Scott Weller Presents: Blue Collar Begone Bulletin – Automotive Fatality
Injury Type : Fatal Core Activity : Consulting engineering Date of Incident : 2009-Oct
A pickup truck was traveling on an icy highway. As it negotiated a corner, it slid into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer unit. The worker in the pickup truck was fatally injured.
Don’t become a statistic. Scream, “BLUE COLLAR BEGONE!” and leave the construction life behind in 6 simple steps?
Scott Weller Presents: Blue Collar Begone Bulletin – Fractured Vertebra
Injury Type : Fractured vertebra Core Activity : Commercial construction Location : Vancouver Island Date of Incident : 2009-Aug
Incident: Wood frame re-shore units (10 feet x 10 feet x 25 feet and 2,000 pounds) were being dismantled. A worker removed support braces from one unit, which became unstable and fell towards the worker. A 400-pound side wall component pinned the worker to the floor.
In 2007, there were 34,227 work related injuries in the Canadian province of Alberta alone. Don’t become a statistic. Scream, “BLUE COLLAR BEGONE!” and leave the construction life behind in 6 simple steps?
Where did Ditch Digger to CEO and Blue Collar Begone come from?
Lately, I have been bombarded with the same questions over and over again…
“What is it that motivates you to be so driven?””Where did Ditch Digger to CEO and Blue Collar Begone come from?”
Let me take a few minutes to explain for everyone out there. I have been in the blue collar industry for about 10 years now. I cleaned carpets for over 4 years and was laid off due to a very slow post-Christmas season. This eventually led to 4 or 5 months of struggling to find a position that fit me just right which eventually ended up with me living at home with Dad again!
Or
Waking up in the middle of the night to my co-worker/hotel room mate smoking crack and “entertaining” a young lady with fishnet stockings whose name was clearly randomly chosen from the back of a cereal box.
Or
Working in the pitch black, dead of night when it was – 41 degrees Celsius (that’s -41.8 F for my American friends) because we had to get some pipe moved for the next morning. Then returning at 8 am the next morning for work after not finishing the night before until 1 am.
Or
Watching a co worker get pinned to a slab of concrete by a piece of clay the size of a Volkswagen after it rolled 30 meters downhill off of the edge of a trench.
Or
Constantly sacrificing holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and every other memorable events just so you wouldn’t be the first cut come layoff season.
Or
Having your body break down to the point of where you are in extreme pain when going up a simple flight of stairs.
Or
Living out of a suitcase
Or
Covering for your nightshift foreman who is hopped up on crack every night, not showing up and then blaming everything that goes wrong on you.
Or
After being with the same company for over 2 years, you only see a .55 cent raise, while other workers, who you trained, were given $1.25 after 6 months.
I am not sharing this with you to complain, it is to show you that I waited too long! I allowed life to come to me for far too long and wasted valuable time. Now, I am taking my life back. I now take my struggles from the past and allow them to fuel the fire taking me into the future. I am in control of my life. No more layoffs! No more work related injuries, drugs, prostitutes or any of the frustrations with working long hours away from family and friends. I choose to live a life of possibilities. I am possible-ifying my life!
Want to scream, “BLUE COLLAR BEGONE” and leave the construction lifestyle behind? Simple online strategies showing you how to leave the coveralls behind – Coming Soon!
Today In the USA we give thanks, a day set aside to be thankful for what we have in most cases. Sad that it has to be a special day, shouldn’t we be thankful for every day, hour, moment, and second we are alive? There are so many things we say we are thankful for; how many of them are material? Does your statue, give you real value, does it say who you really are?
It is your heart not your mind that expresses you as a being, and person of value. It does not matter if you are homeless or live in a great mansion. It matters that you care for others. He who dies with the most toys is not the winner. It is the person who touches, and tries to improve the most hearts and the most souls that has the most treasures. The ability to help give someone else hope when we aren’t even sure of our own life, has more value then all the riches of the globe.
To be able to see a flower for its beauty, when everyone else calls it a weed or to look at another child, person, or living thing without judgment and see great value no matter their statue is real appreciation. We have no color, religion, or nationality, the Earth from space has no boundaries other then mountains and bodies of water, man has learned to conquer the physical limitations, it is time to set aside the mental programming we received our whole lives and accept each other openly.
Be thankful for the experiences of the people who have come and gone in your life, the value they brought is a lesson to cherish, even if it brought you great pain at the time of your experiences together. Be especially thankful for the people who become a permanent part of your life and cherish their life as yours
When you can accept the fact there is a greater plan for us and everything does happen for a reason, you can be thankful for what you have, or don’t have. It isn’t about what you have, but who you have in your life. If you can spend time of value with your family enjoy as much as you can. Time does not stop, have a replay or do over button. Make the best of the real thing. The past was less then a second and the future is coming just as fast. If you are not be lucky enough to be with your loved ones share your heart with them in your mind, think of the good times and believe and know you will be together again.
Happy Thanksgiving Future!
Jan Michael Gaynor 2009
Have an Awesome Day
Jan M. Gaynor MSIS,MBA
Cell 1 (407) 748-5018 EST
Office 1 (321) 283-3100
Construction Job Site to the Beach – Become a Lifelong Student
We have all been on a job with “that guy”… The guy that seems to know everything about everything. Even if he has only been turning wrenches for 2 weeks, he’s the guy that saunters around the site barking orders at the guys who have been doing it for 20 + years. You know the type of guy I’m talking about, and if you don’t know who I’m talking about, well then I would suggest listening a little more often and maybe shoving a sock in your cake hole!
These guys always made me laugh. They always seemed to have something to say about everything and they were always telling their co workers how great they were at this and how amazing they were at that. Whenever I heard these conversations, I knew right away, this person doesn’t know much about anything! The best comedians do not have to tell you that they are funny – You just know!
That same great comedian is always working tirelessly to improve on his craft. He is working with great writers or other comedians to make sure that the next time he is on stage, he leaves the audience with pains in their sides and deeper, more defined smile wrinkles on everyone’s face!
Do you want to become a General Foreman with your company, start your own business or become a world renowned writer? Don’t be the know-it-all! Be the one who dedicates the rest of your days to being a humble student of each subject and circumstance that will lead you to your ultimate goal.
Learning and educating yourself on subjects that interest you, is a simple way to enrich your life. Take courses to further your education. Surround yourself with successful and knowledgeable mentors, coaches and teachers, and most importantly, place yourself in situations where you can learn, succeed and grow on a regular basis. Not sure where to find a mentor? Check out Step 4 – Surround Yourself with a Mentor Who is already doing it.
Remove yourself from the situations and groups which have kept you from expanding and evolving into a greater more fulfilling experience. If you keep doing what you have been doing for years, how can you expect any different result?
If you dedicate yourself to becoming a lifelong student, every new relationship, every new job or opportunity will suddenly offer new situations and opportunities to improve your life professionally, personally and financially!
So I’m at the gym… and it’s bicep, shoulder and core day. It’s a rough one! I am warming up on the bike thinking about the routine I am about to torture my body with and I had the thought, “I should try clean and presses today.” For anyone who doesn’t know what clean and presses are, click here for a short video. (What a pansy! Only 502 pounds… HA!)
This ex-Olympic weight-lifting exercise is great for the shoulders, back and legs. It also sucks big time! It’s grueling and painful… not an easy exercise to coast through. If you try to dog it, you are opening yourself to the potential for severe injury. Hence, the reason why I try to avoid it like an ex-girlfriend who you just “stopped calling.”
Nike would be proud, I decided to “just do it”, walked over to the squat rack, loaded up the weight and started pushing. The first set went pretty well. The second set was burning pretty good. Third set, I’m pretty sure I let out a mild whimper and on the fourth set, I’m not sure if I wiped away more sweat or tears.
Afterwards, as I laid in a crumpled mess across a flat bench, it started to feel really good. My shoulders felt full and solid. My back seemed more powerful and posture improved. I suddenly felt energized and ready to kill the rest of my workout. I carried on for the next 45 minutes with an intense drive that I haven’t felt in quite some time.
Getting changed, I spent a moment or two reflecting on the workout I had just completed. It seemed that the one exercise I feared and loathed the most, was the one exercise I needed to do the most. To fuel the intensity and motivation to carry me through the rest of the workout. Interesting! So what you’re telling me then is; “The things, activities and actions I fear most, are the exact things I should be doing!?!?!?”
Leave it to me to learn a life lesson at the gym!
I’ve already seen massive results with my new online workout routine which is perfect for my nomadic lifestyle. I have abs again! Check out PHAT Training Online!
Growing up, my favorite sport was basketball. We were constantly giving each other “HIGH FIVE”. You know, as The Waterboy would say, “SLAP HANDS!” If a team mate hit a basket, as we ran back to get into defensive position we would be giving that team mate “HIGH FIVE”. If another team mate made a great defensive block or took a charge, we would give him a “HIGH FIVE”. Even if a team mate tripped over his own feet, lost the ball out of bounds and looked like a complete fool… “HIGH FIVE!”
Even now, in my adult life, I see people walking past one another giving “HIGH FIVES” and it has almost become a habitual act and, in some cases, a joke. Ever since the movie, “Borat” came out, I hear people with their awful imitation of Borat’s … um… er… Kazak… khazack… Kazakst… Eastern European accent bellowing out, “High five!!” as they pass co-workers, offering their hand up high.
All the “HIGH FIVE”-ing got me thinking, why are we giving “HIGH FIVES for absolutely everything? Doesn’t it devalue the act by unconsciously and, at this point, even instinctly congratulating a person in such a way?
So… I decided to try an experiment. I decided I would, for one week offer absolutely no “HIGH FIVES”. Let me tell you, it was a very lonely week of looking at pictures of family and my dog!
Then, the second week I would offer only “HIGH FIVES” with nothing more being said or done, not even making eye contact. The results were, well… the best way to describe it is sterile. Insincerity is usually returned with its twin brother!
Finally, the third week, I would offer “HIGH FIVES” as much as possible without being labeled as “THE HI” HIGH FIVER, and along with the “HIGH FIVE” I would offer a simple compliment. Nothing fake or seemingly insincere. Just a simple, “You Rock!” “Looking Good!” “Good Work!” Whatever fit in the situation and I made sure it was very intentional and personal to that person. The results were impossible to debate.
Within the first 2 days, I had people shouting, from across the worksite, “Good morning, Scott!” “You rock Scott!” My office was getting regular visits from not only my co workers to discuss both personal and work related issues but also other contractor’s workers were coming to see me as well. This response was not because I could solve their problems any easier than any other supervisor on site but because I seemed more approachable and personable. I created rapport and gained their respect as someone positive and a pleasure to be around.
I would recommend the “HEART FELT HIGH FIVE” as a regular exercise in your daily routine, no matter what arena you work in. It is a simple activity that takes no extra time in your day and can make all the difference in the world for building and nurturing work and personal relationships.
So, next time you’re passing that co-worker who you think has been saying things behind your back to sandbag you for that promotion, “YOU ROCK!” and offer your right hand up high! When you get to class and that lab partner who never showed so you stayed up until 2 am to finish up everything on your own, “NO WORRIES! I GOT IT!” and throw up both hands and bring it around! When your spouse and you were up all night arguing, roll over in the morning, turn off the alarm, put your hand on theirs and whisper, “Thank you for being the very best team mate I could ask for! HIGH FIVE!”
Strong eye contact can be the difference cementing that big contract and, in some uncomfortable situations, someone else questioning your sexuality. Eye contact can be a simple and easy way to build rapport and create a genuine feeling of interest in another person during a conversation. Here are some simple tips to ensure that your eye contact stays comfortable and inviting and does not turn into creepy!
A recent study asked subjects to have a casual 2 minute conversation. They asked half of the subjects to keep string eye contact with the person they we having the conversation with by counting the number of times the other person blinked.
Upon completion of the experiment “the blinkers” reported significantly higher feelings of respect and fondness for their counterparts who were merely counting their blinking.
Maintaining intense eye contact gives the impression of being an intelligent and abstract thinker. Abstract thinkers are able to integrate incoming data more easily than concrete thinkers. Abstract thinkers can then respond more easily to incoming data while forming responses at the same time.
Yale researchers created a study on the thought that more eye contact creates stronger feelings. They had the subjects share personal stories and keep a sliding scale of eye contact. As the eye contact was held longer and deeper the feelings of intimacy and respect grew when it was a female vs. female or female vs. male but, when it was male vs. male the feelings were uncomfortable and negative and some mistook the eye contact as a form of flirting.
So, if you’re sitting across the table from a potential client make sure to follow the rules here:
Girl Vs. Girl – Gaze Away
Man Vs. Girl – Hold that Gaze
Man Vs. Man – Do not hold the Gaze or you may be mistaken as ….
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