Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 396 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trail, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the first half of Chapter 15.

We are broadcasting from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After a week in North Carolina, we are heading back to Marietta today and will be staying until Sunday evening to work with clients and celebrate our granddaughter Aurora’s 5th birthday. Late Sunday we will return for about 10 days before heading out to Arizona to invest some time with our friends and partners the Mecoms on our construction project in Mesa.

This past Saturday we had a wonderful time with Josphat and Emily Yego, who are Chelimo’s parents. Sharing time and meals with them and discussing plans for their leadership institute in Kenya was very enjoyable. We hope to visit them in Kenya sometime within the next couple of years. Of course, the highlight for all of us is investing time in our mutual grandson Kiprono.

To navigate all of these future plans that God has for us will certainly take wisdom and insight, and there is no better place in the world than the Book of Wisdom, which is Proverbs, to gather that wisdom. On our trek for today, we will dig into the first 17 verses of chapter 15. The title for today’s trek is taken from verse 1, and it is…

1 A gentle answer deflects anger,

There are many exhortations within Scripture about controlling your speech. One of the best ways to avoid or minimize a potentially volatile situation is to respond with gentleness. It is very difficult for an argument to last when it is one sided. The best way to respond is with a gentle answer, which will usually diffuse the situation.  If you respond with harshness, then it will create an ugly situation where nothing is truly settled or accomplished.

One commitment I had made to Paula before we were married is that I would not argue with her and that if we had any differences of opinion, we would work through them rationally and with prayer. After nearly 37 years of marriage, I can testify that this practice has worked extremely well for us.

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,

It is so refreshing to be in the presence of a wise person. When they speak, it is usually limited, but very insightful and powerful.  Their speech is full of knowledge and without pretense. On the other hand, when you are in the company of a fool, it is evident that they are just spewing verbal garbage, and time spent with them has little redeeming value. Choose wisdom over foolishness.

3 The Lord is watching everywhere,

God knows all things, and he even understands the thoughts and intents of our minds. A person who believes that he can hide or get away with that which is contrary to God’s precepts is only fooling himself. Be good and Godly.

4 Gentle words are a tree of life;

Similar to verse 1, our speech should always be gentle and helpful. When you are kind and helpful, then your words will bring healing and hope to those who listen to your wise and gentle words. If you are hurtful or deceptive in your speech, you will end up hurting those who hear it, and it will bring damage to them. Another unfortunate result is that it will also hurt the person who speaks in this manner.

5 Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;

A person who ignores or hates the discipline, which means to disciple or teach, of their parents, or any wise mentors, is only hurting himself, and will continue to make foolish choices and decisions. Contrary to this is that a person who welcomes and learns from wise correction will, in turn, become wise.

6 There is treasure in the house of the godly,

If you remain good and Godly, your home will be filled with riches and treasures that no money can buy. There will be an unlimited amount of love, kindness, and wisdom that will direct the course of your life. A person who chooses not to follow God’s precepts, even if they earn riches, will have a home full of problems and trouble.

7 The lips of the wise give good advice;

What comes out of our mouth is a by-product of what we allow to go into our minds. What we plant in our minds will produce the same kind of crop. This will be evidenced by what comes out of our mouth. If you plant wisdom, then you will harvest and speak wisdom and good advice. If you plant foolishness and evil, then you will produce the weeds of foolishness and will have no redeeming value to those who listen.

8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,

God is not interested in our outward showing of being religious. He is only interested our heart and deeds of service based on the proper motives of our heart. God is a personal God and wants to communicate with us through His Word, and for us to communicate to Him through prayer. External religious trappings are not what God desires, but a heart that loves Him and others is.

9 The Lord detests the way of the wicked,

Continuing the thoughts from the previous verse, God desires all His children to pursue godliness which means knowing and following the precepts of His Word. Those who refuse to follow those precepts are an affront to God as He desires our fellowship with Him.

10 Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined;

It is not a trivial thing to choose a different path for your life than following God. Since God is the creator of all, He has set certain rules that we are to follow. These are for our own good because He loves us. When we choose a different path, we will fall outside of God’s guidelines and bring harm on ourselves in many different ways. If we choose to continue down this path, it will eventually result in death to us.

11 Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord.

God knows the beginning to the end of all things in time and space. Death and destruction never surprise Him since it is permitted by Him as a result of mankind’s general disobedience. If He knows all things, He knows that thoughts and intents of our mind and heart in all that we do.

12 Mockers hate to be corrected,

A person who is foolish, and chooses not to follow God’s precepts does not want to hear that he is wrong. He is so adamant about this that he will avoid those who are wise so that he is not confronted with mockery.

13 A glad heart makes a happy face;

You can tell when someone is glad and truly joyful internally because their face will reflect the person’s happy heart. The opposite of that is a person who is struggling with real hardships that permeate his very heart.  Even if he puts on a smile, it will be evident that he is dealing with a crushed spirit.

14 A wise person is hungry for knowledge,

This is such a recurring theme, not only in Proverbs but in all of life.  Who we are or become is controlled primarily by two related factors.  Who we invest time with and what we allow going into our minds.  If you desire to be wise, you will invest time with wise people and absorb wise information. If you allow trash to fill your mind, then you become more and more foolish.

15 For the despondent, every day brings trouble;

I refer to this as the Eeyore effect taken from the Winnie the Pooh character. Unless there is a physical reason for it, most of the time despondency is controlled by what we allow entering into our minds. When you get sucked into that mindset, then every day finds hardships and problems because subconsciously you are looking for it and expecting life to be hard. If you change your mind through the reading of God’s Word on a daily basis, you will find that your heart begins to become joyful and happy. When this happens, then life will be much better because that is what you are anticipating.

16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,

Wealth and material items will never bring happiness and joy. You can have everything that money can buy and still be full of turmoil. You will never have enough, and the pursuit of more brings more turmoil. If you find your contentment and peace in God, then you will have all that you need.

17 A bowl of vegetables with someone you love

Most everyone loves a good steak or some other great meal, but if you have to share it with someone that you don’t like or who doesn’t like you, it loses its enjoyment. It is much better to have a meager meal of just vegetables with someone you love. The enjoyment of the meal is largely dependent on who you are sharing it with.

Today’s trail was once again filled with so many nuggets of wisdom. We learned the importance of using gentle words when speaking to others. We also learned the importance of what we allow feeding our minds. These truths may take time to become habits in our lives but are so important. Make it a habit of incorporating these wise principles into your life.

Tomorrow we will have another short segment of Wisdom Unplugged where we will uncover 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 your daily dose 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. I would also appreciate it if you would rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

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 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 395 of our trek.  It is Tuesday and time for our 2-3 minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom will include an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom on each Tuesday & Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from the beloved author Charles Dickens, who is famous for his book A Christmas Carol and many other great stories. His quote is, “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”

This quote is so true. It takes a truly wise person to have a loving heart toward all people. We should not just love those who love us, but also those who are unlovely. Our world would be so much richer and wiser if each of us grew in our capacity to love others unconditionally. So many times our relationships are based on conditional love. That is to say, if a person acts in a way that I am in agreement with, then I will love them.  Another conditional love is if they love me, then I will love them. The entirety of the Holy Bible is summed up in a single verse found in Galatians 5:14, “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Here is the caveat. You can never unconditionally love others until you first unconditionally love yourself. So, as you trek through your life learn to love yourself, and then express that love by loving others unconditionally. It is then you will gain true wisdom.

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 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 for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 394 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 we will explore the success trail of self-motivation.

We are broadcasting from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is good to have a respite from the additional work at The Big House, and we are getting caught up with some of the backlogs of client work. We do have much to do on our podcast-related projects also, so hopefully we will be able to start focusing on those projects soon.

I am recording this podcast prior to the weekend, so I will have to update you with our weekend activities on Wisdom Wednesday. Our plans are to invest time with our daughter-in-law Chelimo’s parents Josphat and Emily Yego on Saturday. They are visiting from Kenya, and we are looking forward to discussing partnering with them as they establish a leadership institute in Kenya. If weather permits, we will also visit the Biltmore House and Gardens on Sunday after church.

We desire to invest in every opportunity that will assist us in daily creating our living legacy while we live a rich and satisfying life. This is what we consider being truly successful. We do realize that all success requires that we are motivated within to drive us forward to the success that we wish to achieve. On our trek today we will hike the trail called…

Let’s start up our trail, and consider the following…A lot of very smart people end up as failures – failures in life, in work, and in relationships. A lot of very smart people are given plenty of opportunities for success and never take advantage of them. A lot of very smart people are born into privilege and yet turn into failures. And a lot of very smart people accumulate degrees and skills and still fail to achieve what we think they would. What is the common factor in all of these failures? It’s lack of self-motivation.

If you listened to Philosophy Friday, we focused on the universal law of planting and harvesting. When a person lacks self- motivation, they do not follow this law and, therefore, miss the opportunities that will lead to success.

All of the intelligence and all of the opportunity and all of the book learning is simply for nothing if there is no motivation to do anything with them. Let’s look at the 10 milestones that will teach us why self-motivation is the only trail to success.

A child may be motivated to pick up his toys if there is a reward for doing so (of if there is a punishment for not doing so). Someone outside of himself has created that motivation. If there were not an outside motivator, the child would probably not be so quick to pick up those toys. He has no self-motivation. As we mature, we should become self-directed individuals. We muster up the motivation to accomplish things – or not. If we don’t become self-directing, then we won’t meet with success. It relates back to the law mentioned previously, but here are 10 specific reasons.

If you desire to be a successful person you must set goals and then go after them. Those goals must come from within, based on your passions. For the non-self-motivated person, if goals are set at all, they are only small temporary ones. Such goals may be to get a job that will pay the bills or to save enough money to take a vacation. They are small and short-term.

Even if the unmotivated person is able to set a long-term goal, (s)he then fails to develop a plan to achieve that goal. The goal just becomes a dream for “someday.” As a self-motivated person, you will develop a very specific plan of action, you will constantly review that plan of action, make modifications when necessary, and stay on that trail toward your destination.

To be successful, you must take risks. In fact, you are driven to take risks, because you will stagnate otherwise. Unmotivated people find excuses not to take risks, and those excuses become a justification for their stagnation. It’s not the right time; others have tried that and failed; my friends say it’s a stupid idea; my family won’t support me.

Optimism is that belief that the future holds promise. It provides you with energy and enthusiasm. When you are self-motivated, you are optimistic about your future. Unmotivated people have fear and insecurity about the future. They are therefore willing to stay in their comfort zones where they are safe and don’t have to fear an uncertain future. The fact is, fear actually grows larger every time they stay in their comfort zone.

Being self-motivated, you know that you alone are responsible for your successes and failures. When you meet failure, you are able to reflect on it, identify what you did wrong, and change your behaviors and circumstances so that success is ultimately achieved. The unmotivated person blames others and never looks within to see what should be changed.

Being a self-motivated person, once you set your path toward success, you will stop talking and start doing. You are a list-maker who gets up each day with actions in mind. The unmotivated individual develops his path perhaps but then spins his wheels talking about what he intends to do. No action follows all of that talk.

Being self-motivated, you take action and have met with some successes. Even if your successes are initially small, you have developed the self-confidence to keep moving forward and take on new and greater challenges. The unmotivated person has not taken action and, therefore, cannot muster up any self-confidence to take on a challenge.

Passion comes from your deep desire and a love for what you are undertaking and pursuing. Being self-motivated you are able to feel the passion, and that keeps you going through any rough patches and obstacles, even big ones. The unmotivated individual shuts down as soon as a rough patch is hit because he doesn’t have that inner passion that will push him through it.

When you are motivated, you are not easily distracted. When you begin a project, you never leave it half-finished. This applies to your entire life. You set a goal, begin planning and acting, and resist getting side-tracked by other events and circumstances. As a self-motivated individual you never take your “eye off the ball.” You resist distractions and move forward.

Being a self-motivated individual, you have a passion for what you are doing and you speak about the goals you have set whenever you have chance, even to strangers. You find opportunities to connect with other like-minded people; you surround yourself with other self-motivated individuals. All of this relationship-building brings opportunities for partnerships, for funding, and for all sorts of support. The unmotivated person doesn’t seek these connections and misses opportunities.

Passion, drive, planning, focus, and steady action – these are the hallmarks of a self-motivated individual. These are the very things that every successful person will tell you are the keys to success. All of them have their origin and their lives within that larger realm of self-motivation. When you are self-motivated, you realize that hard work will be the evidence of your drive. You fully understand the principles of planting and harvesting that we discussed in detail on the last Philosophy Friday trek. Here are three reminders of the results of our self-motivation and hard work.

Proverbs 10:4 – Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.

Proverbs 13:4 – Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.

Proverbs 21:5 – Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

On the trail of self-motivation that we have hiked today, we can clearly see the 10 milestones that will result when we follow this trail. Let us apply them to our lives so that we can create and live a positive legacy for all to see.

Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These 2-3 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 your daily dose 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. I would also appreciate it if you would rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

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 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 podcast. This is Day 393 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. Today we are continuing our trek covering the Cycles and Seasons of Life. In particular, we are moving forward and focusing on the fall season of life.

We are broadcasting from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We drove back to Charlotte on Wednesday and will be here for a week before heading back to Marietta for a few days to assist clients and enjoy our granddaughter Aurora’s 5th birthday celebration.

We do travel a good bit, but with each season of life, our focus and priorities will change. We need to be flexible and willing to make those changes. Life rarely turns out how we expected and is based on the accumulation of all the decisions we have made in our lives up till now. The key to living a rich and satisfying life is to make wise decisions and then choose to enjoy life even if it is different than we expected.

What you plant in the spring season of life and then nurture during the summer season of life is what you will harvest in the fall season of life. So plant and nurture wisely, so your harvest will be fruitful and in abundance. Realize also that during your lifetime, there will be many different cycles of seasons. Just because a particular season did not turn out as you expected, don’t let that control the entirety of your life. Each winter season is a time for reflection and planning while each new spring season gives you an opportunity to start new again.

This brings us to our trek for today as we consider moving from summer to fall within the Cycles and Seasons of Life, and this section of our trek is titled…

I would like to start off our trek today with a quote from Lin Yutang who explained the seasons of life in this way, “I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like fall best of all, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tone mellower, its colors richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow… Its golden riches speak not of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kingly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and is content.”

I have to admit that I am approaching my fall of life, and I find this quote to be so true.  As I mature, it is easier to see the richness of life but also some of the limitations of life. With this knowledge, I can be content with life how it is, not necessarily how I expected it to be.

Fall is a time for celebration as well as a time for a searching of the conscience. If you planted abundantly in the spring and fought against the insects, weeds, and weather of summer, fall can bring rewards that will give you cause for rejoicing.

On the other hand, if you watched both the arrival and departure of spring and made little effort to take advantage of its almost momentary tenure, fall can be a time of turmoil, a time of anxiety, and a time of great regret.

It is in the fall when you discover how long or short the winter will be. The fall tells you if you have really done that which is required, or if you have fooled yourself through the temporary anesthetizing of conversation and pretense of telling yourself you have worked enough when you haven’t.

Although the following truths are difficult to accept at times, you must take the responsibility for your harvest during the fall. The soil and the arrival of fall together occupy the seat of judgment which presents the final truth of your effort. There can be no disputing its final verdict, for the evidence of your toil, care, and patience is indisputable. Either the crops are bountiful, or they are not. If not, you need to look no further than to the hands of those who were charged with responsibility last spring. The excuses of poor soil, poor seed, or bad weather are better left unsaid. 

Nothing is more exciting than a bountiful harvest and nothing more dreadful than a barren field in the fall. So it is as you are given the responsibility for planting the crops of your field, and so it is also when you are given the responsibilities of your life and success in every area. An unproductive and meager result in the season reserved for harvesting makes confession of your own past failures both difficult and necessary.

An empty bank account is a sign of a past ineffective effort. It is a sign of a missed opportunity. It is a sign of too much procrastination or laziness or spending on non-essential luxuries. The principles and laws found in God’s Word are faultless. This applies equally well to the farmer, to the business person, and to your personal life. Just like the law of gravity is a universal law, there is a law of God that is equally applied to all things and all people, regardless of personal belief. This law has endured since the creation of the world, and for that long, humans have sought to circumvent it, or argue with it, and even to ignore it. In the end, your results demonstrate if you have obeyed or disobeyed its orders. The law is simple and known to all. The law is found in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” This law is universal in both the spiritual and natural worlds.

In all areas of the human existence, be aware that what you put into this world, you get back from it. It is God’s principle and has a way of leveling the field. Your thoughts and actions determine your results, your lifestyle, and your attitude. Lies, sooner or later, attract lies in return. Finding an easier way at the expense of quality will take its inevitable toll in decreased results whether that be in profits or in sleepless nights, or both. All effort, whether it is how you treat others personally or in the business world, be it service, marketing, recruiting, or products must bring good to all those who are involved, or the effort will not withstand the final test of time.

Corn planted in the spring will produce corn in the fall, as will wheat, barley, or melons produce after their own kind. You cannot plant one crop and expect to harvest another just because you change your mind during mid-summer.

While there may be temporary exceptions to this, it is a tendency of humans to look at those who enjoy success as having been, at some earlier time, either lucky or dishonest. Surely, the man driving the luxury car toward his expensive home on the hill could not deserve it through hard work and sacrifice. Such is the language of the poor. For the fortunate man with the car and the house on the hill, these are crops given to him in his fall of the business season, as just rewards for efforts expended during an earlier springtime of his life. This may be the same springtime during which those who now condemn the man possibly sat back and laughed, or fished, or told stories. This is the folly of humans. 

Those who condemn the successful man or woman for their apparent good fortune or dishonesty are unaware of the price often paid for success. They cannot see the massive disappointments, the shattered hopes, or the broken dreams. They do not understand the risks incurred in both raising and investing capital for an idea yet unproven. They do not see the legal involvements, the tax burdens, the challenges of labor, or the restraining governmental regulations. Nor do they appreciate the family dissent that seems to automatically accompany the pursuit of success. Those who condemn see and scorn the result, being unaware of the cost as well as the cause that produced the success. 

In the fall, we either enjoy, or we excuse. For those who failed to take full advantage of the spring, who failed to guard their crops carefully throughout the heat of summer, there can be no legitimate reasons, only excuses, and excuses are merely apologetic attempts to place blame on circumstances rather than on ourselves.

The difference between an inadequate apartment and a mansion on the hill is the same as the difference between average effort in the spring and massive effort in the spring. Nature always promises that a cup produces a bushel, that we will receive more than we plant. Knowing this, as all of us do, we forget that to reap many bushels, which is the measure of success, we still must plant many cups. Massive action in the spring of life is still the requirement for massive success in the fall. Forty hours a week invested in the fields of opportunity may not be enough, especially if it is invested in the wrong field. Sometimes, to improve your results, you must make the painful admission that your present field is too rocky, or thorny, or that the fertile soil is too shallow. And while there is great difficulty involved in changing one field for another more fertile field, that difficulty is insignificant compared to the ultimate difficulty that comes from not changing.

The truths of the fall season are difficult for us to accept. I also struggle with these concepts, even though they are universally true. I realize that there may be overriding exceptions, but we cannot allow that to be an excuse for a meager harvest.

We all know of those who have overcome massive mountains of opposition to produce a bountiful harvest in their lives. It is my prayer that all of us, including myself, will take to heart, consider, and understand these truths. The immutable laws of planting and harvesting are set by God and cannot be changed or violated any more than we can override the law of gravity. When you grasp this concept, then you can direct and achieve a rich and satisfying life that Jesus offers in John [10:10].

Next Friday we will change our season to the winter season of life, the length of which will be dependent on our results during fall. 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. 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 your daily dose 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. I would also appreciate it if you would rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

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 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 392 of our trek. It is Thursday and time for our 2-3 minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom will include an inspirational quote with a little additional content for that day’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom Tuesday & Thursday. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from an unknown author, but the wise tip is still great. This is it, “A fool tells you what he will do; a boaster what he has done. The wise man does it and says nothing.”

As I have mentioned on many of our Wisdom-Treks, we need to learn when it is wise and appropriate to speak. First, you probably know the type of person that is always talking about what they are going to do, but just never seems to get around to accomplishing much with his life. This type of person is foolish because the only one he is fooling is himself.

Next, the boaster loves to shout about the many wonderful things he does, but he is usually only wonderful to himself. Lastly, it is refreshing to come across a truly wise person. He does his work, and usually more, without the need to speak about it. His success is evident in his deeds.

Let us all aspire to be wise, do the work with all of our strength, and let our deeds speak for themselves. Always be satisfied with a job well done regardless of any praise or accolades. Knowing that we have done our best is sufficient.

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 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 for Philosophy Friday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 391 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 second half of Chapter 14.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. After some meetings with our clients in Marietta on Tuesday, we are heading back to Charlotte today for a week. It will be good to take a break from the renovation work we have been completing on The Big House. We will return to Marietta next Wednesday to work with our clients here and for our granddaughter Aurora’s 5th birthday celebration.

We are blessed that our work is somewhat location independent. Maintaining two homes was never something I would have imagined doing, but we do feel that is God’s plan for us in this season of our life. While we fully realize and understand there are no guarantees in life, real estate is usually a wise investment long term, so our hope is that it will remain to be so for many more years.

Making wise decisions to the best of our ability is important in life, and there is no better source for wisdom than God’s Word and in particular the book of Proverbs. As we head out on our trek for today, let’s dig for those nuggets of wisdom that fill the book of Proverbs. Today we will dig into the second half of Chapter 14. Today’s trek is…

18 Simpletons are clothed with foolishness,

Many times you can tell something about a person by the way they dress. In this verse, we can tell if a person is simple because they clothe themselves in foolishness. You may remember from past studies in Proverbs that a simple person is one who has the capacity to be wise but has not obtained it either through ignorance or choice. The default attire for this person is being foolish. A person who is truly a fool is someone who knows what wisdom is and how to obtain it but has deliberately chosen to ignore wisdom. In contrast to a simpleton, a prudent person can also be known by his attire. He will have wisdom, knowledge, and discernment that will be as evident and obvious as if he was wearing a crown.

19 Evil people will bow before good people;

A person who chooses to ignore God’s precepts will eventually be subservient to people who have chosen to follow God’s precepts. The evil or wicked person will continue on the wrong trails of life. When they are in trouble because of their unwise decisions, they will have to bow before those who are in the positions of authority for assistance.

20 The poor are despised even by their neighbors,

An unfortunate fact of life is that most people will be friends with someone who can provide benefit to them. The poor person usually has little to offer, so most people will not like them or get to know them, even if they are close neighbors. A person who does have wealth will have many fair weathered friends who are looking to benefit themselves.  These types of people will never be true friends.

21 It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor;

As an extension of the previous verse, we see how God would want us to act. This is one of His basic precepts that we should follow. We should not look down on or make another person feel inferior for any reason, especially not for an economic reason. The way we will prosper in life, both spiritually and financially is to help those who are in need. Especially those who would have a difficult time correcting their financial situation on their own.

22 If you plan to do evil, you will be lost;

One of the many reasons that I love to study the book of Proverbs is that it is so practical. The precepts and principles of God are clear and easy to understand, just like it is easy to understand the law of gravity. If you do evil deeds, then you will lose your way in life and suffer the consequences of your decisions. In contrast to this, if you make it a habit and plan to do good, you will receive the same back to you in the form of love and faithfulness from others.

23 Work brings profit,

The truth of this verse could not get much simpler.  If you work and live within your means, then you will be profitable. You will slowly gain wealth in your life. If you only talk about working, but never get around to it, then don’t be surprised when you end up in poverty with nothing.

24 Wealth is a crown for the wise;

A crown is the sign of honor, of status and of someone who has exerted the needed effort to succeed. In addition to royalty, a crown was often given to the winner of an athletic event. If you are wise in life and especially financially, your wealth will be your winner’s crown. On the other hand, if you are foolish, spend more than you earn, and do not make wise investments in life, you will end up harvesting the crop of foolishness

25 A truthful witness saves lives,

There is little that is sadder than a miscarriage of justice, especially in a court of law. We know it does happen, but that does not make it noble or right. A person who is truthful in his testimony and in all areas of life will help those who are wrongly accused.  A person who is not truthful in his testimony will be a traitor to justice and cause harm to others

26 Those who fear the Lord are secure;

If we trust in God that He will provide for us, then He will fulfill His promises. We will be secure in all areas of life and that security will also cover our families. A refuge is a place of safety and security.

27 Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain;

Respect for God and his precepts for life will provide the strength and vitality that we need to live good and Godly. It will keep us safe because we will be wise in the decisions that we are making.

28 A growing population is a king’s glory;

The results of our efforts are proof of whether they are good and honorable. For a king, this would be the number of people who were his subjects. For someone else, this would be that which they are responsible for. In contrast to this, even if you have a position of power or status, if you are not responsible for anything, then it is an empty shell.

29 People with understanding control their anger;

One sure sign of a wise and confident person is how they act when confronted with conflict and stress. If you are wise and understanding, then there is no reason to lash out at others. A person who loses his temper shows immaturity, selfishness, impatience, lack of confidence, and foolishness.

30 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;

All the advancements in medical science in the past few decades only confirms what King Solomon told us several thousand years ago.  If you learn to control stress and remain at peace, then you will also maintain your health. Contrary to this, if you are jealous and stressed, then the likelihood of coming down with cancer and other stress-related illnesses will greatly increase.

31 Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,

God cares for everyone, especially for those who are less fortunate. When we care for those who cannot care for themselves, then we are taking on the character of God in our lives. In doing this, we also bring honor to His name.

32 The wicked are crushed by disaster,

When we deliberately refuse to follow God’s ways, then we will become wicked in our lives. We will have no security or protection from that which can harm us. The wicked have no hope. On the other side of that are those who choose to live good and Godly lives. We know that God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble.  Most of all we know that our eternity is secure.

33 Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart;

The person who has chosen to follow God and His Word will gain wisdom throughout their lifetime. Wisdom will become such an integral part of them that it is embedded in the very fabric of who they are. Contrary to that are those who have chosen to remain a fool. It will be evident because they will lack basic wisdom.

34 Godliness makes a nation great,

This is another basic principle from God, and one that many nations of this world would be wise to take note of.  If the people of a nation choose to live Godly lives, then the nation will be strengthened. In contrast to this, if the people of a nation choose that which is contrary to God’s ways, then other nations will despise them.

35 A king rejoices in wise servants

Whether you are a king, a business owner, a manager, or a parent you will rejoice when those that you are responsible for make wise choices. On the flip side, there is nothing more heartbreaking than to see someone you are responsible for making foolish choices. It will make you angry and disgraced that they cannot see the wise way.

Today’s trail was once again filled with so many nuggets of wisdom. These truths are not hard to implement within our lives. We can easily consume and digest them which will strengthen us each day.  Make it a habit of incorporating these wise principles into your life.

Tomorrow we will have another short segment of Wisdom Unplugged where we will uncover 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 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 building podcast. This is Day 390 of our trek. It is Tuesday and time for our 2-3 minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom will include an inspirational quote with a little additional content for that day’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom on those days. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Harold Kushner, and his wisdom is, “We do ourselves and others a disservice when we make old age something to be feared.  Life is not a resource to be used up, so that the older we get, the less life we have left.  Life is the accumulation of wisdom, love, and experience of people encountered and obstacles overcome. The longer we live, the more life we possess.”

When we are young, many times we do not realize the treasures of wisdom that older and wiser people have. As I am approaching 60 shortly, I realize just how true this is. With today’s advancement in technology and medicine, it is possible that I am only reaching middle age.What excites me about that is that if God grants me a long life, I have the opportunity to both gain more wisdom and experiences and to share it to positively impact the lives of others much more effectively in the next half of my life. Regardless of your age, continue to learn, to love, to gain wisdom, to experience life to the fullest, and to live that rich and satisfying life each day that God gives to you.

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.

As we take this trek 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 for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 389 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 we will explore three short trails that will help you to remain motivated and focused throughout this week.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Saturday of this week, we are headed north to Canton, Ohio for the annual Robb Reunion. Paula’s mom’s maiden name is Robb, and we always enjoy getting together with family who all share our common faith in God. We always attend the annual reunion, as getting together and sharing with family is an important aspect of our lives. It is just a day trip, so we will leave early in the morning and return Saturday evening.

I am also working on some of the renovation projects that I was unable to complete earlier. This past week I was able to apply roof coating to a small alcove roof outside the dining room. There is a small amount of wood trim around that same alcove that I have to finish painting also. This project will finish up the significant projects on the house itself that we had set for this summer.

I still plan to use the power washer on the cracks in the driveway to prepare them for crack filler.  After these projects are completed, we will take a little break on renovations for now and begin to make plans for next year’s projects based on the time and resources available. I will need to maintain the lawn and flowers the remainder of this summer, and before we know it, the leaves will be falling again, which will keep me busy this fall.

So, it is now time to look forward to this week’s dose of motivation to help us along the trails of life. Today our trek will take us on…

The first of the three trails takes us up the mountain with the 21 Steps to a Happy Life. Listen to these steps as we come to them and allow them to motivate you to live an impactful life this week.

That brings us to a plateau where we will switch to our 2nd trail for today. Along this plateau, we come across 11 milestones that will become our Creed to Live By this week. Think about each one and how you can apply it to your life, which will help you to make a greater impact on the lives of others.

Now we come to our third trail for our trek today, which is the Trail of Remembrance.  As we continue upward to new heights, let us remember these 20 stops along our journey.

As we come to the end of today’s trek, let me motivate you with the words that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi Chapter 4 verses 4-9, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

On the three trails of motivation that we have hiked today, we have considered many encouraging words. Let us apply them to our lives so that we can create and live a positive legacy for all to see.

Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These 2-3 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 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 388 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. Today we are continuing our trek covering the Cycles and Seasons of Life. In particular, we are moving forward and focusing on the summer season of life.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As we are settling back into a more normal routine, there is so much exciting client work and podcast-related projects to work on that staying focused on one area at a time is a challenge.

I am unsubscribing to many promotional emails that I receive in order to minimize the rabbit trail distractions that they cause. Although much of this information is good and I can learn from them, with a plate that is already overflowing, I need to focus on the most pressing projects that can be completed within the next few months. Since I love to learn and absorb new information, it is a challenge to minimize distractions but a habit that is required in order to maximize my output.

This reminds me of the summer season of life that we will explore today. Once your seeds of spring are planted and your plants are growing, you must be diligent to protect that growth by purging the weeds and insects of life that can easily destroy all the seeds that you planted earlier. You must also remember to keep the new plants sufficiently watered so that they will flourish and grow into healthy fruit-bearing plants for the harvest time during the fall season of your life.

Speaking of life and its seasons, let’s head out on our trek for today as we move from spring to summer within the Cycles and Seasons of Life within the section titled…

Success in life is not an easy matter, nor is it an easy matter for the seed to push away the soil in its quest to find the light and airborne chemicals that give it health. Progress in any form and happiness or success in any form requires constant effort, for obstacles exist that might discourage you if you are weak or if you feel undeserving. Overcome one obstacle in life, and another appears to fill the void. Life is designed to be a story of achievement in spite of adversity, not in the absence of adversity, for without adversity achievement could not exist.

Do not blame the problems and challenges of life for your humbling circumstances. Does the seed complain because of the rocks it must grow over, under, around, or through? Would any worthy life exist on earth if all life were to surrender when first confronted by difficulty? The constant, unrelenting pull of life is downward—giving cause for disappointment, despair, and discouragement. There shall always be a reason to give up; there shall always be cause for complaint. But if you engage in complaining, you add to the downward pull of life. The only automatic thing in life is weeds and insects. They need not be planted, nor cared for. Their existence is assumed in that they feed and survive on the good efforts of the industrious.

The summer of life is a time to protect; it is a time for the constant daily effort to guard against the busy insects and the harmful weeds. The spring is a time for the creation of things of value, and those things require the season of summer for growing and gaining strength so that you might yield your results in the coming fall. The end of spring cannot bring an end of your effort. Your spring effort ends, and your summer efforts remain yet to begin. If your effort ceases at the end of spring, your neglect will make its haunting appearance, and your growth will turn to stagnation and decay. 

Develop an understanding and awareness of the fact that all good will be attacked. It is life’s way of qualifying those who are worthy and those who are not. The weeds of life are designed to turn confidence into doubt, trust into suspicion, patience into impatience, and effort into procrastination, worry, and eventual defeat. Do not invest valuable time arguing with how life is. The weeds, insects, rocks, and storms of life will all laugh at you if you take the time to viciously accuse them of being unfair. Are they unfair? Yes, but you cannot seek something for nothing or seek the rewards of life without paying the price of waging war against obstacles by increased activity and determination. Invest no time chasing the birds who seek to peck at your seeds or the insects who seek to devour your coming harvest. For if you make diligent efforts to plant, protect, and preserve, there are not enough birds, insects, or other obstacles to destroy all the efforts invested in the spring season of life.

Learn to accept the perpetual existence of negativity, and also learn that negativity always yields to your constant effort coupled with your constantly growing faith and positive attitude. As is written in Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

This is one of the many basic principles or truths of life and arises only when you combine the efforts of planting with the mental effort of believing, and the physical effort of constant attention to those things of value. Smile at adversity, and take action quickly to eliminate it. Expect adversity, for it shall surely appear. Be grateful for adversity, for it forces your spirit to grow. Your character is formed not in the absence of difficulty but in your response to difficulty.

Both of us, you and I live in a world of causes and consequences. The harvest, which is our life as we now live it, is the result of seeds planted at an earlier time. Some of the “seeds” we planted ourselves through unbreakable habits. Others were planted for us by parents, teachers, and other well-meaning, but often misguided, people whose own poor thinking habits were passed on to us. In either case, our current attitude, finances, environment, lifestyle, and view of our own future possibilities are called circumstances—and to change circumstances, we must change the cause of those circumstances, which is ourselves. We must change our habits, our attitudes, our opinions, and often our occupation, residence, and even friends if circumstances are ever to change.

Think about it in this analogy…A man visits the shop of a gardener and, without thinking or even inquiring, selects what appears to be an attractive plant, which he purchases, takes home, and plants in his yard. Months later he discovers that the plant has grown, matured, and now blossoms into a healthy poinsettia to which he is allergic. To wish now that the plant were a rose or a tulip, would be foolish. The circumstances will not change because he dislikes the result. He alone is the cause of his watery eyes and running nose.

And so it is if you are a person who lives amid mediocrity—whether the seeds which brought about that condition were placed into the soil of life by yourself or by someone else is unimportant. To accuse others, to feel sorry for yourself, or to continue rationalizing or making excuses is foolish. Only a massive, voluntary, and effective assault on changing causes is important. Direct your thought, conversation, and full attention to that if you wish to change circumstances.

Concentrate a good share of your idle hours upon self-development by planning more, reading more, and investing more. Invest your time in worthy projects; invest your thoughts toward a worthy purpose; invest your talents toward a worthy occupation; invest your affection toward a worthy recipient; and finally, reserve your greatest respect for yourself, for it is that image – what you perceive yourself to be – that determines your quality of life. Never forget that you are created in the very image of God as is written in Genesis 1:27, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Let’s face it. People and events are going to continue to both hurt and disappoint you. Among those people will be those you most love as well as those you least know. Seldom is it their intent to purposely hurt you, but rather a variety of situations mostly beyond your control will cause them to act, speak, or think in ways that can hurt you, your present feelings, emotions, and the way your life unfolds. It has been this way through six thousand years of recorded history, and your hurt or grief is not the first time a human has been deeply hurt by the inappropriate actions of another.

The only way to avoid being touched by life, the good as well as the bad, is to withdraw from society. Even then you will disappoint yourself, and your imaginings about what is going on out in the world will haunt you and hurt you. Knowing this, there is but one solution that will support you when people and events hurt you—and that is to learn to work harder on your own personal growth than anything else. Since you cannot control the weather or the traffic or the ones you love or your neighbors or your boss, then you must learn to control yourself. It is only your response to the difficulties of life that really counts.

Do not doubt yourself, for where doubt resides confidence cannot. Do not neglect yourself, for with neglect comes loss. Do not imagine yourself to be less than you are nor more than you are, but seek always to become all of which you are capable. Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or discourteous, for both are characteristics adopted by those who seek to cover their weaknesses. Do not waste time regretting the past, but invest that time wisely by preparing a better future. You are a fertile seed of the creator of all things, destined not to lie dormant but to spring forth from the soil called life and grow upward toward the unlimited horizons— overcoming all obstacles in the process.

It is your destiny to tap your talents and to achieve all that of which you believe yourself to be worthy…to love more, anticipate more, overcome more, plan more, attract more, and to enjoy more than you ever dreamed possible. Such is the standard of life awaiting your mental decision and outstretched hand. 

This has been a rather lengthy trail on today’s trek, but one that we really need to take to heart, consider, and understand. The immutable laws of planting and harvesting are set by God and cannot be changed or violated any more than we can override the law of gravity. When you grasp this concept, then you can direct and achieve a rich and satisfying life that Jesus offers in John [10:10]. Next Friday we will change our season to fall which is a time for harvest.

Our next trek will be Motivation Monday where we explore three short trails to help motivate you and 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 your dose 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 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. I would like to ask you to also rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

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 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 Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week, wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 387 of our trek. We have started a new segment on Tuesday and Thursday of each week in which we will provide a short 2-3 minute trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom will be an inspirational quote with little or no additional content for that day’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom on those days. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his wisdom is,  “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.  It is the storm within which endangers him, not the storm without.” 

Fear is so debilitating. We need to remember that most of the time our fear within us is more a creation of our mind than any real harmful situation. Unless the situation causes us bodily harm or death, then we can and should overcome the fear. Unfounded fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. It only appears real in our minds. So, commit today to putting fear aside and live life to the fullest. Don’t let anything hold you back from achieving your God-given potential.

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.

As we take this trek 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 for Philosophy Friday!