jock librarian

Although a morning person, I always make an effort to show up for Wednesday night's practice at John Jay. The workouts are challenging and full of splendor and surprise. One evening, our coach stood on deck donning a tinsel tiara. The following week, he decided to have a show-and-tell, pointing proudly to one of his prized possessions: a framed, autographed 8x10 color glossy of Charo.

Disappointments are rare in the pool. The only time I experience letdowns is when a lanemate complains about the set. Like this past Wednesday, when Coach topped off our stroke set with a 200 individual medley (IM). Within a millisecond, one of the swimmers stared incredulously at him and whined, "200 IM?!!"

In The Rules of Work: The Unspoken Truth about Getting Ahead in Business, Richard Templar writes, "Moaning is pointless. It is unproductive and achieves nothing." It only:

• identifies you as idle, petty, trivial
• wastes time
• makes you a magnet for other moaners
• gets you a reputation as someone who doesn't offer anything productive or helpful
• demotivates you and sets up a vicious circle.

I might add, moaning (in the pool) is the ultimate psych-out.

In order to be effective, Templar suggests folks follow Rules 8 ("Enjoy What You Are Doing") and 12 ("Cultivate a Smile"). He adds, "Work is fun--engrave it on your heart."