1. All time really is beach time. When I was in the corporate world, I ran 15 minutes ahead of any appointment on my hectic schedule. Traffic backups created a tight feeling in my chest and impatience for retail lines churned in my stomach. I was never late, no matter what.

But living now in the water world, I realize that all things will come in time. I try to schedule my students on the "ish" time frame. "We'll meet at the site at noonish". If I get there ahead, I can relax and watch the waves. If I'm running a few minutes late, I know they are there....watching the waves.

I once believed that being late was showing another person disrespect for their time...and still do. So, I announce ahead of time, to enjoy the moment, and if I'm not there on the dot, well, we're on 'beach time'. Often, my students will use the same phrase, and rather than being irritated, I smile, knowing I took the churn out of their stomach.

2. People, regardless of gender, all want to be princesses. One of the trademarks of GirlDiver is our 'Princess Treatment'. On dive number one, designed to do no skills...simply introduce students to the underwater world on one exploratory dive, we give Princess Treatment. We have the students enter the water, and after walking to the shore with 80 lbs. of gear on their back, lie floating on their backs in 'Relaxation Pose #1', allowing the muscles to relax into the water. Our dive team then puts their fins on their feet, like a princess. I've had police officers, special forces soldiers, engineers and truck drivers all rave they enjoyed being treated like a princess.

Everyone, in any walk of life, wants to feel pampered. If we can make them feel taken care of and special, everyones day is a little better.

3. Go with the current. It's an undertaking to swim against a current, so you should pick the times carefully, with prior research, before going up against a strong force. Come prepared for the battle. But don't choose that battle everyday. Often, it's nice to just relax into the current, and even though you may not think you want to go with it, your mind can be opened up to new things by relaxing and becoming one with it.

In life, pick your battles. Is it really worth saying something? Are you going to change that person, issue or world? Or are you just going to create a rift? Sometimes silence is golden and if you simply go for the ride, with eyes wide open, knowing the pitfalls, you may be able to learn something new.