Seized-up and backfiring like a rusted farm truck with a tank full of slurry sliding around in the back, it takes all you’ve got to slosh out of bed in the morning when you’re sicker than a dog.

It’s one of the hardest challenges you’ll face in life: Not calling in to work when you look, feel and smell like a piping-hot plate of chipped beef on toast. But it’s a challenge you should overcome – because it’s a great opportunity to make your co-workers look bad and earn some serious brownie points with your boss.

It’s understandable if you want to stay home instead, though. The thought of peeling yourself away from the comfort of that sticky lunger’s nest you’ve been dripping, hacking and wheezing into all night in favor of a hot shower and a few hours of being active at work must be awful.