Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 193 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Collecting and Connecting the Dots

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 193 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked the “Ink It” Trail where we learned how to “Ink it when we think it.” Today we are going to collect the dots on our trail so that we can connect the dots as we move forward on our trek of life. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I got up this morning at 5:30 as I usually do, I was really tired after a couple of nights of sleep that were way too short and a very busy workday yesterday.  I was dragging a bit and not real enthused about a fast run on the treadmill...but I did push through and started on the first of two 5k maps that were next on my list of pre-programmed runs. As a side note, having Google Maps built into the treadmill through a wireless internet connection is really neat. I went ahead and set out at a fast pace. The front room where the treadmill is located in Home2 faces east, and as I looked out the window, I saw a sliver of moon and to the right of it, the bright and morning star. It was a beautiful picture. (Yes, I do realize that is actually the planet of Venus).

Seeing this was encouraging as I thought of how Christ is referred to as the morning star in 2 Peter 2:19, “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” It certainly made running the remainder of the 10k easier and more enjoyable. I want to encourage you to look for those special moments that are part of each day.  Those moments are happening all around us, so make it a habit to collect them as we see how they connect to our lives.

On today’s Trek, we want to make a habit of collecting the dots in life so that we can connect them to see how God is working through us each day. It is then that we will achieve true success and live the rich and satisfying life that we should. We will call our trek today…

Connecting the Dots

In 2011, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar gave a commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University. He talked about creating passion, life, and death, and “connecting the dots.”  The dots were events in his life, many challenging and many positive, which led to his many successes. He shared with the audience that being fired from Apple Computer, the computer company he founded, he was able to step back and develop the idea for Pixar Animation Studios. By achieving the great success at Pixar, he was eventually asked to come back to lead Apple Computer. This eventually led him to spearhead the launching of one of the most revolutionary products of the 21st century…the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He explained that he felt that he would never have achieved his successes without his failures and setbacks. He was able to connect the dots to see how it all added up.

Here are five reasons why taking the time to connect the dots will give you a roadmap for success in your life.

1. All dots are good.

Many times we face challenges in our lives that when we are in the middle of them they seem difficult, and making us look like and feel like failures.  This is because we are focused on the imagined “downside” of the challenge. We lose focus on the good that can come out of the situation. Even in difficult times,