dive and every day is an investment in the next dive and a future day. You can either waste it, or you can learn and build off of it. That’s part of a thinking man’s professionalism. Make every dive count and make every day count.

If you want to always be considered a “good diver” and get the work, make the company look good and make your supervisor look good. Supervisors keep guys around that make their life easier, not the guys that require constant re-assurance and dramatics.

Don’t allow anyone to convince you to do anything that in your heart you don’t think you should do or is not safe. Think about everything that you are asked to do, don’t just do it. Be a thinking man. Just because the guy that you work for has many years more under his belt doesn’t mean that he necessarily knows what is best for your safety. Own your own ass.

Set up the next diver in rotation and they will set up unto you. That goes both for the good and the bad. Get a reputation as a diver who consistently leaves a mess for the next guy and you’ll find less and less work as your career moves along.

Enter the water like you have your s**t together and are going to take care of business and get the job done. Exit the water strong, like you made things happen.

Always get the money.

• So You Want My Job: Antarctic Driller/Researcher
• So You Want My Job: Professional Wrestler
• So You Want My Job: Artist/Illustrator
• So You Want My Job: Golf Pro Instructor
• So You Want My Job: Bartender