Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 98 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like Hiking at Night

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.This is Day 98 of our Trek. The past two days we explored the four zones of life, or as we referred to them as trails, where we can choose to spend most of our time. As much as is feasible we need to hike on the Trail of Genius where we can reach our full potential.

One interesting point, though, is that on the Trail of Genius, the trail ahead of us is less predictable. Sometimes we are not be able to know more than a short distance where the trail will take us. This is how life is. None of us know with certainty the future, so our trek of life is like hiking at night with a headlamp on. We can see a short distance in front of us, but if we continue on, we will see far enough to hike the entire distance. So today, we are taking a nighttime hike to prepare us for the various seasons that we will encounter in life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today we were able to invest time with four of our grandkids watching the Washington County Fair Parade. After that, we went and looked at a modular home that Nat and Elizabeth are considering purchasing as they are looking to build out in the country. Then we headed back to The Big House for the afternoon for some fish sticks and ice cream. It was a great time together with our grandchildren. We always enjoy the time we have together. I also spent some additional time preparing for the lessons that I will be teaching at church the next couple of Sundays.

It is time to break camp now and since we are going for a night hike, we need to prepare all the necessary gear for tonight’s trek. Hiking at night brings with it dangers and hazards that we may not encounter during a day hike. We cannot see nearly as far up the trail. The darkness hides familiar landmarks and renders those you can see in totally alien terms. On a dark night, depth perception becomes a guessing game, and a whole new set of animals comes out to play along with other perils, both real and imagined that can make the hike much scarier. We have our map, a GPS Unit, a very strong headlamp and the other necessary provisions, so let’s begin.

When we think about life’s trek, it is a lot like hiking at night. You must keep your eyes on the trail and focus on the direction that you are going but not forget the importance of checking your map or GPS. If you are leading the expedition, you must be aware that those who follow you need your guidance and assurance that you know where you are heading, and that you will safely lead them on the trail you are on for this hike.

I like to plan and set goals for both our personal lives and business, and in reality they are one because all of life is integrated into my personal life. It is important to have your plans so that you can make choices that are prudent and wise. Your plans and goals are the GPS that you are following. As we move through each day of life, it is like hiking at night. We need to prepare, but as we are hiking we can only see a few feet in front of us. None of us have the guarantee of tomorrow. We need to live as if we are to die tomorrow, but plan as if we are going to live forever.

While hiking at night can seem scarier than hiking the same trail during the day, you cannot let that perception cloud your judgment. If you worry about "night sounds" or the things that go bump in the night just because you can’t see as far as you would like, you will never make progress and be stranded on your trail.

We all have occasions when we allow our doubts and fears to overwhelm us,