We all need a reason to get up in the morning. We all need purpose in our lives. I thought a lot when I started the nonprofit Diveheart back in 2001 about the mission and vision, but also I thought about the philosophy of how we would approach helping those with disabilities build confidence, independence and self-esteem.
Three words came to mind that now have become part of the Diveheart mantra. Those words are love, value and purpose.
I believe that we all need to feel loved, so at Diveheart we teach with love. Even though our adaptive scuba training for dive buddies and scuba instructors can be rigorous, we do it with love. And when we work with adaptive dive candidates (people with disabilities) we use the challenge by choice philosophy so that no one feels pressured into trying to accomplish a skill or task unless they’re comfortable with it.
I also believe that we all need to feel valued. When someone feels valued then they also feel appreciated. There are very few things worse than feeling unappreciated. Whether it’s in your job, your relationship or your role in a club or other organization.
It is for this reason that we try to be cognizant of how we treat our volunteers and participants so that they feel appreciated and valued.
Finally, I believe we all need to feel like we have a purpose. When we feel that we have purpose it gives us a reason to get up in the morning. For example, when a Veteran with a disability knows that he or she will be going on an adaptive scuba trip with Diveheart six months from now, that Veteran has something to look forward to. They might go to the gym or pool more to get fit for the trip. We have heard repeatedly from our adaptive divers how being part of the Diveheart program gives them purpose.
Many in our program become Diveheart ambassadors mentoring others with disabilities to get involved. Many take on other challenges in their lives because they now self-identify as a scuba diver and not as someone with a disability.
After all, it’s really not about scuba diving. It’s about taking the unrealized human potential that exists in an individual and creating a paradigm shift in that person so they now self-identify differently. All thanks to the love, value and purpose philosophy.
