It’s been a little over a week since Father’s Day, and it had me thinking about my own dad. My father was a mechanic who worked on diesel trucks. He was always fixing something.

After years of watching him, I adopted his love of machines and the ability to build and repair just about anything. When it’s broken, I don’t throw it away, but instead sit down and try to figure it out. Making it work again creates a certain kind of satisfaction that is hard to describe, but damn… it feels good, right? 

We need those small successes in our lives. Little victories like fixing an engine or that leaky pipe offers a rewarding sense beyond the working car or sink. It’s almost euphoric. 

Each new challenge is also an opportunity to learn and explore. Taking something apart or putting it together offers a deeper understanding of how that object works and an appreciation for the ones who invented it. For the ambitious, this knowledge can be used to experiment and invent new ideas of our own. How many things have you fixed by reinventing the way it worked? No, I don’t mean get out the duct tape. It might hold a great power in this world, but delicate mechanisms like the internal workings of a clock can’t be remedied with tape. It requires patience, education, and a passion for working with your hands. If you follow us on Instagram, you can see the two recent AR-15 builds I did and documented on our channel. 

Especially today, when smartphones and computer screens steal our attention for hours at a time, it’s important for our wellbeing to set aside technology and live our lives in the real fucking world. Working with our hands is a great way to focus on the present and stabilize ourselves in reality. The fruits of our labor are tangible and the benefits are just as physical!

In Lifting Depression by Neuroscientist Kelly Lambert, she writes, "No matter how enriching or pleasurable we find surfing the Web, emailing, listening to our iPods, reading a novel, or watching American Idol, our brains still crave the feelings associated with survival-based outcomes that were so important in its own evolution. We're programmed to experience satisfaction and a sense of well-being after we exert meaningful effort and use our hands..."

According to Monster, working with your hands also builds new neurological pathways in the brain, extends our lifespan, and improves our immune system. “When you work with your hands, you are happier, healthier, stronger, and full of energy than when confined.”

Whether your home needs some maintenance, the yard looks like hell, or that engine is knocking again, know that the work you do isn’t just going to look damn good, it’s going to make you feel great, and improve your health too! You don’t have to wait for something to break either; Make a plan, get it done, and enjoy the satisfaction of building something from nothing. 

But don’t forget to get Gear’d up first! Be ready for whatever life throws at you with a durable piece of Gear’d Hardware.