Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 140 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Taking Action

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 140 of our Trek. Yesterday we started digging up nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and began applying Wisdom-Trek logic to the nuggets that we discover. We will continue on this trail of nugget exploration for the next several days. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, as we came up just for the weekend to start the leaf harvest and share in our grandson Gideon’s 6th birthday celebration. When I refer to our leaf harvest, you have to understand that with about 4.5 acres of land with many very mature maple and oak trees. So, they produce an abundant amount of leaves. The Big House is also located in a residential community, so there are some expectations that we will maintain the property. As such, we do strive to keep the leaves gathered up on a timely basis so they don’t end up all over the community.

Today was just the first day of many that we will spend gathering leaves. Fortunately we have a very powerful vacuum system attached to our mower that takes much of the difficult work out of it.  We were able to clean the entire mow-able portion of the yard today which consisted of 8 loads. Each load has a capacity of over 400 gallons. That is a lot of leaves, and today was rather light in comparison when most of the leaves fall. I do enjoy spending the time outside, though, so it was a good day.

We will head back to Charlotte late on Sunday since we have some commitments this next week. With a full schedule, the days will fly by before returning to Marietta again this coming Friday.

Let’s continue on our trail today and search for some more nuggets of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” As we start today, we first want to explore the wisdom nugget regarding a time to take action.

A Time to Take Action

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don't need to be hasty if it isn't required, but you don't want to lose much time either. The time to act is when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.

Let's say you would like to build your personal library of books, either physically or electronically. If that is a strong desire for you, what you've got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible before the feeling passes and the idea dims. If you don't, you fall prey to the Law of Diminishing Intent.

We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But, if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found. If nothing changes in your life, then your life will not change.

So take action. Set up a discipline or habit when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you're motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes and the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups.

You've got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity.