A Little Soul Searching Is Good For You

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately. It kicked into high gear last night just looking at how messy my house has become. I think it's a metaphor for my life in general. The problem is a limited amount of time & a ton of things I really want to do. I feel pulled toward a lot of really good stuff, (My “Good to Great” study is kicking into high gear) but wonder if I'm really doing my best. On top of that, I'm trying really hard to work out every day & by 8 or 9 pm, I'm pretty spent. I can remember a time not that many years ago that I could run pretty hard on 3-4 hours of sleep. Those days are definitely gone.

For those of you who wonder how busy a guy can be, let me share the biggest stuff that's plunked firmly into my existence.

First off, I have the greatest wife a guy could have. God has blessed me in ways I can not even begin to enumerate. And I want to be able to spend time with her & my kids & especially my grandson. Family has not always been the highest priority for me, but I've reached that stage of life where I know that giving family less than the highest of priorities is a dumb thing indeed.

Secondly, I'm trying to get my Investment business to a point of profitability. That in and off itself has been a greater challenge than I first thought. I have a lot of passion to help people put their financial lives in order but they don't always cooperate. My entire life has been in & out of the financial services industry and while it's going fairly well, it takes up an overwhelming amount of emotional energy. If only I could make people do what is in their best interest.... hmmmm.

There is my church which I absolutely love. I love the staff & the direction that the church is going. God has opened doors there to serve in a multitude of ways & I am excited by the opportunity. But it is way more than just a couple of hours on a weekend thing for me. The problem is that I can not imagine not doing what I'm doing there. In fact, I wish I could do more.

In addition to that I'm involved in a men's group that is really meeting a need in my life. I love being able to really know guys who are just like me in many respects, trying to serve God & be the best Christ follower, husband, dad, grandpa I can.

One of my real passions has been teaching Scuba. It is the reason I created C-Life Adventures in the first place. Though I've been trying to teach a Newbie group every month, mostly I do that so that I get to dive. It's also why I serve as the Advisor/Coach for the UCF Dive Club.

Then there is the Walsh University Alumni Association of which I serve as the Florida Chapter president, my Lodge which has just asked me to serve on the Finance team and the Chamber of Commerce where I serve as an Ambassador. On top of that I still need to mow the grass every week & clean my garage.

I hope no one sees this as just a rant or complaint session. I also hope no one sees this a a bragging session. Just the opposite. I've often found writing stuff like this out helped me to put things in perspective. Writing has often been cathartic for me. Most importantly, the older I get the more I realize that time is a precious thing. While we all get the same number of hours, I want to fill them with the most important stuff I can.

But I suppose at the heart of the question is whether I feel I am doing what God wants me to do. On a bunch of levels, I feel like I'm juggling too many balls but choosing to let things go has always been difficult. I suppose that has been the purpose of writing this today. I've allowed my life to get out of balance & now I need to refocus my priorities. It makes me sad, but I know that if I continue to go down all these paths, I'll burn out or break down fairly quickly. I've been praying a lot about whether to continue with some of the stuff & some of it definitely has to go. For me, the hard part is choosing those things in life that bring the greatest honor to God.

Well, that's enough for today. I'm pretty sure I know what I have to do. The problem is actually pulling the plug on a few of the things I'm involved in. But that's what life is all about . . . making choices. And I choose to only put in those things that will help me be my best. I pray God gives me the wisdom to the right things.

I hope to choose wisely. I hope you do as well.

A New Year . . . Time to Get Started Again

Hello my friends. It's been a while since I've taken the time to really sit & write. Sadly, I've let the busy of work & life get in the way of doing quite a few of the things I love to do. Writing on a regular basis was one of those things. Any, I've put time in my schedule now to get back to a few things I've been slack in. Some of it simply has to do with the frustration of leaving things just sit there. The other big reason has to do with some great insights into some real life inefficiencies that I'm working at within my life. And it all started a few months back when my good friend Paul Walker gave me the book, “Getting Things Done” by David Allen.

With business slowing down going into the holidays, I decided to make the time to read it. It really didn't take long to realize that I not only had a lot to learn but really needed to see if I could make the principles the author was highlighting come to fruition in my life. After about 30 pages, I made a conscious effort to begin the process of applying the principles to my life and started the process of collecting all my stuff into one place. While I would love to tell you that this will be something I include in my life forever, I can tell you that I am firmly trying to use the wisdom that I found there. Without giving away too much, let me try to give a simple overview & then encourage you to get the book & read it. I will include the information about the book at the end of this article.

First of all, the book is built on the idea of efficiency. In other words, most of us are not too busy, we simply are inefficient with the use of our time. That certainly was true for me. I have been trying to do a lot of things relying on my brain to keep them all in play. Sure, I keep my schedule up to date & I have always been a to-do guy. The problem was that by trying to keep it all tidy within the limited space I have in my head, I was always finding myself running behind or putting projects on hold (procrastination was just a part of my life).

Secondly, the author has you take everything in your space that he identifies as “stuff” and put it in your in-box. From there you deal with each & every piece of your stuff in a way that makes your mind & desk clean. (You need to read the book if you want to understand how to do that) If it did nothing else for me, it helped me to get myself organized. I had always used the excuse of a messy desk as the sign of a clean mind. The reality is that I used my desk as the accumulation point & filing system for my life and the second someone came into that mess & moved something, I was lost. While I may very well continue to struggle with clutter (after all my entire upbringing was by a closet hoarder) I feel I've actually been able to get a handle on the mess.

Most importantly, the book deals with creating a simple flow-chart for ideas, phone calls, e-mails, agendas & so forth. Once I was able to get my own system in place for dealing with the reference materials, lists & projects, it became a lot less of a struggle to find a way of making the system work for me. The big issue that I dealt with was trying to find a good electronic app or program that would let me track things in the way my brain works. While there may be more than a few systems that could work, I found a free app on my iPad called “Errands” that allows me to do everything I need.

Getting Things Done “The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen

You can find a lot of great info about David & the work he at his website David Allen

On another note, Scuba instruction season has started again & I will be back to teaching an Open Water class each month which is rather exciting. In addition to that, I've been asked to join the Leadership Team at the church. Pastor Mitch is not only a wonderfully Godly man but a good friend as well. Of course I'm still building my Financial Services business & trying to be the best husband, dad & grandpa I can be. Anyway, I hope the new year provides you with amazing opportunities, blessings & friendships.

Chet

7 Expectations of a Dive Shop

I was reading a post not too long ago on Scuba Board by a diver named Joe from Ontario, Canada. It was done somewhat tongue in cheek, but it was so on target with what I see at many dive shops that I felt that I needed to pass it along. In fact, my own experience as an independent instructor has seen anything but enthusiasm on the part of many dive shops to my presence. Anyway, Joe spoke to the heart of what I wish I could communicate to dive shops across the country and I thought I would pass it along. scubaboard.com post # 6098819

A few weeks after reading Joe's post, I realized that I have my own set of rules about what I expect from a dive shop & how I expect to be treated. Here's that simple list:

1. I expect to be treated like I am important to the shop. After a few years of dealing with a whole host of shops, I have come to the conclusion that many really don't want me there. I remember in the weeks leading up to my first dives, one shop acknowledged me with a simple but and not so polite greeting “what do you want?” I left without spending a dime. If you feel unwelcome, leave. I am sure that another shop would be happy to have you spend money with them.

2. I expect to be treated fairly & non-judgmentally. Let me go back to one of my early experiences at another shop. I had picked up a set of regulators through Craigslist. They were like brand new & I got a really great price on them. When I took them to this shop to have them serviced, I was told that since I didn't have the decency to buy new from them, they didn't feel the need to service my gear. Not a problem, another shop in the area was happy to service the reg set for me. Maybe I don't get it or maybe I'm not that bright but I've not seen too many computer repair shops, car repair shops, air conditioning repair shops, garage door repair shops, etc that get upset because I made my original purchase elsewhere. I'm there to get a service provided & if they don't like it, too bad.

3. I don't expect to have to fight that hard to get a good price for the equipment I'm going to buy. Let me be clear in what I'm saying. I know that dive shops have to make money in order to stay in business. I also know that bigger ticket items have a mark up that allows for some discretion on the part of the shop. Dive shops that insist on MSRP on things like BCD's & Reg sets are asking for people to shop the online stores. As Dave Ramsey reminds his adherents all of the time, ask & expect to get discounts when you pay in cash. My dad always said that aApercentage of something is better than 100% of nothing.

4. I expect to make friends when I shop regularly at a dive business. I mean, I can not imagine going into a business on a regular basis & not getting to know those who run the store. I would hope they would eventually know me by name & be happy to see me when I come in. On a personal level, I sometimes just stop in for no reason other than to stop in. When you like the staff or owners, it's easy to want to spend time hanging out.

5. I expect that when I drop off my stuff to get it serviced, the tech will treat my gear with care. In fact, I want to know that this person is as concerned about my life as I am. The first time I suspect sloppy or shoddy workmanship in a repair, it's the last time I give them my repair business.

6. I expect that I will get fair & timely fills when I drop off my tanks. It has not happened often, but when a shop shorts a fill, they really are cheating me in the service & in my dive time. If a tank is supposed to be filled to 3000 psi or 3450 psi, then I expect it will be filled to that standard. Short me once & I will write that off to a mistake. Do it more than a couple of times & I will take my business elsewhere.

Lastly, my final take on this whole thing is comes from the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I would like to think that I will treat a business, be it a dive business or otherwise, the way I would want to be treated. At the same time, I don't think that I have to put up with bad service. I consider my time & money to be precious things & I have a responsibility to take care of both. 

3 Reasons To Take More Advanced Diving Courses

Most of us have been on a boat or a dive with someone who seems to have no clue about what they are doing. They may talk a good game, but they have no idea about how much weight to put on; how their gear goes together or how to set up their dive computer. A while back I watched a young man get in the water off a boat without his mask or fins. (The funny thing is the entire crew just let him as he was one of those guys who told everyone what a great diver he was & how he didn't need anyone's help.)

There may have been a time when someone could take a diving course & when it was all said & done, be a fully trained diver. But things have changed quite a bit since the days when it might take 5-6 weeks to get certified. Today, many instructors do an entire Open Water class over a 3 day weekend not counting the academics. However, these divers may be certified but they are hardly prepared for every diving situation or circumstance. In fact, if you read the manuals, these divers are clearly told that they should limit themselves until they get more training.

This is why it makes sense to me that anyone who has learned to dive recently would just go out & get more training. Sadly, it doesn't always work that way and I've been thinking about this with my own students in mind. And I came up with a list of 3 really good reasons to consider getting more training:

1. It Gives You A Reason To Go Diving More

I love to dive, but sometimes just going for the sake of going is hard to justify. After all, there is a cost to dive. With travel & meal costs, boat fees, tips & air fills, it just makes sense to have a reason to dive and learning new skills can be a great way to give a trip meaning. It could be as simple as getting in on an Advanced Open Water course which includes 5 specific dives or a Rescue class that teaches you as much about being safe in the water as it does how to help a buddy in trouble. One of the biggest reasons I decided to go the Instructor route was to give my dives a purpose (by teaching I figure I get to dive for less cost and that may give you a reason to consider the professional diver route as well.

2. It Gives You A Reason To Buy More Gear

I don't know about you but I love to buy new gear yet I am frugal enough (read that cheap) that I have a hard time buying gear just for the sake of buying new gear. After all I don't buy junk in the first place & I can't afford to buy new stuff for the sake of buying new stuff. But all sorts of training has led me to purchase new gear. For example, when I was embarking on that first night dive I took the opportunity to buy a nice dive light; my first boat dive helped me to see the need for a safety sausage; teaching has led me to pick up extra stuff for the “just in case” box. What I'm saying is taking that photography class might just be a great excuse reason to buy a new underwater camera or housing.

3. It Gives You A Reason To Expand Your Experience

I have always been a firm believer in expanding my knowledge base when it comes to whatever it is that I'm interested in. That was true when I played golf, rode my motorcycle & now when it comes to scuba diving. From the very outset, I understood that if I wanted to be a better diver, then I needed to better understood my gear, my environment & myself. That led me down the path of the Advanced Course, then Rescue Diver & then onto the Pro side of diving. I think if I had not decided to teach, I am sure I would have quickly completed the Master Diver, Cavern & Cave courses, not necessarily in that order.

The more I dive & the more I teach, my own skills improve. My buoyancy has improved significantly as has my air usage. I consider myself a much more self-reliant diver because I have learned to be prepared for emergencies & use redundancy as the norm not the exception. The key is to grow in your understanding so that you are the best diver you can be. If you want to grow some, give me a call. If I can't help, I will put you in touch with someone who can.

5 Things To Do To Keep Your Gear Working Properly

So I'm sitting here taking time off before I start my new job & I've been thinking of some of the things I should be doing around the house. There's that pesky leak in the roof; the junk that's accumulated in the side yard; the front room with tons of stuff needing to be put away and of course the yard to mow. There is more to the list but it makes me a little depressed looking at it. Yet it is amazing how much can accumulate when you are working full time & trying to build a scuba instruction hobby. At the same time I have been working with Melissa from Dayo Scuba to learn the ins & outs of regulator repair. (She's a great teacher & the mechanics of regulators is fascinating.) Which got me to thinking about my dive gear & what I may be neglecting.

So I grabbed all my gear & sat down to check the stuff over. After all, the stuff is supposed to protect me from the cold, provide essential air when I'm under water & always work correctly when it is supposed to. As I am looking over the stuff, I notice a few things that need attention. Thankfully nothing more serious than an o-ring or 2 that need to be replaced. Lastly I check out my gear box & realize that I need to pick up a few things that I like to have on hand. What I realize is that my stuff is in pretty good shape considering I've had some of it for a while and it has been abused in pool chemicals on more occasions than I care to think about. Why has it held up so well?

1. I try always to make sure I rinse the gear asap after a dive. I can not say that I enjoy soaking & rinsing gear after a 2½ hour drive home but I do it anyway.

2. I soak the BCD in water, remove the inflator hose & rinse the inside several times. I find that by disconnecting the hose from the BCD & filling it up 3 or 4 times really flushes out the inner air bladder of any salt water or chemicals that could shorten the life of the BCD.

3. I open the front of the regulator fairly frequently to make certain that is not collecting sand or debris. Yes you can take off the front of the regulator without doing any damage. As long as you don't make any adjustments or tinker with the metal moving parts, you are just fine. A few months back I noticed that I had accumulated some sand in the alternate. Hard to say how or why it got there but rinsing it had not removed the sand.

4. I don't follow the manufacturer's recommendations & always toss my wetsuit into the washing machine with cold water on the gentle cycle. (Please note that I do not ever put my wetsuit in the dryer and neither should you.) My wetsuit is more than 3 years old and after more than 400 dives in salt, fresh & pool water, seems to be holding up nicely nor does it seem to have lost its ability to provide warmth at depth.

5. Lastly, I try to inspect the gear every few weeks looking for new scrapes or cracks. I replace the stuff that I think should be replaced; I tighten anything that is loose & I give the stuff the once over. I would rather catch something as I'm putting it away than find I have a problem just before a class or just before a dive. That just makes sense to me.

While I don't consider myself an expert & have much to learn, I would be more than happy to help if you have questions about your gear or it's maintenance. Here's to great & safe diving always!

Calling (Ending) a Dive

This was a frustrating week to say the least. I had to cancel an advanced open water class due to the nasty weather, 8-10 foot waves & really bad visibility. It's never fun to have to tell a student that we just can't dive after all the planning & preparation but sometimes it just works that way. Actually I really just hate to call any dive. Which brings me to the point of this post. We should never be afraid to call a dive. Ever!

It never fails but over the years I have seen people go ahead with dives even when they really don't want to do the dive. For example, a couple of weeks ago a young lady was strenuously telling her significant other that she wasn't feeling well & was going to stay on the boat. Being sea-sick is never fun & many times getting in the water can alleviate the symptoms. However, she told me later she had been dealing with the flu & congestion all week. She really didn't want to be there at all but felt like she hadn't really been given a choice. She should have listened to her body. After getting in the water, she got down about 10 feet & never could equalize her ears. After about 10 minutes she & her very angry boyfriend came to the surface. He was mad at her but should have been mad at himself. Apparently he never got the memo about anyone being allowed to call a dive, no questions asked.

So when should you call a dive? Here are a few of the reasons I've called dives for myself.

1. Whenever I don't feel right. There have been a few times when my head & heart were just not feeling it. Don't get me wrong, I love to dive & don't like it when this happens but I would rather be wishing I was on the dive than wishing I stayed behind.

2. Whenever my gear isn't right. A few months back the first stage on my regulator started to leak air. It wasn't a big leak but I couldn't get it to stop either. Of course this was the one weekend when I left my back-up sitting on the shelf at the house. I suppose I could have made the dive anyway, but then again, a failure underwater could be a fatal one. I aborted the dive.

3. Whenever my buddy says it's time to call a dive. This of course is the big deal of diving & being a good dive buddy. No matter what, anyone in a buddy team can call a dive & that ends the dive; no questions asked; no ribbing or complaining. It is more than just a matter of protocol. It is a matter of safety. The minute we question someone's decision, we put that person at risk & there is no excuse for doing that.

I realize that diving can be a very expensive pastime and it may seem like you are throwing away money when you don't get all of the dive you planned. However, dying for a pastime is really dumb. As long as you are still breathing & in good health, there can be more dives; another trip; another day.

I am sad that I didn't get to dive this weekend but I'm excited that there are many more dive days to come.

"Not That Guy"

I was on a dive boat recently leading a class of advanced students. The dives were cool & for the most part uneventful. The students did what they needed to do & were pleasantly rewarded with Sea Turtle & Goliath grouper sightings. On this particular trip there were several divers who had jumped on to do the dive for fun and it is usually great to have a group of people diving.

On the first dive, my students followed this group down to the reefs & I noticed that all 3 of them in that group sort of crashed into the reef, landing feet first. They finally adjusted themselves to the depth & added air enough to get off the reef. Then they proceeded to bounce & bang along for the whole dive. That wasn't completely the end of the story. Once back on board the boat, the Dive Master got them involved in a conversation which included soliciting for the depth of their experience. Funny thing was they all spoke about how they had been diving for years & felt they were some of the best divers they knew. I chuckled when the DM suggested they weren't quite as good as they thought & then walked away. Many of us on board the boat were thinking these were the people my instructor Donna used to say was “that guy” that you never wanted to be. I am also sure you must be wondering where this is going.

Well, I suppose I could talk about how there are tons of really great divers who take diving more seriously than these folks and there are. I suppose I could also talk about how the reefs need for all of us to treat them more carefully than these dolts were willing to give. However, the thing that I talked to my advanced students about after the dive was over was how it is important to never forget that they still have much to learn in diving. When any one of us thinks we've arrived we then fall into bad habits, complacency or arrogance. Neither of which works in diving and each can kill you.

One of the reasons I became an instructor was my own desire to continue learning. I knew that in order to become the best diver I could be was to get to the place where I could teach others. That doesn't mean that I will ever know it all. I have much to learn & love the idea that I have much to learn.

Over and over again I find myself reviewing the basics which hones my skill. Working with newbies helps me to focus on things like my own buoyancy. I know I make it look easy to those who are just getting started but that level of skill has come through practice. I never wanted to embarrass my friend & mentor nor did I want a newbie picking up a bad habit.

Of course there are certainly those whose skills are better than mine; better technicians & better instructors. Every once in a while I see a diver that makes diving look effortless & I am inspired to do better. I listen in on conversations with friends in the cave & cavern community & I marvel at their level of commitment to things like technique & tables. I watch great teachers communicate on levels that are far beyond my abilities. It is for all of those things that I strive to be better; to learn more and to never stop learning.  After reading this I hope for your sake that you too are inspired to do better, learn more & never stop learning.

After all isn't that what it's all about.