6. Growth is smallThis was a lesson I first began to think about when I was following a body builder named Kai Greene. It is applicable in almost all areas of our life. Growth is small. We often only see the peak of the iceberg. For diving this would be great air consumption, great positioning, ability to handle stress, amongst many other skills. Know that just because you see someones abilities does not mean that they got there overnight. Growth comes slowly over time. We must practice and continually push ourselves in order to grow. It is both frequency and consistency that allows us to grow. Put in your time and growth will come.7. Comfortability = Free thinkingI had mentioned in the past I had some experiences that were high in stress and some instances that I was scared. Those along with diving almost everyday has put me in a position to become comfortable. With comfortability (I think) comes free thinking. When your skills have grown to a point to allow you to move and think freely without worry about situational problems or struggle. In these moments we can really focus on big questions in our life. What do I want to do, who should I be with, where should I go? First we must get to a point of comfortability before we can really allow our mind to wander. Let our body go into autopilot so our mind can flow.8. The ocean will humble youI think this is one of the biggest lessons in diving. Never forget you are a small fish in a big pond. Even though in the previous section I speak about being confident in your abilities to allow you to think freely this does not mean that the ocean will not remind you of its power. This is also true in life. We must know that there are many things more capacity, ability, strength, knowledge than we have. So this is your gut check. Never forget that life is a continuous process of learning. It is through making mistakes, trial and error, and preparation that allows us to become comfortable. Never forget though... the ocean will always humble you and in a bigger sense, life will always catch up to you. All we can do is our best and what we think is right as we continually go through life.9. Speak from the hipThis is also a lesson that started in life that became very apparent in diving. When we look at a situation/problem/mistake we must speak from the hip. I don't mean to "wing" what you are saying, but rather that the "position" we must speak from is hip to hip rather than looking down. Often times I hear people speak and use a false position of power to speak down to someone or to point the finger of blame. Not only is this ineffective in creating a trusting relationship it also is damaging to manifesting long term belief in your speech. No one wants to feel put down or spoken down to. If possible it allows you to not only understand better what had happened in a situation, but also builds confidence in the party to confide in you in the future. We can learn something from everyone. We are also never above another person, whether it's speaking about a situation or making a cup of coffee. Speak from the hip.10. MACRO LIFEThis one comes from the beautiful shrimps, nudies (get your mind out of the gutter), slugs, and crabs!! I have grown to love the small life in the dive world. They are normally quite hard to spot and are often overlooked. I feel that this lesson comes back to relationships. Life is about our relationships and I believe that part of our happiness is tied in our ability to maintain and sustain healthy and reciprocating relationships. Our relationships are sometimes about some of the big things, just like in a dive when you come across a travely, turtle, tuna, or that ever elusive shark. The true building block of a relationship, just like a reef, are in the small things. It's the holding of the door, the random coffee surprise, the cooking of a meal. THESE are what are important in building long and strong relationships. Take the time to notice the small things, and point them out in your dive, but also to manifest them in your life and your relationships.On purpose,Matt