Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 476 of our trek, and today 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 23.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As Thanksgiving approaches during the month of November, it is a time to reflect on all the blessings we have in life. We do have much to be thankful for. While I think it is important that we have a day set aside in the US and many other countries focusing on being thankful, it should be part of our everyday life. If this is currently not a habit of yours, I encourage you to set a time aside each morning when you wake and again before you sleep to pause and reflect with gratitude on all the blessings that you have in your life. Even when life is difficult, and it is for all of us at times, there are still many things which we can be thankful for.

With a heart of gratitude, let us break camp for today and head out on our trek to explore the nuggets of wisdom which are found in the first half of Proverbs 23. We are currently in the third section of Proverbs, which covers 30 sayings of the wise. We explored five sayings last week, and today we will continue with eight more. One of those saying is:

Let’s start our trek with verse 1.

1 While dining with a ruler,

pay attention to what is put before you.

2 If you are a big eater,

put a knife to your throat;

3 don’t desire all the delicacies,

for he might be trying to trick you.

While we may not have a lot of opportunities to dine with people who are in positions of authority, this applies to any formal social gathering where you may be a guest. If you enjoy eating, as many people do, be very careful with how and what you are eating. Don’t gorge yourself, or come off as gluttonous. Even if the food seems irresistible, show constraint and eat in moderation. This may be a test to see how you react to these more formal situations.

4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.

Be wise enough to know when to quit.

5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,

for it will sprout wings

and fly away like an eagle.

This is one of those passages that hits a bit too close to home for me. I enjoy the work that I do and am driven to accomplishing as much as I can and then some. This does not give me permission to ignore the principles that are clearly presented in these verses. We all need to show restraint in our pursuit of wealth.

If you are driven to obtain riches, this is never an excuse to abuse yourself physically, emotionally, or spiritually to obtain wealth. Wealth is so fleeting. If you are persistent, you can obtain wealth, but realize that it is so easily lost, sometimes by situations completely out of your control. We all need to be wise enough to take time for the most important aspects of life, which is not riches but relationships.

6 Don’t eat with people who are stingy;

don’t desire their delicacies.

7 They are always thinking about how much it costs.

“Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.

8 You will throw up what little you’ve eaten,

and your compliments will be wasted.

Who we invest our time with is important. The lesson in this passage refers to eating with someone that does not really have a giving heart. A person may invite you to a dinner to be socially polite or to look good in the eyes of others. This is the type of person who really does not have the heart for hospitality because they consider it a cost instead of an investment in a relationship.

If you find yourself in this situation, it may be best to turn down the invitation if you know in advance. If you do not realize it in advance, once you are in the situation, you can be kind and polite and restrain yourself from eating too much. It would be better to eat less than to risk becoming ill from eating too much. The stingy person will just think of the money he or she wasted on you, and it will impact what friendship you may have established.

9 Don’t waste your breath on fools,

for they will despise the wisest advice.

This verse also refers to relationship issues. Although we should be kind to everyone, there are some people that think they are wise when they are actually fools. These people do not desire to learn or gain wisdom. It is better to save your instructions for those who are willing and able to accept it.

10 Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers;

don’t take the land of defenseless orphans.

11 For their Redeemer is strong;

he himself will bring their charges against you.

This is similar to a verse from last week. We are to have the integrity to honor agreements set up by others, which were passed on to us. We should also never take advantage of those who are unable to defend themselves. If we make a practice of taking advantage of others to advance ourselves, then we will suffer the consequences of our actions. God will redeem them for the injustices that are committed against them.

12 Commit yourself to instruction;

listen carefully to words of knowledge.

Mentioned throughout the book of Proverbs is the need to seek instruction and wisdom. We are to seek for it with more fervor than we would seek for gold or silver. How much do you desire to obtain instruction and knowledge?

13 Don’t fail to discipline your children.

The rod of punishment won’t kill them.

14 Physical discipline

may well save them from death.

These verses in no way condone unjust or abusive punishment for children, but all children need to be disciplined throughout the years that you are responsible for them. Each child is uniquely different and so should the discipline that is administered to them be. Some will learn through words while others may need more firm discipline. Adults also need guidelines and laws to follow. Base all discipline on God’s Word. Realize that to raise disciples for Christ discipline is required.

15 My child, if your heart is wise,

my own heart will rejoice!

16 Everything in me will celebrate

when you speak what is right.

Tied to the previous verses, Solomon refers to the readers of this passage as his children, which includes us. As you disciple your children and they gain wisdom, your heart will rejoice. As they grow into mature, responsible adults, you can celebrate with them as they make wise choices for life. Remember, you are not raising children, you are molding them into responsible adults.

Today we explored eight wise sayings, which we can learn much from. Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue on this trail of the Sayings of the Wise. 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 where we will 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 475 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 Thomas Brooks who tells us, “God hath in Himself all power to defend you, all wisdom to direct you, all mercy to pardon you, all grace to enrich you, all righteousness to clothe you, all goodness to supply you, and all happiness to crown you.”We all become so consumed with trying to control everything in our lives that we experience much anxiety and stress. This is dangerous in two respects. First, we actually have very little control over circumstances and other people. Second, it is very difficult to control ourselves, so that is the first area we need to focus. If we focus on controlling ourselves and making changes within ourselves so that we can positively impact our world, then we will have more than enough to occupy our time.

Even considering these two situations, the reality that we need to face is that God is in control of everything. He has all power and will provide us with all that we need. We need to acknowledge and accept that God will provide us with all that we will ever need. We do not need to try and control life ourselves, but have faith that God will provide us with all that we need.

2 Peter 1:2-4 – May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.  By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

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!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 474 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 “20 Truths About Life.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It was a great weekend of outdoor work, indoor clean up, and most importantly, several hours with four of our grandchildren on Saturday. Any time we can invest time with our kids and grandkids is always a blessed time. We all need to realize that time is the only truly valuable asset in our lives. It is the only asset that is truly finite. How we invest our time determines the true impact that we have on our world. There is nothing more valuable. As we break camp and head out on our trek for today, let us invest time exploring the…

It’s much easier to talk about the weather, sports, politics, and celebrities than your fear of mortality. Unfortunately, the more time you invest pretending that ultimate truths don’t exist, the more time you waste not being your authentic self and getting the most out of every precious second.

Time, not money, is your most valuable asset. Allow the list below to ignite the spark of motivation you need to make better use of the time you have impacting your world.

Sometimes we need to head into the storm to appreciate the light and have a renewed passion for the beauty of life.

Here are 20 truths about life that every person needs to hear.

Stop pretending that you’re invincible. Acknowledge the fact of your own mortality, and then start structuring your life in a more meaningful way.

This truth may be saddening at first, but it also gives you permission to make amends with past difficulties and re-establish meaningful relationships with important figures in your life.

Even if you’re one of the lucky ones who achieves his or her materialistic dreams, money only amplifies that which was already present.

Happiness is always present in your life–it’s just a matter of connecting to it and allowing it to flow through you that’s challenging.

Giving your time is a way to change your perception and create a memory for yourself and others that will last forever.

Stop trying to please, and start respecting your values, principles, and autonomy.

Many perfectionists have unrelenting inner critics that are full of so much rage and self-hate that it tears them apart inside. Fight back against that negative voice, amplify your intuition, and start challenging your unrealistic standards.

Intellectually thinking through your problems isn’t as helpful as expressing the feelings that create your difficulties in the first place.

Be responsible and take actions that increase positivity and love.

When your time has come to transition from this reality, you won’t be thinking about that raise; you’ll be thinking about the relationships you’ve made–so start acting accordingly.

Some of the most talented people in the world never move out from their parent’s basement.

You can’t control the past, and you can’t predict the future. And trying to do so only removes you from the one thing you can control–the present.

Stop looking for people to give you sympathy and start creating the life story you want to read.

Words have the power to oppress, hurt, and shame, but they also have the power to liberate and inspire–start using them more wisely.

You have to put on your own gas mask to save the person sitting right next to you.

Train yourself to respond in a way that leads to better outcomes.

Relationships have a greater impact on your wellbeing and happiness than your income or your occupation, so make sure you give your relationship the attention and work it deserves.

Don’t settle for an ego boost right now when you can delay gratification and experience deeper fulfillment.

If you want to change the world, then go out there and do it!

You have the power and responsibility to decide what you do with the time you have, so choose wisely.

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1 Timothy 4:7 – Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.

As we finish our trek for today, let me ask you, how are you investing your time? Is it impacting your world? Ponder these 20 truths and allow them to motivate you to live a rich and satisfying life.

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 473 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they 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. We are getting settled in well with consolidating our homes. There are still items that need to be stored and a few pieces of furniture that we are giving away, but overall it is settling down. It has been a smooth transition, and we are glad that we made this decision. With most decisions that each of us make, the success or failure of those decisions is impacted significantly on our attitude about that decision. Attitude is one of the largest factors in how our lives turn out.

Today on our trek we are switching trails from developing a powerful personal philosophy, which is the foundation for our lives, to another trail, which is our attitude. 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 first trail of this extended trek as we cover…

Last week we finished up our primary trail, which covered all the steps needed to develop a Powerful Personal Philosophy. This is the very foundation on which your life is built. Your personal philosophy is the filter through which all of your decisions and choices are made. This is a very crucial element that you must establish in your life. As we continue our trek today, we will focus on your attitude and how your past affects that attitude.

Your life is greatly affected by what you know since what you know determines the decisions you will make. Just as you are affected by what you know, you are also affected by how you feel.

While philosophy deals essentially with the logical side of your life, that is to say, your information and thinking habits, attitude focuses primarily on the emotional issues that affect your existence. What you know determines your philosophy. How you feel about what you know determines our attitude.

How you feel about what you know determines our attitude.

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It is your emotional nature that governs most of your daily conduct in your personal and business worlds. It is the emotional aspect of your experiences that determines your behavior. How you feel about life’s events is a powerful force that can either freeze you in your tracks or inspire you to take immediate action on any given day.

Like thoughts, emotions have the capacity to propel you toward future fortune or future disaster. The feelings you carry within you about people, your work, your home, your finances, and about the world around you collectively form your attitude. With the right attitude, you can move mountains. With the wrong attitude, you can be crushed by the smallest grain of sand.

With the right attitude, you can move mountains. With the wrong attitude, you can be crushed by the smallest grain of sand.

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Having the right attitude is an essential prerequisite for your success and happiness. The right attitude is one of the fundamentals of a rich and satisfying life. That is why you must constantly examine your feelings about your role in the world and about your possibilities for achieving your dreams. The feelings that you have affect your prevailing attitude, and it is your prevailing attitude that ultimately determines the quality of your lives.

Attitude is a major determining factor in how your life turns out. Since everything in life affects everything else, you must make a careful study of everything and everyone that might be having the wrong effect on your current attitude. With these thoughts in mind, this week we will learn from the past, and then next week we will focus on the present and future. 

Having a healthy and mature attitude about the past can make a major difference in your life. One of the best ways to approach the past is to use it as positive training, not a negative weapon. You must not beat yourself up with past mistakes, faults, failures, and losses. The events of the past, both good and bad, are all part of the life experience. For some, the past may have been a harsh teacher. You must remember to let the past educate you and bring the value of its experience into your life. It is easy to allow the past to overwhelm you. The good news is that it is also easy to allow the past to instruct you and to increase your value.

Part of the miracle of your future lies in the past. Past lessons. Past errors. Past successes. The collective experiences of all that has happened to you can either be your master or your servant. That is why it is so important to gather up the lessons of the past and invest them in the future. If you can establish that kind of intelligent approach to the past, you can dramatically change the course of the next twelve months. You will be somewhere in the next twelve months; the question you must ask yourself is where will you be?

Developing a new philosophy about the past is the key to changing your current attitude. Until you have finally accepted the fact that there is nothing you can do to change the past, your feelings of regret, remorse, and bitterness will prevent you from designing a better future with the opportunity that is before you today.

How effectively you use the present is largely determined by your attitude about the past. Until you amend your philosophy, you cannot repair your attitude. If you cannot repair your attitude, your future is going to be filled with the same sense of regret, remorse, and bitterness that currently has you by the throat. You cannot move forward into a brighter future until you have closed the door on the darkness of the past.

You cannot move forward into a brighter future until you have closed the door on the darkness of the past.

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These concepts remind me of a familiar Bible passage that I have used before, which is found in 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.”

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly on The Five Trails on Life’s Trek as we hike now on the Trail of Attitude. This is not an easy hike to make. It requires not being held back by your past, but using what you learned to change your present and your future.

Next week on Philosophy Friday, we will continue on the Trail of Attitude and focus on your present and your future. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek will be Motivation Monday as we 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 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 472 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 is from Matthew Henry, who says, “God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events and reserved for himself the knowledge of them, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a continued readiness for every event.”

We all think we would like to know what the future holds, and yet as we look back on our lives, many of us realize that it may have been best for us to not know. Our trail of life is full of unexpected twists, turns, and obstacles that we would never have anticipated nor desired. Yet the experiences of life have shaped and refined us into the person that we are today. Without both the good and bad situations we would not have known life in all of its fullness. Although we do not know what the future holds, if we have faith in God, we will know who knows the future, and it is set. As Romans 8:28-30 relates to us, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. 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. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of 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 this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

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 for Philosophy Friday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 471 of our trek, and today 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 22.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We continue to make good progress with both the outdoor fall cleanup and the indoor unpacking. It is good to have the time to accomplish all that needs to be done without being too rushed. Our client work requirements remain strong as we focus on the financial and technology work that keeps the back ends of their businesses running smoothly.

It is wise for every individual and business to make sure they have a solid financial foundation. As we break camp for our trek today, let us explore the nuggets of wisdom found in the second half of Proverbs 22. This section of Proverbs is referred to as…

Let’s start our trek with verses 17-21.

17 Listen to the words of the wise;

apply your heart to my instruction.

18 For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart

and always ready on your lips.

19 I am teaching you today—yes, you—

so you will trust in the Lord.

20 I have written thirty sayings for you,

filled with advice and knowledge.

21 In this way, you may know the truth

and take an accurate report to those who sent you.

A third major section of the Book of Proverbs begins with Proverbs [22:17]. This is clear from several indicators. The proverbs lengthen out again from the typical one-verse couplet that characterizes Proverbs 10:1 to Proverbs [22:16]. The emphasis changes somewhat in Proverbs [22:17] to Proverbs [24:34], which includes the fourth collection of proverbs and focuses on the importance of applying the instructions previously given.

22 Don’t rob the poor just because you can,

or exploit the needy in court.

23 For the Lord is their defender.

He will ruin anyone who ruins them.

These verses contain a strong warning about taking advantage of other people, just because you may have the power or resources to do so. This applies both to business as well as within our legal systems. God will ultimately be their defender, and anyone who takes advantage of others will eventually get their just punishment for doing so.

24 Don’t befriend angry people

or associate with hot-tempered people,

25 or you will learn to be like them

and endanger your soul.

The old axiom “Birds of a feather flock together” is certainly true. We become like those that we invest time with. My mom used to say “If you lie down with dogs, don’t be surprised when you get up with fleas.” We need to be very careful whom we invest time with because the return on our investment will reflect those choices.

26 Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt

or put up security for someone else.

27 If you can’t pay it,

even your bed will be snatched from under you.

Once again Solomon warns us about the danger of borrowing money, especially co-signing for another person’s debt. This is very unwise from every aspect. If the person you co-sign a loan for cannot pay, you will have to pay it. Or your credit will be ruined, and you will lose your personal property that is not even associated with what you co-signed for, so it will be a double loss.

28 Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers

set up by previous generations.

In order to keep our integrity intact, we should be willing to honor agreements that were set up by others whom we are now responsible. Even if you did not make the agreement, it is legally binding. Our integrity is more important than potential financial gain or personal benefits.

29 Do you see any truly competent workers?

They will serve kings

rather than working for ordinary people.

When you work hard with competence, your efforts will be noticed by those individuals who are in positions of authority. As a result, you will receive preferential treatment and benefits for your efforts instead of working for people who have little authority.

As we start a new section in Proverbs, we are hiking through a series of 30 wise sayings. Today we explored the first five of those. Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue on this trail. These proverbs 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 goodness.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged where we will 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 470 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 Reinhold Niebuhr, who tells us, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know one from the other.”

This is a fairly well-known quote, but one that is so hard to put into practice on a daily basis. We would all like to effect change, but with most situations in life, we do not have the ability to impact change to any great extent. You cannot change others, you cannot change situations outside of your control. The great news is that you can change yourself. So that is the place to start.

We need to know the difference. We need to accept life for how it is, not how we wished it to be. Accept what you cannot change, but stand strong and have the courage to move forward to change what you can. Rely on God to provide you with the wisdom and the peace to accept the outcome regardless. Job 28:23 says, “God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens.”

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 469 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 “Truth Matters.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our weekend of outdoor work with the leaves and fallen limbs continues as does the indoor unpacking of our Charlotte household. These tasks will certainly keep us busy for several weeks to come. To tell the truth, it is an enjoyable respite from my focused computer-based work. Being involved in difficult physical labor allows my mind to reenergize and focus on long-term life plans. Speaking of telling the truth, something seems not to matter during an election process. I firmly believe and am convinced that truth does matter. As we break camp and head out on our trek for today, keep these words in your mind…

Do you think before you make a promise to someone? What if you can’t deliver on your word? Does it really matter? Well, actually no, but have you considered the actual consequences?

Many people are pretty casual about making promises. As a result, promises are frequently made at the drop of a hat with no real intention of keeping them. “Let’s do lunch,” “I’ll call you later,” and “I’ll be there in five minutes” are all examples of throwaway promises that are frequently made but seldom kept. However, this casual attitude can have real consequences.

When you break a promise, no matter how small it may seem to you, alarm bells aren’t going to go off, but it can damage a relationship or your reputation. Think about it. When someone else breaks a promise to you or you catch them in a lie, doesn’t that make you feel violated or cheated? You can’t help wondering whether you were wrong to ever trust that person.

Getting away with a lie can also be dangerous because it fools liars into believing they’re invincible and that they have little chance of getting caught. Before you know it, lying can become a habit, forcing liars to spend precious time and energy keeping their stories straight. Once others learn about the lies, some people may forgive, but they surely won’t forget.

A promise is a promise. Some folks apply a rating scale, believing that breaking a big promise is inexcusable while a small one is acceptable. That’s simply false. While breaking a big promise, such as failing to repay borrowed money, can torpedo a relationship, reneging on promises, such as being on time, casts doubt on future behavior.

Remember, trust is built through a series of experiences shared with others. When behavior is consistent, faith in the relationship develops. When promises are broken or people are misled, the bonds of trust are breached.

Broken promises imply that the offenders either didn’t think before making the promises or don’t care that they’ve let you down. They’re also implying that their needs are more important than yours. So, be careful about the promises that you make and with whom you make them. Here are some practical tips to consider.

Never promise the moon. If you can’t keep a promise, don’t make it. For example, you may not be able to guarantee someone a five percent investment return, but you can show them your track record and promise them that you’ll work hard on their behalf. Another simple example is you can’t guarantee that you’ll arrive in two hours, but you can promise that you’re going to leave at 10 am. In other words, you can’t promise anyone sunny weather, but you can promise to hold the umbrella open for them if it rains. 

Some broken promises are excusable. If you can’t deliver something on time because of an uncontrollable event, such as a family illness, most people will understand that the lapse was unintentional. On the other hand, breaking a promise intentionally (such as choosing to oversleep) is different — you’ll have to face the consequences. When you distort the truth by exaggerating, spinning the truth, or withholding key facts, you also weaken your credibility for the future.

Half the truth is often a whole lie. Lying comes in many forms. Some people exaggerate or stretch the truth to make something look more attractive. Others “spin the truth” by presenting “selected” facts that support their position. Withholding key facts is also lying — it’s clearly meant to deceive. When you tell a lie, everything that you say in the future may be treated as suspect. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”

When people are dishonest, they send the message that they lied because either they don’t have a strong case or they have something to hide. Once they’re caught in the act, liars will find that others may start requesting everything in writing and may question their motives. Most importantly, after they lie, everything said from that point forward won’t carry the same credibility.

You’re judged by the company you keep. When people cover for the misdeeds of others, they’re as guilty as those who committed the “crimes.” If you’re tempted to cover for someone else, first consider whether it’s worthwhile to put your own reputation on the line for anyone who’s undeserving of your good name.

There was a time when keeping your word held special significance. We took great pride in being of good character. Personal integrity was both expected and valued. That was a time when everyone knew each other’s family, and you wouldn’t do anything that would cast a shadow on your family’s good name. It was a time when integrity was instilled in children at a very early age and was viewed as instrumental in achieving success. The truth is, our world may have changed, but the importance of integrity has not. While we may not know everyone in our own town, the world is still smaller than you think. Create some bad news, and you’ll learn this for yourself.

Every time you give your word, you’re putting your honor on the line. You’re implying that others can place their trust in you because you value integrity and would never let them down. It goes without saying that if you don’t live up to your word, you may end up tarnishing your credibility, damaging your relationships, and defaming your reputation. Most importantly, you’ll be letting yourself down.

The good news is when you operate with complete integrity, what you say will be taken at face value, your intentions will be assumed honorable, and your handshake will be as good as a contract. Most importantly, you can take great pride in the standards that you’ve set for yourself and sleep well at night knowing that your conscience is clear. As for others…just when they think they’re fooling the world, they’ll realize that they’re only fooling themselves. A promise is a promise after all.

The truth is so important that it is addressed over 250 times in the Bible.  One of the most familiar statements that Jesus proclaimed when he was addressing an important issue was “I tell you the truth…”  Jesus is the epitome of truth.  A few verses that we need to ponder are:

Proverbs 12:19 – Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.

Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Proverbs 23:23 – Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.

John 8:32 – And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

As we end our trek for today, invest honestly on how truthful you are in all situations. Does truth really matter to you? Will your trails of life be paved with truth or with good intentions, lies, and deception? Make truthfulness part of the very fabric of your life, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

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:

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 468 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will 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. It has been a steady week of client work and continuing to make progress on unpacking our Charlotte boxes. I do need to get refocused on the podcast-related projects soon, as they were set aside for a bit as our extra time has been consumed with moving our Charlotte household items and consolidating everything in The Big House.

I would like to make much faster progress on these various project, but continually remind myself that life is a marathon, not a sprint. As with most of life, it is the simple disciplines practiced every day that will allow us to succeed at any project, no matter how large and overwhelming it may appear at times. This is why it is so important that we Develop a Powerful Personal Philosophy.

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 first trail of this extended trek as we cover…

As a reminder, our overall extended trek will cover these five trails:

Last week on our hike we focused on the formula for success which is actually quite simple because success is made up of a few simple disciplines practiced every day. As we continue our trek today, we will focus on “The Danger of Neglect” and the importance of “Learning to Listen to the Right Voice”:

The things that are easy to do are also easy not to do. The primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should can be summed up in a single word – neglect.

It is not the lack of money. The banks are full of money, and the government continues to print more. It is not the lack of opportunity. America continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities of any nation in the last six thousand plus years of recorded history, and these opportunities are spreading globally. It is not the lack of books. Libraries and online sources are full of books, and many of them are free! It is not the schools. While there are some issues in education, the classrooms are full of good teachers, and there is nothing stopping you or anyone else from learning on their own. There are also plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors, and advisors to help you in any area of life.

Everything you would ever need to become rich, powerful, sophisticated, and satisfied with life is within your reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect. Don’t let this be the case in your life.  You have heard the expression, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” You may debate the validity of this familiar quotation, but what if it were true? Recent studies have shown that it is. If by performing that one simple act or that one simple discipline, you could be more healthy, alert and active throughout your life, then would it not make sense, and would it not be easy to eat that apple every day?

Assuming the quotation is true, why don’t you eat an apple a day, every day to maintain your health? If it is that easy and there is such a tremendous reward attached to this discipline, why don’t you do it? Maybe you do, and if so, well done. The reason most people do not, because the things that are easy to do are also easy not to do. That is how subtle failure is. Failure is largely a function of neglect. You fail to do the small things that you should do, and this seemingly insignificant license carries over to those things that are important to do. Small neglects have a way of becoming major oversights with the passage of enough time.

Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout your entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled rich and satisfying life. The danger of neglect lies in not doing the simple things because it is easy to do.

Let me ask you this question. Why are you so frequently inclined to do the things that are least important but so reluctant to do the essential things that success and happiness demand? What is that voice that whispers to you, “Just let it all slide? Why worry about all that discipline nonsense?” It is the voice of negativity, a voice that has grown increasingly stronger over the years as a result of being around the wrong influences, thinking the wrong thoughts, developing the wrong philosophy, and making the wrong decisions.

Part of the solution to quieting the voice of negativity is learning to listen to the still, small voice of success that resides within you. The voice of success is constantly struggling to be heard above the loud promptings of the voice of failure. Your own free agency allows you to follow whichever voice you choose.

Every time you allow yourself to succumb to the voice of the dark side of life and are persuaded to repeat errors instead of mastering new disciplines, the voice of negativity grows stronger. Conversely, each time you listen to the urgings of the voice of success, you will be persuaded to turn off the television with its 24/7 spewing of propaganda on the right and the left. Instead, you will pick up a good book, open your journals and record your thoughts, or invest a quiet moment pondering where your current actions may be leading you. It is then that the voice of success responds to these new disciplines and grows in strength and volume as each day passes. Become a disciple of success because each new discipline is another step forward.

You can never totally eradicate the voice of failure from within you. It will always be there, urging you to think, feel, and act in a way that is contrary to your own best interests. Even with this realization, you can effectively silence this destructive influence by developing a sound philosophy and a positive attitude about life and your future.

Creating a new philosophy is actually easy to do. Making new and better decisions is easy to do. Developing a new attitude is easy to do. All of the worthwhile and rewarding topics that we have covered over the past few weeks are easy to do, but the major challenge, the one that could leave you with pennies instead of fortune and trinkets instead of treasures is that it is also easy not to do. The choice is ultimately yours, and it is your responsibility.

You must keep a watchful eye on the subtle differences between success and failure and be ever mindful of the inner urging that would have you repeating costly errors rather than developing new disciplines.

You must each make your own conscious decision to reach out for the good life through the refinement of your thoughts and the careful examination of the potential consequences of your accumulated errors. You must not allow yourself to think that the errors do not matter. They do. You must not allow yourself to assume that a lack of discipline in one small area of your life will not make a difference. It will. You must not allow yourself to believe that you can have all that you want to have and become all that you wish to be without making any changes in the way we think about life. You must.

The journey toward the rich and satisfying life begins with a serious commitment to changing any aspect of your current philosophy that has the capacity to come between you and your dreams. The remaining trails that you will hike on your trek of life can be of little value if you have not first made the firm resolve to hike the trail of developing a powerful personal philosophy completely.

Everything is within your reach if you will read the books, study the information that is available, use the journals, practice the disciplines, and wage a new and vigorous battle against neglect. These are some of the fundamental activities that lead not only to the development of a new philosophy but to a new life filled with joy and accomplishment. Each new and positive activity weakens the grip of failure and steers you ever closer to the destination of your choice. Each new, disciplined step taken toward success strengthens your philosophical posture and increases your chances of achieving a well-balanced life. The first step in realizing this worthy achievement lies in being willing to take on the The Five Trails of Life’s Trek by first developing a powerful personal philosophy.

We are deliberately taking our trek slowly as we learn How to Develop a Powerful Personal Philosophy on our continued hike up the Trail of Philosophy today. This is not an easy hike to make. It requires changing your thinking and changing your habits from failures to success. It requires a few simple disciplines practiced each day and not succumbing to neglect.

Next week on Philosophy Friday we will move onto our 2nd trail, which is the Trail of Attitude. I know you will find these insights interesting and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life. Our next trek will be Motivation Monday as we 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:

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 467 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 is from Croft M. Pentz, who says, “Failure is merely the opportunity to start over again, wiser than before.”

We will all experience failure to various degrees in our lives. Practically every day we attempt tasks and actions where we fall short. This is to be expected and should be welcomed. We can learn so many great lessons and gain much wisdom as we strive to succeed in various areas of our lives. While none of us desire to fail, neither should we fear it. If our decisions and subsequent actions do not cause loss of life or limb, then we can overcome nearly every other outcome of failure.

One of my favorite animated movies is the Disney movie called Meet the Robinsons in which the entire overriding premise of the animated film is that we should rejoice when the projects we are working on fail because it allows us to gain wisdom and provides one more verifiable way we know does not work. The tagline of the animated movie, which I have adopted for myself, is to “Keep moving forward.” So, do not fear failure. Instead, embrace it, learn from it, and gain wisdom through it. Then learn to enjoy your journey, even with its detours and obstacles, as you “keep moving forward.”  2 Timothy 1:7 instructs us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. 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:

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