Taking the dive

In professional springboard diving there are 5 basic elements of a dive; Starting Position, The Approach, The Take-off, The Flight and The Entry. Let’s analyze each element in relation to the promises of God. The Starting Position is where each and every one of us has basically an equal starting point. God, through man, has made promises in the Bible, the Koran and other religious books. I look at these books as guides to how we should behave. When we obey the rules, laws and accept the promises, we are following literary authoritarianism. The words in these books are powerful; but it is the spirit of these words that inspire and guide us. In the Bible God has promised the following: to supply our needs, to give us grace, to help us to not be overtaken with temptation, to give us victory over death, to allow all things to work for our good when we love Him and others, to be saved from sin and to have eternal life. Wow! What a package of promises and a great starting position.

With all of these promises under our belts we can now begin The Approach. In a diving competition the key element in The Approach is a movement of smooth motion showing good form. If the diver moves to the end of the board and stops, a balk is declared and points are taken away. A balk means to stop because of an obstacle, either perceived or real, and not perform the intended action; the dive. How many times have you begun to follow your dreams and make plans and goals only to stop before you reached the end of the springboard? If the diver does this again on the same dive, the dive is considered failed and no points are awarded. Have you tried achieving your goals and dreams again only to have stopped short of your goal? Have you failed? Remember, failure is being successful at doing something the wrong way. Start again and try a new approach! Never give up.

In The Take-Off, a diver strives for proper balance and control while initiating a safe distance from the board. Why? How many times have you taken off only to find yourself back where you started? You must launch yourself with unwavering faith into the movements you need to perform in order to accomplish your goals. Let go of the springboard. It is what helps launch you, not what holds you back.

During The Flight the diver must be smooth, graceful, move in a straight line from the springboard and not touch the springboard after the launch. There are four acceptable positions in diving; straight, pike, tuck and free (a combination of the first three) and there are stances in accomplishing your goals that parallel these positions. The straight position is the most aerodynamically sound. It is a conventional approach that creates the least wind resistance and friction; allowing the diver to see where they are going. Study the behaviors of your role models and apply their methods of accomplishing their goals. See the direction they took and follow it. Next is the pike position. It is a back-end approach that employs confidence and skill because the diver doesn’t see where they are going; they feel it. Learn to trust in your feelings; they are your indicator as to whether you are on the right path or not. The tuck position creates more wind resistance and allows the diver to hear the movement of the air more intensely. Listen to the wise counsel of those who have achieved similar goals to yours. Finally, the free position allows a combination of the first three and gives the diver a greater challenge in implementing complex maneuvers. Just as our three learning centers (audible, visual and kinesthetic) allow us to learn from each center, we retain more when we learn from all three simultaneously. Combine your movements effectively to accomplish your goals.

The final element in a dive is The Entry. Whether the dive ends head first or feet first the diver must enter the water as close to vertical as possible. Why? You must enter the accomplishment of your goal with the least amount of resistance as possible. The maximum speed occurs just before you hit the water. You must enter the water at the right angle to have the least possible resistance to your entry. The diver must enter the water in good form in order to complete a successful high scoring dive. How many of us did all we needed to do to accomplish our goals only to get burned out, frustrated or angry when we arrived there? Accept your success and feel worthy of it. Be thankful for a successful dive. God has promised you an abundant universe and a prosperous life. Follow His rules and laws and create the life of your dreams!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

The Power of Expectancy

Expectancy is defined as the quality or state of anticipating something based on a belief or desire. Achieving the goals and desires of your heart is a two step process. First you have to believe you can achieve those goals and desires and then you have to expect them. Most people stop when it gets to the second step in the process. Why? Is it because their belief wasn’t strong enough? Is it because they got distracted from their goal? Or is it simply that they didn’t do the spiritual legwork that is required to manifest goals and desires into reality. The saying “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” applies here. You may need or want to get to your destination. You may desire it immensely. But you will never get there until you expect to get there by taking that first step. That first step comes from what is known as faithing. Putting your desires into action. Expecting the manifestation of your goals and desires.

In a previous article I talked about the Chip Away Theory; what I call CAT. It is a process of doing a little bit each day to move toward the completion of your goals and desires. It develops and nurtures a state of expectancy in your being that resonates your spirit with confidence. It takes the trying out of things and creates the manifesting of things. When you methodically take steps toward your goals and desires you generate an energy of expectancy. Remember, everything is energy. Matter is energy that vibrates at a slower rate. The mental energy we expend comes from chemical interactions in our brains. This energy is manifested from matter and vibrates faster than matter. Slower vibratory matter generates faster vibratory energy. How can this be? Faster vibratory energy from the Sun enters all life on our planet and affects the growth and development of all life. When we generate thoughts we are create a feedback into our environment. If we respond negatively to situations we are simply creating more of the same! If we respond positively to situations we are altering our feedback and generating a new mental energy that is broadcast from our being. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It simply changes form.

So what does this have to do with expectancy? If we keep our desires and goals within us and don’t mentally broadcast them into our environment than how can we ever expect to manifest our goals and desires? Someone once said, “let go and let God.” There is power in this statement. God is in control of this vast universe. It is His clock. It ticks with a rhythm that is beyond our sensual comprehension. By broadcasting our desires into this clock we set manifestations of this clock into motion. We receive the results of our desires by letting them go and expecting them to come to us. Unwavering faith is a state where we think, know and feel a positive outcome of our expectancy. It is a declaration to the universe that this is what we need, want, desire and expect to happen. It is actualizing our potential as a co-creator in the universe.

Are you creating joy, abundance and prosperity in your life? Are you satisfied with your day to day existence? Is something missing in your life and you can’t figure out what it is? If you want answers to these questions then do the research. Make the time every day to get to know you. Find out what makes YOU tick. What excites you. What stimulates you. What you truly want out of life. Then create and environmental feedback that declares the manifestation of what you truly desire. Let it go and expect it to come. It will!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.