Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 496 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 1st half of Chapter 25.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our trip to Arizona was beneficial and productive. Our construction project there is coming fairly well, although inevitably there are many issues that come up that cause delays. We are hoping to have most of them resolved by the end of the year. The developers for the project desire to be able to place the townhomes on the market early in 2017.

Fortunately, the housing market in Phoenix is very strong at the moment and is projected to be one of the fastest growing housing markets in the entire US during 2017. It takes a lot of wisdom, insight, and understanding to complete a project of this size and being able to work closely with our partners in Mesa is very helpful for the success of the overall project.

Every day of life we should seek advice from those individuals who are wise. Advice provided on a timely basis is even more important. One of the nuggets that we will dig for today in verse 11 is…

Let’s start our trek with verses 1-14.

1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah.

As indicated, this chapter contains more proverbs of Solomon, which were collected through the years and then published by King Hezekiah many years afterward. These proverbs were of particular interest to someone who was the King of Judah.

2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.

God is all knowing, but he does not share all he knows with us, that is His privilege. God does enable us, and especially those with wisdom, such as a king to discover this information.

3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth, or all that goes on in the king’s mind!

Although we have made great strides and progress on discoveries of both the depths of the ocean and heights of space, there is much more that we do not know about both. In the same way, it is impossible to know the mind of a wise king, or any wise individual.

4 Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. 5 Remove the wicked from the king’s court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.

Just as silver must be refined by fire to remove the impurities, leaders must remove individuals from their organization that is causing problems. For a king or world leader, it is important that the leader’s advisers are pure and are not corrupt.

6 Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. 7 It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace.

When we have the opportunity to associate with individuals of authority we should not assume that we are of the same status or try to position ourselves into a position of authority ourselves. It is better to be humble and not seek prominence. If it is due to us, then we will be recognized when it is appropriate

8 Just because you’ve seen something, don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat?

As an observer of life events, we should take precaution that we do not make rash assumptions before we fully understand the situation. If we make false accusations, then we will be the one that looks like a fool.

9 When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret. 10 Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.

First, we need to be careful not to argue needlessly. If we have information about another person that is not for public consumption, then we should not repeat it regardless of the circumstance. If we do, it will lead to us becoming a gossip and ruining our reputation.

11 Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.

Wise advice is important at any time, but when it is provided to us when it is most useful, then it is just like a beautiful table setting – very appropriate and valuable.

12 To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.

In addition to receiving timely advice, if we listen to it, even if it may be critical, then it will adorn us like beautiful jewelry.

13 Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer. They revive the spirit of their employer.

A couple of weather metaphors are next. Just as refreshing as snow would be on a hot summer day, good news received from a trustworthy person is refreshing to the soul.

14 A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.

If you have ever experienced a severe drought, you understand how hopeful you become when you see clouds and feel the associated wind that should bring rain. When it does not come, and the clouds are blown past, the disappointment is huge. It is the same as knowing a person who has promised a gift which you need and anticipate, but they do not follow through.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we are exploring a series of Solomon’s Proverbs that were assembled by King Hezekiah. These proverbs continue to provide us with more wisdom, insight, and understanding. If you follow the precepts in Proverbs, regardless of where you are in your faith walk, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart, so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged as we discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 495 of our trek, and it is Tuesday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from St. Augustine of Hippo, who said, “I have read Plato and Cicero sayings that are very wise and beautiful, but I never read in either of them: ‘Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give thee rest.'”There are many people in this world that will brag about themselves and how wonderful they are. I have found the most externally arrogant people are usually the most insecure people also. Bragging about oneself shows that you are not comfortable with who you are and need to reassure everyone, including yourself, of your worth. Those humble individuals are least likely to speak of themselves because they are also very comfortable with who they are and with their status in life.

The most humble person to live was Jesus Christ who is literally God and who chose to take on the form of His creation in order to redeem them to himself. He encourages us to rest in Him. If you are insecure, stressed and worn out with life, Jesus provides a secure resting place in Him. Mathew 1:28-29 tells us, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 494 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate us to live rich and satisfying lives this week. Today let us explore the trail called Get Motivated by Taking Action.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. If all goes according to plan, we will have returned from our trip to Mesa, Arizona by now. I am recording a few episodes in advance while we are away from our office. We have several activities and goals planned for the remainder of this month, but we realize that to accomplish them, we must take action which will motivate us in the future to complete our tasks.

As we break camp and head out on our trek for today, let us invest time exploring the concept of…

You may struggle to find the motivation you need to achieve the goals you want because you are wasting too much time and energy on other parts of the process. If you want to make it easy to find motivation and get started, then it helps to automate the early stages of your behavior.

Many people never get around to starting tasks because they are always wondering what they are going to do next. You could apply this to working out, starting a business, writing a book, and building most habits. Here are some examples:

• If your workout doesn’t have a time when it usually occurs, then each day you’ll wake up thinking, “I hope I feel motivated to exercise today.”
• If your business doesn’t have a system for marketing, then you’ll show up at work crossing your fingers that you’ll find a way to get the word out (in addition to everything else you have to do).
• If you don’t have a scheduled time when you write every week, then you’ll find yourself saying things like, “I just need to find the willpower to do it.”

In other words, if you waste resources trying to decide when or where to work, you’ll impede your capacity to do the work.

Setting a schedule for yourself seems simple, but it puts your decision-making on autopilot by giving your goals a time and a place to live. It makes it more likely that you will follow through regardless of your motivation level. There are plenty of research studies on willpower and motivation to back up that statement. A personal example is that I get up at 5:30am every weekday to exercise. I rarely feel motivated when I get up, but I take action knowing that it is part of my overall goal for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Stop waiting for motivation or inspiration to strike you and set a schedule for your habits. This is the difference between professionals and amateurs. Professionals set a schedule and stick to it. Amateurs wait until they feel inspired or motivated.

The most successful creative people go beyond schedules to set up rituals that they stick to in order to accomplish what they desire.

In his popular book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, author Mason Currey notes that many of the world’s great artists follow a consistent schedule.

• Maya Angelou rented a local hotel room and went there to write. She arrived at [6:30] AM, wrote until 2 PM, and then went home to do some editing. She never slept at the hotel.
• Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon writes five nights per week from 10 PM to 3 AM.
• Haruki Murakami wakes up at 4 AM, writes for five hours, and then goes for a run.

The work of top creatives isn’t dependent upon motivation or inspiration, but rather it follows a consistent pattern and routine. Here are some examples of how you can apply ritual and routine to get motivated:

1. Exercise more consistently. – Use the same warm up routine in the gym.
2. Become more creative. – Follow a creative ritual before you start writing or painting or singing.
3. Start each day stress-free. – Create a five-minute morning Scripture study or meditation ritual.
4. Sleep better. – Follow a similar “power down” routine every night before bed.

The power of a ritual is similar to a pregame routine. It provides a mindless (habitual) way to initiate your behavior. It makes starting your habits easier, and that means following through on a consistent basis is easier.

The key to any good ritual is that it removes the need to make a decision: What should I do first? When should I do this? How should I do this? Most people never get moving because they can’t decide how to get started. You want to start a behavior to be easy and automatic, so you have the strength to finish it when it becomes difficult and challenging.

There are three simple steps you can take to build better rituals and make motivation a habit.

Step 1: A good pregame routine starts by being so easy that you can’t say no to it. You shouldn’t need motivation to start your pregame routine. For example, my exercise routine starts the night before by setting out my workout clothes. When I wake up at 5:30am, I immediately get dressed and then read through my list of gratitude statements.

The most important part of any task is starting. If you can’t get motivated in the beginning, then you’ll find that motivation often comes after starting. That’s why your pregame routine needs to be incredibly easy to start. 

Step 2: Your routine should get you moving toward the end goal.

A lack of mental motivation is often linked to a lack of physical movement. Just imagine your physical state when you’re feeling depressed, bored, or unmotivated. You’re not moving very much. Maybe you’re slumped over like a blob, slowly melting into the couch.

The opposite is also true. If you’re physically moving and engaged, then it’s far more likely that you’ll feel mentally engaged and energized. For example, it’s almost impossible to not feel vibrant, awake, and energized when you’re dancing.

While your routine should be as easy as possible to start, it should gradually transition into more and more physical movement. Your mind and your motivation will follow your physical movement. It is worth noting that physical movement doesn’t have to mean exercise. For example, if your goal is to write, then your routine should bring you closer to the physical act of writing.

Step 3: You need to follow the same pattern every single time.

The primary purpose of your pregame routine is to create a series of events that you always perform before doing a specific task. Your pregame routine tells your mind, “This is what happens before I do ___.” Eventually, this routine becomes so tied to your performance that by simply doing the routine, you are pulled into a mental state that is primed to perform. You don’t need to know how to find motivation, you just need to start your routine.

This is important because when you don’t feel motivated, it’s often too much work to figure out what you should do next. When faced with another decision, you will often decide to just quit. However, the pregame routine solves that problem because you know exactly what to do next. There’s no debating or decision making. Lack of motivation doesn’t matter. You just follow the pattern.

A scripture passage that I have used before certainly applies here, which is Philippians 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

As we finish our trek for today, let me ask you, “What ‘pregame routines’ can you set so you can take action and gain motivation?” Let me know if you need any assistance.

Next Motivation Monday we will explore how to stay motivated for the long-run. Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These 3-minute wisdom supplements will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise throughout the entire week. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 493 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

Currently we are in a multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale. The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book called The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also. Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this episode originally airs, we will be in Mesa, Arizona, working with our partners on our construction projects there. We have some crucial decisions to make as we plan for 2017.

There is a needed balance between planning, analyzing logically and realistically, and remaining optimistic. Attitude plays a big factor in the choices and decisions that we make. While our attitude needs to be positive, we also must be realistic.

One crucial element that we often overlook is that how we feel about ourselves is a matter of choice. How we feel about ourselves is strongly influenced by who we invest time with. These are the areas we will explore today as we continue our trek on the Attitude Trail.

If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and continue on the second trail of this extended trek as we cover…

How you see yourself is a matter of choice, not circumstances, and the major determining factor in how you feel about yourself lies in your personal philosophy.

If you were to ask some people why they feel the way they do about certain issues, you would probably discover that the reason why they feel the way they do is because they really don’t know a great deal about those issues. Lacking all of the information, they form conclusions based on the bits and pieces that have come their way. With their limited knowledge, they often make poor decisions about how things are. If they knew better, they would think better. In other words, they would reach better conclusions simply by increasing their knowledge.

Here is another part of the equation: If they knew better, they would feel better. Why would they feel better? Because they would begin to make better decisions, and from those better decisions they would start making better choices, which would produce better results.

Your attitude is shaped by decisions and choices you have made based on the knowledge you have acquired. Imagine the artist who wants to paint a masterpiece, but who has only a few colors on his palette. He may have the desire to create a masterpiece, but he lacks the variety of colors, which the painting of a true masterpiece requires. This is what happens to human beings with limited knowledge. They lack the “mental colors” with which to create a complete picture.

Your attitude is shaped by decisions and choices you have made based on the knowledge you have acquired.

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If there is one area in the knowledge department where you cannot afford to be lacking, it is knowledge and awareness of our own uniqueness. You do not feel better about yourself for the simple reason that you do not really know yourself. For if you truly knew yourself – your strengths, your abilities, your resources, your depth of feeling, your sense of humor, your unique accomplishments – then you would never again doubt your ability to create a better future.

Each of us is unique. There is no one else in the world quite like you. You are the only one who can do the special things you do. What you do is special. You may not win great awards or public acclaim for your deeds, but you make the world a better place because of the deeds you do. You make your family stronger, your offices more efficient, and your community more prosperous because you are who you are.

Changing how you feel about yourself begins with developing a new philosophy about the value of each human being, yourself included! Most of us are so busy living our lives that we never pause long enough to appreciate all that we do in a given day. You have no appreciation of yourself simply because you have no awareness of yourself. Self-knowledge is a critical part of the life puzzle. As you learn more about who you are, you begin to make better choices and decisions for yourself and about yourself. If you have joined us on our Wisdom-Trek previously, you know I personally gain significant knowledge from the book of Proverbs and in chapter 1:3-5 it instructs us on gaining wisdom and knowledge.

3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,

knowledge and discernment to the young.

5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.

Let those with understanding receive guidance.

As I have already suggested, as your knowledge improves so do your choices, as your choices improve, so do your results, and as your results improve, so does your attitude. Another key area that you need to recognize is…

The people with whom you choose to associate are a major source of what you know and how you feel. There are three major questions that we will answer next week, which those in search of a better life must constantly ask themselves:

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we continue to hike on the Trail of Attitude. Today we learned that how we feel about ourselves is a matter of choice, and those choices are largely influenced by our knowledge in many areas of life.

Next Philosophy Friday we will explore how we feel is strongly influenced by that we associate with. Join us next Friday for additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek will be Motivation Monday when we explore more trails of how to get and stay motivated to bring value to your world. Encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 492 of our trek, and it is Thursday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote comes from an unknown source, which says, “I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for prosperity and God gave me brain and brawn to work. I asked for courage, and God gave me danger to overcome. I asked for love, and God gave me troubled people to help. I asked for favor and God gave me opportunities. I got nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed.”Let’s be honest. We are all convinced we know what would be best for us and how God should provide for us. What we often fail to overlook with the majority of our choices and decisions is that there is already an answer in God’s Word either through a clear command, or at least a principle and precept. Many of the problems that we face in life are because we choose to ignore the precepts that are already addressed in His Word. It is after we make those choices when we go back to God and plead for His assistance.

The quote today reflects this dilemma that we have. Fortunately, God will still bring about His will for us through the circumstance of life. We truly do receive everything that we need, even when it seems that we got nothing that we wanted.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Thank you for joining me for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 491 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of chapter 24.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the day this podcast is released, Paula and I will be heading to Arizona to work with our partners on our construction projects in Mesa. Phase I of the project is winding down, and we are starting to plan Phase II. The beginning of the next phase is dependent on sales of the units that are currently built, so the actual start date is not known for sure. Since our company is the general contractor and not the actual developer, we do have some other projects that may fill the gap between the two phases.

Planning is so important in projects large and small, and King Solomon was considered one of the greatest builders of all time. He addresses this in the passage that we are exploring today when he tells us in verse 27…

Let’s start our trek with verses 17 and 18…

17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;

don’t be happy when they stumble.

18 For the Lord will be displeased with you

and will turn his anger away from them.

Our natural tendencies are to rejoice or gloat when something bad happens to those that have hurt us or are against us. We should do the opposite, though. We should love them, help them, and pray for them. God may be taking them through a time of testing to bring them to Him. If we rejoice and gloat, God will be displeased with our actions, and turn His trials away from them.

19 Don’t fret because of evildoers;

don’t envy the wicked.

20 For evil people have no future;

the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

It is so easy to get caught up in the lifestyle and habits of those who desire to do evil. We may even become attracted to it. We should not be fooled. Those who practice evil have no hope because their hope and faith is based on falsehood.

21 My child, fear the Lord and the king.

Don’t associate with rebels,

22     for disaster will hit them suddenly.

Who knows what punishment will come

from the Lord and the king?

God has control of the leaders of every country. He allows certain leaders to be in power and others to be disposed. We should not rise up with those who rebel against the God permitted authorities. This is especially true in free countries where we have the opportunity to vote and even participate in the process. If we do associate with those who rebel, we should not be surprised if we also suffer the consequences of our actions.

23 Here are some further sayings of the wise:

It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.

24 A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”

will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.

25 But it will go well for those who convict the guilty;

rich blessings will be showered on them.

Injustice in any setting is disliked by God. This is especially true when it happens in a legal system. God is justice, and we are created in His image so justice should also be very important to us. Justice should be important to us in all situations. When we take justice seriously and practice it, then we will be blessed in many ways throughout our lives.

26 An honest answer

is like a kiss of friendship.

As we have referred to previously, honesty is always the best policy. To be honest and compassionate is like having a close friend that you can depend on and trust.

27 Do your planning and prepare your fields

before building your house.

This is an interesting verse because common thinking would be to build shelter first. Solomon was the wisest person of all time, and he had a different thought. In planning, if you invest the time to first build a house, then you would miss the planting season and, therefore, not able to harvest in the right season. The logic is to prepare the fields, and while the crops are growing, then you would have time to build your house. Once the house is built, then it will be time to harvest. The logic is there when you think like a farmer and practice the law of planting and harvesting.

28 Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause;

don’t lie about them.

29 And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me!

I’ll get even with them!”

We are not to be deceptive with family, friends, or anyone that we know. We should not create rumors or tell lies about anyone. We should never seek retribution against others, even if they have wronged us. Several passages in the Bible tell us that God will provide justice. We do not have to seek retribution ourselves.

30 I walked by the field of a lazy person,

the vineyard of one with no common sense.

31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.

It was covered with weeds,

and its walls were broken down.

32 Then, as I looked and thought about it,

I learned this lesson:

33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest—

34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;

scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

This final section of Proverbs 24 speaks in depth about a person who is lazy. First, Solomon equates a lazy person as someone who does not have common sense. A lazy person will be easy to spot because their lives and their responsibilities will show evidence of their lazy lifestyle. The example given here is that their property will be overgrown and not taken care of. We can learn a lesson here. A person who is lazy will not fulfill their responsibilities, and as a result, they will be overtaken with poverty, as surely as a bandit or robber would steal from an un-expecting victim.

Today we explored eight more wise sayings, which leave us with much to consider. Next Wisdom Wednesday, we will continue on this trail with more Proverbs that were assembled by King Hezekiah. These proverbs continue to provide us with more wisdom, insight, and understanding.

Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if you follow the precepts in Proverbs, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged and discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 490 of our trek, and it is Tuesday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from one of our founding fathers in the United States, Thomas Jefferson, and he said, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Wisdom goes hand in hand with honesty. It is impossible to be wise without honesty, for if you are not honest in all areas of your life, you will not display wisdom in any area of your life.

Integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty are the very foundations of a person who is wise. If you know someone who is not honest, then you can also be sure they are not wise. Never accept advice or direction from a person who is not honest, even in the smallest choices. If a person is not honest in the small areas and choices of life, they will never be honest in the larger choices and areas of life.

Honesty is truly the first and primary chapter in the book of wisdom. This concept is certainly supported in the Bible, and in a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” My encouragement to you is, be honest, and you will be well on your way to also being wise.

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 489 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate you to live a rich and satisfying life this week. Today let us explore the trail called What is Motivation?

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Wednesday of this week, we will be heading to Mesa, Arizona for five days to work with our partners on the construction project there. It is nearing completion of this phase, and we anticipate the first 12 townhome units to be ready to go on the market by the end of 2016.

We are certainly motivated to complete this phase and hopefully will be able to start on Phase II early in 2017. Motivation is one of those words that we think we understand, but many of us do not fully grasp the concept. Motivation is closely tied to both ability and attitude. As a famous football coach, Lou Holtz said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

As we break camp and head out on our trek for today, let us invest time exploring the concept of…

Motivation is a powerful, yet tricky beast. Sometimes it is really easy to get motivated, and you find yourself wrapped up in a whirlwind of excitement. Other times, it is nearly impossible to figure out how to motivate yourself, and you’re trapped in a death spiral of procrastination. Today and over the next two Mondays I want to share the best ideas and most useful research on how to get and stay motivated.

This isn’t going to be some rah-rah, pumped-up motivational speech. (That’s not my style.) Instead, we’re going to break down the science behind how to get motivated in the first place and how to stay motivated for the long-run. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to motivate yourself or how to motivate a team, this information should cover everything you need to know.

Scientists define motivation as your general willingness to do something. It is the set of psychological forces that compel you to take action. That’s nice and all, but I think we can come up with a more useful definition of motivation.

So what is motivation, exactly? The author Steven Pressfield has a great line in his book, The War of Art, which I think gets at the core of motivation. To paraphrase Pressfield, “At some point, the pain of not doing it becomes greater than the pain of doing it.”

In other words, at some point, it is easier to change than to stay the same. It is easier to take action and feel insecure at the gym than to sit still and experience self-loathing on the couch. It is easier to feel awkward while making the sales call than to feel disappointed about your dwindling bank account.

This, I think, is the essence of motivation. Every choice has a price, but when we are motivated, it is easier to bear the inconvenience of action than the pain of remaining the same. Somehow we cross a mental threshold—usually after weeks of procrastination and in the face of an impending deadline—and it becomes more painful to not do the work than to actually do it.

Now for the important question. What can we do to make it more likely that we cross this mental threshold and feel motivated on a consistent basis?

One of the most surprising things about motivation is that it often comes after starting a new behavior, not before. We have this common misconception that motivation arrives as a result of passively consuming a motivational video or reading an inspirational book. However, active inspiration can be a far more powerful motivator.

Motivation is often the result of action, not the cause of it. Getting started, even in very small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum.

Motivation is often the result of action, not the cause of it.

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I like to refer to this effect as the Physics of Productivity because this is basically Newton’s First Law applied to habit formation. – Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Once a task has begun, it is easier to continue moving it forward.

You don’t need much motivation once you’ve started a behavior. Nearly all of the friction in a task is at the beginning. After you start, progress occurs more naturally. In other words, it is often easier to finish a task than it was to start it in the first place.

Thus, one of the keys to getting motivated is to make it easy to start. We should encourage and motivate others in many areas of life as we are taught in Hebrews 10:24, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”

While it is important to motivate others, ultimately we must motivate ourselves. Next Monday we will explore getting motivated and taking action.

As we finish our trek for today, let me ask you, Are you taking action in the areas of life where you desire change? Let me know if I can motivate you to get beyond planning to take action.

Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These 3-minute wisdom supplements will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise throughout the entire week. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 488 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

Currently, we are in a multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale. The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also. Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As we head into the final month of 2016, it is time both to look back over this year to see what we accomplished and also start earnestly planning for 2017. As we continue through this month, let’s work together and be prepared so that we all can have a significant impact on the lives of others.

Today on our trek we will continue on the Attitude Trail. One crucial element that we often overlook is that any lasting impact we have on others is based on helping each other because we cannot succeed by ourselves. Another crucial character trait for success is appreciating your self-worth. We all have worth in abundance, and the sooner we realize this, the more successful in all areas of life we will be.

If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and continue on the second trail of this extended trek as we cover…

Everyone needs other people to help them in achieving their dreams. We all need each other. In the business world, you need markets and ideas from others. In the personal world, you need inspiration and cooperation from others. The attitude of other people affects you, and your attitude has the capacity to affect everyone you come in contact with.

As an example, the American Pledge of Allegiance and its thirty-one words that we often repeat as an expression of our loyalty to the United States begins with “I” and concludes with “all.” That is what America and many other free countries are all about – you and me working together to create greatness. You are uniquely influenced and affected by others in your pursuit of your dreams.

You become a powerful force when you understand how powerful working with others is and when you understand how valuable your individual contribution to a larger dream is.

What can all of us do when we work together? The most incredible things. We can go to the moon and beyond. We can solve the mysteries of disease, diminish famine and suffering, enhance the number and quality of opportunities available for everyone, and create that which does not yet exist which will improve the conditions of all mankind. We can bring peace where there was once war and friendship where animosity once prevailed. We can explore the heavens, examine the ocean depths, and investigate the unlimited creativity and capacity of the human mind. Nothing is beyond our imagination, and imagination is the starting point for all progress.

The contribution of all of us is so important to each of us. All of us are in a company, a church, a family, a community, and a classroom, and they are intricately connected to each of us. Our attitude about that interconnection of each of us to all of us and all of us to each of us has great influence on our future. As John Donne once wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

What would happen if you put your mind to work and read the books, took the classes, and discovered new ways to refine your philosophy? What would happen if you developed a new attitude about your past, your present, and your future? What would happen if you changed your feelings about others and the importance of each individual to our collective destiny? If you did all that, just imagine what an incredible effect this would have on your future!

The exciting thing is that each of us already has enough mental, spiritual, intellectual, and creative power to do all that we could ever dream of doing. Everyone has it! You just need to become more aware of all that you already have and invest more time refining all that you already are, and then put it to work for everyone.

What stops you from recognizing your inherent gifts and talents is a poor attitude about yourself. Why are we so quick to see the value in others and yet so reluctant to see it in ourselves? Why are we always ready to applaud someone else’s accomplishment and yet so shy about recognizing our own? The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus in Chapter 2 verse 10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

So let me ask you, What good thing are you doing today and each day God has given you? You are His Masterpiece!

On our next Philosophy Friday we will explore the concept that how we feel about ourselves is a matter of choice. We will also explore how important the impact of others is on our lives.

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we hike now on the Trail of Attitude. When we work together to positively impact others, we can have a much greater overall impact in the world.

Join us next Friday for additional insights. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life. Our next trek will be Motivation Monday when we will explore more trails of how to get and stay motivated to bring value to your world. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy these daily doses of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person when you meet with them and invite them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 487 of our trek, and it is Thursday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote comes from John Tillotson, and he tells us, “He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever.”All of us tend to focus on the here and now. We invest so much energy on what is expedient and pleasurable in the short term with little thought about how we will impact others and our own eternity. Short term thinking and our desire for instant gratification will ruin our lives in the long term.

We came into this world with nothing, and we will take no material possessions with us when we die. The only true way to impact eternity is through the lives of those that we teach and mentor. Our impact can be felt for many generations, and, yes, even into all eternity if our impact positively impacts those within our realm of influence. Jesus tells us in John 12:25, “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!