| I lived for several years on the Japanese island of | | | | areas, or if our preparation is incomplete, we will end |
| Okinawa. It is a tropical island setting with a wealth of | | | | up as if we had never done any preparation at all. |
| beauty and lots of things to do. We lived on the side | | | | This principle applies to every arena of life - to our |
| of a mountain that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The | | | | family, our job, our sports activities and every other |
| beauty that we were able to observe from there | | | | area. Since the principle is so pervasive, it is important |
| was breathtaking. | | | | to make sure we completely understand it so we |
| There were a lot of enjoyable things about living in | | | | can use it in life. |
| Okinawa, but one of the things that I enjoyed most | | | | People tend to be way too narrow in the way they |
| was learning to scuba dive. The island itself is a coral | | | | apply growth principles to life. It is not possible to |
| reef island so it is surrounded by all different types | | | | select one or two elements of life to grow in and |
| of coral - different colors, different shapes. There are | | | | neglect the rest. The areas that are not strong will, |
| also dozens of varieties of tropical fish. And the | | | | eventually, pull down even the areas that are strong. |
| water was as clear as a bell. Even from the surface, | | | | We have to develop our whole self all the time. So |
| by wearing a mask, you could see all of the beautiful | | | | just what are the areas that we have to focus on? |
| sea life that was thirty or forty feet down. | | | | Well, there are four. |
| But for a diver, it is not just the sea life. Different | | | | Emotional Control |
| parts of the island have very different terrain, and | | | | The first element of our personhood relates to our |
| you didn't even have to have a boat to enjoy it. In | | | | emotional development. We can be in control of our |
| most places you can just swim out a few feet and | | | | emotions or they can be in control of us. Many |
| have a great dive in water that is anywhere from | | | | people think that they can't have that kind of control, |
| fifty to one hundred and twenty feet deep. In some | | | | but there are skills related to emotional flexibility, |
| places there is a wall. You swim out and all of a | | | | attitude, coping mechanisms and identification which |
| sudden the bottom goes from twelve feet to sixty | | | | can allow us to become quite adept at controlling our |
| feet deep straight down. Other places have caverns | | | | emotions. |
| or giant boulders or wavy hills. | | | | Physical Control |
| So much variety. | | | | The second element relates to our physical body. In |
| Of course, scuba diving can be dangerous if you | | | | order to maintain personal control we have to exert |
| don't know what you are doing. That is why people | | | | a lot of energy - and that requires good physical |
| who want to take up the sport have to get training. | | | | conditioning. With proper nutrition, rest and exercise it |
| There is an actual certification that a person must | | | | is possible for us to develop the stamina necessary |
| get in order to participate in the sport. In the | | | | to move us to higher levels of personal development. |
| certification class you study all of the things you | | | | Mental Control |
| need to know to be safe. You learn how to use the | | | | The third element involves our mental development. |
| equipment and actually practice doing it. You learn | | | | It is actually possible to develop our brain capacity in |
| how to calculate the length of time you can dive at | | | | various ways so that we can be more effective in |
| different depths so as not to get the bends. And, of | | | | the activities we involve ourselves in. We can |
| course, you learn about different kinds of sea life - | | | | develop our brain function skills in the areas of |
| particularly about creatures that can be dangerous. | | | | content acquisition, quickness, outlook, concentration, |
| One day I was out diving with a friend and I came | | | | focus and perspective. |
| across a brown water snake. There were two kinds | | | | Spiritual Control |
| of snakes in the waters of Okinawa. Both are | | | | The final element relates to our spirit. The spiritual |
| poisonous, but the brown ones are more so, and | | | | part of our being involves our self-awareness, |
| they are more aggressive. Well, I didn't see this | | | | creativity, conscious relationships, communication, |
| snake until I was fairly close to him and when he saw | | | | choice, analysis, contemplation, imagination, |
| me, he started coming at me. I had seen this kind of | | | | self-discipline and perspective. These are the |
| snake before and always steered clear, but had | | | | elements that make up the core of our being as |
| never had one come toward me. I had been told | | | | humans. We are also able to develop each of these |
| that they won't mess with you unless you mess with | | | | elements of our spirit to become more effective in |
| them, but for some reason this guy started coming | | | | our development. |
| and kept coming. | | | | The Choice to Take Control |
| Now I don't like snakes, to begin with, and especially | | | | To really get a grasp on the full scope of these four |
| poisonous ones. When I saw him coming, I turned | | | | areas would require a whole book. But even a brief |
| around and swam away as fast as I could. After I | | | | description of the whole gives us a sense of the |
| had gone a little ways I looked back and, to my | | | | personal development task. We can't just work on |
| surprise, he was still coming. You guessed it, I swam | | | | one part of our life, or even several parts, and |
| even harder. That rascal chased me close to forty | | | | neglect the others. Every part makes up who we are |
| yards before he finally gave up. Well, I knew that he | | | | and we have to develop them all or the ones which |
| wouldn't chase me forever and that if I could move | | | | don't grow will begin to pull down the others. |
| out of his territory he would leave me alone. If I had | | | | We all have choices to make in life. Some of the |
| not known what to do, though, I might have tried to | | | | choices have small consequences, but others may |
| attack him back or do something else stupid that | | | | have life or death significance. Preparation for the |
| would have caused disastrous results. | | | | choices is not something that just happens. We have |
| The Four Foundations for Gaining Control of Your Life | | | | to deliberately become aware of the areas of our |
| Knowing what to do is not something that just | | | | lives that need work, then actively and aggressively |
| happens to us. We have to take the time and make | | | | go after it. But when me make the effort to get it |
| the effort to figure out what we need to know, | | | | right, all the preparation is worth it. At that point we |
| then go after it. We have to prepare. But we also | | | | are able to see those snakes that are coming toward |
| need the whole picture. If we prepare in the wrong | | | | us and know exactly what to do to deal with them. |