Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 327 of our trek. Yesterday on our trek, we covered the 10 laws of a living legacy. Today and tomorrow we will hike on a difficult trail that is precarious as we learn how to be comfortable with discomfort.

Thank you so much for coming along with me daily as we add to our wisdom. All of us will experience times of discomfort in our lives which actually will help us to gain wisdom, insight, and understanding in our lives. Every day presents us a new opportunity to learn, to laugh, to love, and to make an impact in the lives of others that will last for eternity. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Paula was able to get outside today and thin out some of the daffodil bulbs that have really multiplied over the past few years. There is still a lot more to thin, so she will probably invest several days on it. We plan on spreading the bulbs to new areas, and also passing them out at the Chamberlain reunion in July. Many of the daffodils were originally planted by my Granny and possibly extend back as far as my great-grandmother who we called GG.

Thinking about being outside, we should get focused on our trek for today as we explore…

If you learn this skill, you can master pretty much anything. You can beat procrastination, start exercising, make your diet healthier, learn a new language, make it through challenges and physically grueling events, explore new things, speak on a stage,  and let go of all that holds you back.

Unfortunately, most people avoid discomfort. I mean, they really avoid it — at the first sign of discomfort, they’ll run as fast as possible in the other direction. This is perhaps the biggest limiting factor for most people, and it’s why you can’t change your habits.

Think about this…Many people don’t eat vegetables or wholesome foods because they have convinced themselves they don’t like the taste. We’re not talking about soul-wrenching pain here. No one is torturing you. It’s just a taste that’s just not something you’re used to. So instead you eat what you already like, which is sweets and fried stuff and processed meats, cheeses, salty things, and lots of boxed foods that are highly processed with little or no nutritional content. The simple act of learning to get used to something that tastes different is not really that hard in the grand scheme of life. Yet, by not being a bit uncomfortable, it makes people unhealthy and usually overweight.

Somehow in our minds we convince ourselves that we are avoiding discomfort when all the while we are creating a lifestyle of long-term discomfort that can have major significance on our quality of life and ability to live a vibrant legacy each day.

The beautiful thing is I learned through the years that a little discomfort isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it can be something you enjoy with a little training and consistent persistence. When you learn this, you will gain the skills needed to change any area of your life that needs to be changed. Master your fear of discomfort, and you can master your world to live the legacy life that you desire.

When people are stressed, they often turn to habits that are detrimental to them such as cigarettes, food, shopping, alcohol, drugs…anything to get rid of the discomfort of the thing that’s stressing them out. If you take a deeper look at the stress, it’s is usually an unfounded fear that’s causing it. Many times we end up worrying about those things we have no real control over. It may boil down to the fact that you have the fear that you’re not good enough in some facet of your life. If you examine the root cause, then you can choose to become comfortable with going through beneficial discomfort.

As an example, let’s say you start to exercise after being sedentary for a lengthy period of time. At first, you will be very uncomfortable. You will never feel like starting. It’s hard! It can make you sore. It’s not as easy as not exercising. It’s not something you’re used to doing, and you fear doing it wrong or looking stupid.

If you are not convinced in your mind of the value of being uncomfortable then after a while, you quit. It is really not horrible to be uncomfortable. It is a mindset shift that must be made. We’re not talking about incredible pain or losing life or limb, but just discomfort.

Even though I have been exercising every day for years, there are mornings I really do not want to. I have to remind myself that the temporary discomfort for that day is worth the healthy body, mind, and soul that is achieved, which brings me comfort.

Let’s look at another area of life…and that is comfort foods. By the very name, we are deceived into thinking that it will bring us comfort. When you first try to stay on a healthier regimen of eating, you may not like it. Eating green veggies, nuts, flax seeds, fruits, or black beans isn’t initially as thrilling as eating fried, fatty, salty, or sweet foods. It’s a form of discomfort to change your taste buds, but the truth is, it can easily happen if you just convince yourself that you are willing to become comfortable with a little discomfort.

Discomfort isn’t bad. It’s just not what we’re used to, so we avoid it. Avoidance comes at a real cost. The cost of not being able to change things, not being healthy, not being open to adventure and the chaos of real life. In both diet and exercise, you need to ask yourself at the beginning of each day, “How do I want to feel today?” This will put you on the right trail to make wise and prudent choices.

We just got started on the trail of discomfort today, and we will have more to cover tomorrow. As we set up camp for today, let us look to Moses as our example of someone who chose to be comfortable with discomfort which we read about in HebrewS 11:24-26, “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.”

Today we looked at some common ways we avoid discomfort. Tomorrow we will move on up the trail and learn how to master discomfort with some practical steps to help us along our way. 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 326 of our trek. Yesterday, we explored 5 essential elements on our hike that will lead us to success. Today on our trek, we will cover the 10 law of a living legacy.

Thank you so much for coming along with me daily as we add to our wisdom. No one becomes wise quickly. It takes years of life experiences and a desire to be wise before wisdom becomes part of our living legacy. Every day presents us a new opportunity to learn, to laugh, to love, and to make an impact in the lives of others that will last for eternity. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Within The Big House, we were able to get the repainted beds set up in the upstairs back bedroom and are making progress restocking the bookshelves in the library.  I am also refinishing the sign that is at the end of our driveway, as it is well worn from the weather. We are also making good progress with our client work and other related projects. We are slowly building our legacy each day as we take life one day at a time. There are certain character traits, or you might say laws, that we should build into our lives so that we are living our legacy each day.

On our trek today let’s study the…

If you want to achieve your true potential in creating and living your legacy that you were called to, you must start by being aware of who you are. Living your legacy is an internal change that will manifest itself externally.

Here are 10 guidelines or laws to help you, whether you’re just beginning your legacy trek or are far up the trail. These laws may not have been handed down on stone tablets, but if you follow them, you’ll find that indeed you are living a positive legacy each day.

Your reputation is just what other people think; your character is what you really are. To live your legacy, you will face challenges that require a choice between character and compromise; every time you choose character, you gain positive ground. Character is the core of a living legacy.

To effectively live your legacy you have to be committed, and true commitment starts in the heart. It inspires and impacts others; it shows them you have convictions. They will believe in you because you take responsibility, and you are committed to living your legacy.

Communication is critical in order to positively impact others. People want to emulate someone they can understand, or someone who listens. As you live your legacy, you should listen far more than you speak, and when you do speak, make sure your words are consistent with your actions and character. 

It’s easy to admire those who are highly competent, but most of us will never be considered superstars. To live your legacy by having integrity in all that you do is crucial. Cultivate the competence you need to show up every day, to keep improving, to get ahead of the game where you can, and to keep setting the bar higher. Never stop growing yourself.

To effectively live your legacy each day your dedication to your purpose and principles must remain stronger than your desire to appease others. You must be able to stretch past your comfort zone, to stand strong, and to make an impact on the lives of others who need to see your strength. You need to do the right thing when everyone else is frightened and to step forward in a bold way. Consider this statement which is stated on our Wisdom-Trek.com website which is Our vision is that together we will create a legacy of wisdom, we will seek out discernment and insights, we will boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before, and we will live long and prosper as a result.

To live your legacy, you must be willing to stand for something. Strong convictions precede great actions, and it is our convictions that call us to act with integrity. For those of us to whom much has been given, much is required. How you act, what you say, how you treat others – your convictions build the trust that a living legacy requires.

Focus and concentration let you accomplish much while making an impact. It’s a discipline that allows you to evaluate what’s in front of you and set priorities and to live your legacy with consistent excellence.

From grand accomplishments to the small mundane daily tasks, creating a living legacy requires clarity. When you have a clear sense of your vision, mission, and purpose, you will effectively and positively impact others. They will also clearly see the standard of measure from your life.

Self-growth and a robust commitment to lifelong learning and obtainment of wisdom are the most effective tools you can have impacting others with your living legacy. To continue to grow you need to be constantly looking for ways to improve yourself so that you can help others improve through your positive impact on them. Never stop asking questions and stretch yourself. Stay teachable, curious, and open.

When you understand that living a legacy is all about relationships, you truly know the importance of living in a way that positively impacts, builds, and strengthens connections with those around you every day.

As you consider the 10 guidelines or laws for creating and living your legacy remember to make every action count. It’s the one thing that will take what we have just learned and effectively impact others with meaning and significance. Living your legacy each day means to make every action, every word, every moment, and every relationship count.

Let’s wrap up our trek today as we consider the words of the Apostle Paul in the letter to the church in Ephesus in Chapter 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

The 10 Laws of a Living Legacy provides us with the guidelines that we need to have a significant and positive impact on the lives of everyone that we meet. Tomorrow on our trek we are going to explore learning to be comfortable with discomfort. 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 325 of our trek. Yesterday on our trek, we were challenged with some crucial questions of why life is not a dress rehearsal. Today we will explore 5 essential elements on our hike that will lead us to success.

Thank you so much for coming along with me as we learn from the wisdom of the ages on our daily trek of life. Every day presents us a new opportunity to learn, to laugh, to love, and to make an impact in the lives of others that will last for eternity. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This week so far has been a beautiful spring week. The hawks are very active although we have not seen any signs of young ones yet, so we are not sure if they have hatched. We continue to make slow and steady progress on our client work and related projects as well as our projects in and around The Big House. There is always much to do, so sometimes it is a bit difficult to measure our level of success from day to day. Success can take many forms in all areas of our lives. We should have a purpose for life that all successes direct us to. At the end of my life, it is my hope that after fulfilling God’s purpose I can say what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”  There are some key essentials involved in success regardless of what success looks like to you, though.

That is why today we will investigate the…

Bill Gates was able to build Microsoft and became the richest man in the world because he was passionate about his vision of putting “a computer on every desk in every home.”  Passion, defined as intense emotional excitement, goes beyond mere enthusiasm.

A person with passion is a person who can set goals. Without them, you’ll have no clear direction and will drift along the road of circumstances. Another technology visionary, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, abandoned his studies at Reed College to pursue more lucrative goals. Once he identified his passion, he was impatient with a slow path to carrying it out.  You, too, can recognize your passions. When you share your goals with others, however, don’t be surprised to hear things like, “Yes, but that’s not realistic,” or “That’s not practical.”

“You see things and say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and say ‘Why not?’” – George Bernard Shaw

We recently watched a Dolly Parton TV special called A Coat of Many Colors. It was touching and inspiring. When it was Dolly’s turn at her high school graduation to announce her plans, she said, “I’m going to Nashville to become a star.” The entire place erupted in laughter. She was stunned, but that laughter instilled in her an even greater determination to realize her dream. Dolly went on to write over 3,000 songs. Today she holds the record for the number of awards for a female artist – including seven Grammy Awards and an Emmy. The first year her theme park Dollywood opened, in 1986, gross business revenues for the city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, jumped 47% over the previous year. Her Imagination Library program has been adopted in 600 communities in 41 states. Dolly is respectfully referred to as the “Tennessee Icon.”

Without determination, a person can easily be lured away from their path. Many years ago, Viktor Frankl said, “Without a clear purpose, any obstacle will send a person in a new direction.” Stephen Covey, in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the tendency to respond to circumstances rather than priorities. Just recognize that if you respond to circumstances, any obstacle will send you off in a new direction. But with determination, you can establish priorities that will guide you through even challenging and unexpected circumstances.

As a young boy, Walt Disney lived in the world of fantasy and entertainment. When he first approached a Kansas City newspaper with his drawings, the editor told him, “These won’t do. If I were you, I’d give up this work. From these sketches, it’s obvious your talent lies elsewhere.”  Walt could have easily given up. Here was a known “expert” telling him he had no talent for cartooning. He could have easily make excuses for not pursuing his dream to draw and write. All he could find for a studio was an old mouse-infested garage, but in that studio, Walt continued to draw his cartoons. We all know how one of those mice became an international household word. Talent is a funny thing. If you wait for perfect conditions, it will likely never appear.

Talent allows a person to focus. No one has talent in every area; discover where you rise to the top. What are those things you love to do whether or not you get paid? Sometimes we discover that our first sense of “calling” is guided more by others’ expectations than as a true reflection of our strongest areas of competence. Your talent is an essential element for success when combined with the other elements. It may require that you invest heavily to allow your talent to bring success, but investment in yourself is never a loss. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”  – Benjamin Franklin

Years ago, Jenny Craig was faced with losing 45 pounds. While losing it, she gained the self-discipline she needed to launch her own company. Estimated annual company sales today are $400 million.

Without self-discipline, a person can easily be swayed by others. Self-discipline is the foundation that makes the others elements work. Knowing the other elements is the initial step, but acting on them always requires self-discipline. Self-Discipline is not a hardship. It is a joy to be focused and intentional while others around you evidence their floundering lives with wasted time and resources. Maya Angelou persisted in her writing even when others discouraged her. At the time of her death, she enjoyed over $4 million yearly income.

Even with everything lining up logically or financially, real success requires that step of faith into the unknown. Remember Thomas Edison’s 10,000 failed attempts to invent the light bulb? He has the passion, determination, talent, and self-discipline to carry him on, but that alone did not bring him success.  He had unwavering faith to believe that if God had allowed him to see it in his mind, it could become a physical reality.

Faith is best described in Hebrews 11:1-3, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

The five elements that we discovered today will help us to refocus our lives so that we invest our time into what is most important and will bring success to our life purpose. Tomorrow on our trek, we will study the 10 Laws of a Living Legacy. 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 324 of our trek. Yesterday, we hiked on a trail that was carved out hundreds of years ago as we discovered the 10 signs of a life well lived. Today on our trek, we want to learn why life is not a dress rehearsal.

Thank you so much for coming along with me as we learn from the wisdom of the ages on our daily trek of life. Every day presents us a new opportunity to learn, to laugh, to love, and to make an impact in the lives of others that will last for eternity. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Sunday was a relaxing day as we worshipped at church with Nat & Elizabeth and four of our grandkids. We then shopped for some more renovation materials and groceries. The afternoon was invested in finishing the painting of the back wall of the bookshelves in the library and visiting for a short time with my brother Jack who is recovering from a recent gallbladder removal surgery on Friday. He is recovering well, and it is amazing the advancements that have been made in surgery. He was in and out of the hospital in about five hours and will be able to return to work on Tuesday. Surgery of any kind is serious. We are blessed to live in such a time. Even with such advancements, we still need to take pause and realize that we need to make time for what is really important because…

“She called me a bad name.” “He took my toy.” “She didn’t like my dress.” “I had it first.” Ah yes, the thrill of being young again. Remember how important these things seemed when we were young? In retrospect, they now seem so trivial.

Of course, as we get older and wiser, we focus on important things, like showing our friends how successful we’ve become, outflanking others to get a promotion, keeping up with the Joneses, and ensuring that we look young — forever. You’d think we’d have learned something from our kindergarten days, wouldn’t you?

The truth is, we’re often so busy running on our treadmill to nowhere that we can lose focus on the things that really matter in life. Before we know it, the seconds have become minutes, the days have become weeks, and the months have become years. And when we finally take the time to catch our breath, we look back in retrospect and think, “Where did all the time go?” As I am approaching 60 this summer, this hits all too close to home.

It’s so easy to be blinded by ambition, power, and success that many folks miss out on the simple pleasures of life. For example, do your children’s birthday parties, sporting events, or recitals make your priority list? Are you available to counsel your friend in need? Do you make the time to help your kids with their homework, to attend back-to-school nights, or to put down your newspaper, smartphone, and iPad when your family wants to tell you about their day? Or, is something else more important to you at the time?

Now, I know that you lead a hectic life and that you’re getting pulled in many different directions. The truth is, it’s not that you don’t have enough time to devote to things that matter to you but rather, the time needed is spent doing something else instead of being invested into what is truly more important.

It goes without saying that every time you decide to focus on one thing in your life, you’ve also decided not to invest that time on something else. Unfortunately, once opportunities are lost, they’re often lost forever — life doesn’t come with a dress rehearsal. So, if you think you may regret the path you’re on, it may be time to change course.

Here are six guideposts of questions to point you in the right direction:

Have you ever stopped to think about what matters most to you? Do you invest the majority of your time in those areas? Or do trivial issues sidetrack you from doing the things that you should care about the most?

Do you let other people control your agenda? How much time do you spend reacting to fire drills versus doing things that matter? Are you asking your loved ones to do all of the accommodating, while allowing others to have free rein over your priorities?

How much of your day is spent on autopilot? Do you devote more time to thinking about what you’re going to do or to doing it? When was the last time you identified and eliminated wasteful tasks and routines?

How much of your day is spent worrying about problems versus appreciating the moment? What percentage of your time do you spend being physically present but mentally absent? Does multitasking damage your ability to give your undivided attention?

Do you care more about what you want out of life or about what others think? Do you value creating wonderful memories as much as you value material rewards? Are you investing in your family and friends or taking them for granted? When was the last time you felt comfortable with yourself?

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae that we quickly lose sight of the big picture. Those who are truthful and have paused long enough to reflect on where they’ve been have concluded that they’ve squandered much of their precious time on earth.

Even those who have secured enviable positions of power and material wealth admit that their decisions to follow these paths have come with real costs — in relationships and precious moments that can’t be replaced. This doesn’t have to be you.

The trail that you choose is your decision and yours alone. The only correct answer is the one that fulfills your God-given design for you. As George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” The crucial element is to know what your purpose in life is at this point. The key is to establish goals that matter most to you and your loved ones, align your priorities around your life purpose and goals, and then pursue them. While doing this, you need to take the time to enjoy your life and remain true to yourself through your calling and to those who love you.

Your goal shouldn’t be cramming as much stuff as possible into your life. Success and happiness are achieved by investing time and attention in areas that really matter to you. No matter how old you are, you still have time to change course. As Alan Lakein once said, “Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life.” Are you investing your precious time in the areas that matter most to you? It’s your choice.

We would all do well to study the entire lesson that Jesus taught in Matthew 6:19-34, which will help to keep our priorities straight. For brevity sake, I will read verses 31-34, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

The six guideposts that we discovered today will help us to refocus our lives so that we invest our time into what is most important instead of spending our time in those activities that have no eternal impact. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore the 5 trails to success. 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. Just 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 323 of our trek. Yesterday, we remained at the baseball fields and explored the 4 Financial Lessons from Baseball. Today we will hike on a trail that was carved out hundreds of years ago as we look for the 10 signs of a life well lived.

Thank you so much for coming along with me as we learn these simple, yet profound truths for our daily trek in life. Living with wisdom and insight each day of our lives will expand our living legacy and allow us to live life with abundance. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It was a beautiful spring day on Saturday, and we were able to accomplish a lot both inside and out. Paula painted the back wall of the built-in bookshelves in the library, so we should be able to install the oak shelves and move the books back in this week. At least the books that will fit. We have many more books that will need to be stored elsewhere.

I painted the two army beds with a second coat of brown Rustoleum, so we will move those into the upstairs back bedroom this week. I was also able to clean and repair the gutters and remove the ivy that was on the side of the garage. We decided to remove the storm doors from the front and parlor entrances. The large oak doors on both entrances really look a lot better without the storm doors. Overall, it was a great but physically tiring day. As we work on the renovations, there are so many thoughts about the timeless days gone by with all the family members who have lived their lives at The Big House. We are blessed to be the caretakers. These thoughts bring us to our trail for today as we learn…

Gratitude is the sacred experience of living every moment with love and thankfulness. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for and some reason to love. So, be sure to appreciate what you have. Be thankful for the little things in life that mean a lot.

Experience it, learn from it, and absorb all the knowledge you can. Prepare yourself for greatness by keeping your mind conditioned with fresh knowledge and new challenges. Remember, if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready when great opportunities arise.

Don’t just memorize the things others are teaching. Practice “figuring out” each day so you can learn the best practices and then do your thing. Life’s experiences and failures will teach you over the course of time, and often at the right time and place so that you will remember forever what is truly important.

As much as possible, live your life without fear or regrets. Never let obstacles keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do. Continue to work hard at what you love no matter what the challenges are. Be persistent. Make your choices and accept the responsibility for those choices. You can’t change the past, so live without fear and regrets. This will allow you to experience a life well lived.

What you focus on grows. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, or anyone else. It boils down to that we choose to do what we want, so make wise choices.

You will never realize your true strength until being strong is your only option left. Until you are broken or have failed, you won’t know what you’re truly made of. Pain has a purpose and will teach us. It’s a sign that something needs to change. It’s a wake-up call that guides you toward a better future. So keep your heart open to dreams, and make the changes needed. As long as there is a dream and positive action, there is hope. And, as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.

We do not always need an intelligent mind that speaks, just a patient heart that listens. Be kind at all times. There is never a justifiable excuse not to be kind. It takes a great deal of strength to be gentle and kind. Power comes through kindness. As it says in Ephesians 4:2 & 32, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

What you see in others comes from what is inside you. Judge less and love more. If you want inner peace, resist the temptation to gossip about others or portray them in a poor light. Instead of judging someone for what they do or where they are in their life, determine if there is something you can do to help them grow. As you have the opportunity, help others by loving them, not judging them.

The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that a situation is over, you cannot move forward. You are responsible for how you feel, no matter what anyone else says or does. You are always 100% in control of your thoughts right now, so choose to love yourself and feel confident and adequate rather than angry and insecure. Choose to look forward and upward, not backward and down.

Satisfaction is the realization of how blessed you are for what you have. It’s not that everything will be easy or exactly as you had expected, but you must choose to be grateful for all that you have and happy that you got a chance to live this life, no matter how it turns out. If you are not satisfied with what you have already, you will never be satisfied with more. It requires a mental shift of accepting life for what it is not what you hoped it to be. This does not mean you don’t try to improve and excel personally, you certainly should. As you seek to improve, have gratitude today, and then you will have gratitude tomorrow.

These 10 ageless truths, when put into practice will allow you to live fully, richly, and with satisfaction. Tomorrow, as we hike our trail, we will explore how Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal. 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 322 of our trek. Yesterday, we stopped by the baseball fields and discovered 9 Life Lessons from Baseball. It is such a beautiful spring day that today we will stay at the ball fields and explore what baseball can teach us about our finances.

Thank you so much for coming along with me as we discover that each event of our daily trek in life, whether small or large, is packed with wisdom and insight that we can learn and apply to our lives to expand our living legacy. These bits of wisdom will help us to live a rich and satisfying life that we were created for. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Late afternoon on Friday we headed north once again for a little over two weeks. There is much work planned on and around The Big House as the weather is starting to warm up and the leaves on the trees are being released from their winter hibernation. While owning the old family homestead is rewarding and an integral part of our long-term legacy, it is a lot of responsibility and work. It also takes a lot of financial resources to maintain and renovate it. Paula and I are very serious when it comes to managing and controlling our financial foundation. While we have had our share of financial ebbs and flows during the past 37 years, we are always learning on how better to control our financial position without it controlling us.

Keeping with our focus from yesterday of learning life’s lessons from baseball today we want to learn:

For many people, especially in the US, there is nothing like the start of the baseball season. Even though the season seems ceaselessly long, there is something about the anticipation of the Opening Day of baseball games. It means spring is right around the corner.

Although I am not a sports fanatic myself, one thing I love about sports is the analogies that can be made to our trek of life. I really think any philosophy of life can be explained through sports analogies. The importance of teamwork in winning games and getting things done successfully in life cannot be ignored. Doing the hard work behind the scenes will usually lead to a good performance on the field and in your life or career. The analogies are endless. There is probably no sport more open to analogies than baseball. After doing some thinking, there are a good number of analogies that can apply to personal finance. Even if you are not a huge sports fan, I think you will be able to relate to these analogies.

Increasing your personal cash flow is a simple proposition. Increase the amount of money coming in and decrease the amount of money going out. Make more money and spend less of it. In baseball terms, that means score more runs and don’t let the other team score runs. Having a good set of pitchers and sound defensive play from your fielders will keep the opponent’s runs to a minimum. But this alone is not going to win you the championship. You need to be able to put runs up on the board to make up for any inevitable mistakes from the defense.

This means that having a budget and watching where your money goes is not enough in itself. Sometimes we spend too much on food in a month. A car repair is needed. An impromptu vacation is booked. Things fall through the cracks sometimes, so it’s important we put extra effort into setting money aside as well. It can make up for any small mistakes we make and keep our cash flow positive. In addition to saving money in an emergency fund, it is crucial to build into your life multiple streams of income to guard against the slumps the will come.

Putting in place a good, but frugal spending plan is necessary and can put you in a great position financially, but to expand your resources, you need to have backup plans, just like baseball teams have backup players to fill in when needed.

Legendary Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams famously said, “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”  A 30% hit rate is awesome in the baseball world, but is terrible in everything else. Something useful can be gleaned from these words though, which is that failure is inevitable. You can literally plan for it. There is no one who has never made a mistake at some point when it comes to their finances. In our situation, it was business decisions that did not turn out well and impacted us in a major way financially. For you, it may be a poor mutual fund selection, higher than expected credit card bills, or a home improvement project that just won’t stay under budget…Mistakes will be made.

The important thing is to learn from them and become wise financially. Also, learn from the mistakes of others and avoid those situations.

One struggle that baseball managers have is to know when to replace the starting pitcher and go to the bullpen. Choosing the best relief pitcher can be a tricky choice. Some pitchers pitch better at home. Some are better at night. Some are terrible against certain hitters. All these variables must be considered before choosing the pitcher that will give you the best chance to win.

Personal finance is no different. Someone who has a lot of credit card debt and someone who has none should not be doing the same thing with their money. If you have a lot of debt, you may have to get by with a smaller emergency fund while paying down your debt. If you have no debt, you can save up for a more comfortable emergency fund and invest some money as well. You may want to go into business for yourself or invest in tax-deferred financial tools, which can have some tax benefits. Everyone has a different situation, and there is no one answer to solve everyone’s issue. The best action is to analyze where you are and where you want to be and find the most efficient way to get there.

A Major League Baseball team has to play 162 games in the regular season. That’s a whole lot of games. Players can get worn down, worn out, become injured, and lose morale. The important thing to do is to keep the goal in sight. While the goal for the teams is to win the World Series, it happens by winning one game at a time. Once a game is over, win or lose, you have to focus on winning the next game.

So it is with your finances. You win by decreasing your debt and increasing your savings one dollar at a time. Yes, you have to have financial goals in mind, but every decision to either spend or invest each dollar will determine if you are successful. Wise financial decisions are crucial, so if you are going to play ball, play to win.

As you become successful in your finances by making wise choices, you should keep in mind the words that Paul wrote in his first letter to his apprentice in Timothy 6:17-19, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

It has been an enjoyable two days at the ball field where we learned much about life and finances. Tomorrow we will hike the trail of a life well lived. 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. Just 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 321 of our trek. The past few days we remained in camp around the campfire and dug out the nuggets of wisdom found in Proverbs Chapter 10. Today we are heading back out on the trail, and as we come to a crest of a hill we come to a clearing, and as we look over a beautiful and expansive valley, we see baseball fields with many teams currently playing. This leads me to wonder, “How can baseball be applied to our everyday trek of life?” Let’s give that some thought to see where our trek takes us today.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we apply wisdom, insight, and understanding of ordinary everyday activities which make our lives extraordinary. These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last year and again this year I was invited to participate in the Webster family fantasy baseball league. Janet’s husband Rowan, his father, grandfather, and other family members make up the league of eight teams. While I enjoy occasionally watching some sporting events, due to my focus on business throughout the years, I have not allocated the time to really follow any sports. I am a novice of the Buddy League Baseball (which is named after Rowan’s grandfather), but I am enjoying learning and participating. I do hope to gain enough experience to at least hold my own within the league. Since I am involved in the league, I find myself searching out some analogies and parallels between baseball and life and came up with the…

With the official opening of the 2016 baseball season last week, let us glean the following lessons that can be applied to our trek of life. To quote the famous line from Yogi Berra, “It’s like Deja-vu, all over again…” Or as King Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” So now it’s time to “Play ball!”

To have success in any area of life, you must think big and act big. You can’t accomplish huge things unless you go for it. In baseball, with two strikes, you should choke up, and just try to make solid contact. And in life, there is a time to settle for less than a home run. But, always start by thinking big.

To make a lasting legacy impact on others you must live by example, and that means living life in the trenches with those you influence. You must be willing to share both joy and sorrow. You need to be willing to give them a hand up and help them physically or even a hand out when they need help financially. If others see that you are willing to get your uniform dirty to ensure that they succeed, they will be more willing to pass it on to others allowing your legacy to grow.

I am learning as part of a fantasy baseball league that those who are successful pay close attention to the stats. This also applies to the real teams. If you desire to be successful in life, you need to be observant and pay attention to the details, both large and small. This will apply to your finances, career, relationship, physical condition/health and also your spiritual condition. Take time to know your stats in each of the 7 crucial areas of your life.

No matter how self-sufficient you may be or how much of a loner you would like to be, we all need others to succeed in life. To have the greatest impact living your legacy each day requires that you recognize that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While it’s great to have individual success, it requires everyone in your life supporting and helping each other in order to succeed.

It’s important as a hitter to be patient and wait for your pitch, but with two strikes against you, you’ve got to swing the bat. In life, you need to be wise. When the odds are against you, take appropriate actions in order to succeed. You must have strong convictions, and don’t go down without a fight for what you believe in.

From what I understand with my limited knowledge, hitting a major league pitch is one of the most difficult tasks in sports. In order to succeed, players must be laser-focused on the ball coming at them at 80-100 miles per hour. In life, to have long-term success, it’s also essential to stay focused. Through the use of a good program like “Your Life Plan Blueprint” (which will be released very soon), you can know what your top priorities are for the day, month, quarter, and year, even your life purpose, which is tracked in 7-year cycles. What are you focused on today? Let me know if I can help.

Willie Keeler, one of the greatest hitters of all time, coined this phrase, which essentially means, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball, just hit it where the opposing players aren’t standing, and you can get a hit. In the same way, if you desire to have success in your life, don’t imitate others, be uniquely you. God made you a special one of a kind. Take full advantage of that and achieve your dreams. Sure you will need your team members to help you, but when you are at bat, it is up to you to hit the ball.

You can be a great fastball hitter, but unless you can hit a major league curveball and changeup, it won’t matter. Isaac Asimov said, “The only constant is change.” In order to have success in any area of life, you have to be ready for the inevitable twist, turns, and obstacles that you will encounter on your trail each day. It will happen, be prepared. Successful baseball players can knock a fastball out of the park, but are also prepared for the unexpected.

You may be able to be successful on a personal level. You may have even had the best teachers or coaches and have studied the best courses possible. In order to have true and lasting success in life, you must have a strong team around you, and you have to get along with those who are closest to you. To create, live, and leave a lasting legacy that spans generations, you must be part of a great team and family. Your impact will only be as large as those who play the game of life with you. So “Play ball!”

All of your life becomes part of your trek. It makes you who you are today. As we have seen today, success in playing baseball has many analogies to our success in life. So go out each day and play ball to the best of your ability, but make sure that you also enjoy the game. Tomorrow we hang around the baseball field for another day as we learn what baseball can teach us about finances. 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. Just 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 320 of our trek. This week we have remained at camp around the campfire as we continue digging the nuggets of wisdom that are found in the book of Proverbs. So far we have explored the first 27 verses of Chapter 10, and today we will finish up with chapter 10 and head back out on the trails tomorrow. This section of Proverbs, which includes chapters 10-26 compares and contrasts bite size nuggets of wisdom that apply to everyday life. I know that you will enjoy it as we learn together.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Wednesday evening, my sister Rebecca came over for our monthly dinner together, and we had a great time continuing our personal trek through old family pictures. We enjoy getting together, sharing, and remembering days gone by. Life slips by so quickly, and it is good to take the time to reflect on where you have been so that you can move confidently forward with your hopes and dreams, as well as your challenges and rewards that life holds for you in the future.

As we remain in camp for one more day, it is a time of reflecting on the wisdom nuggets that are contained in the book of Proverbs. There are so many, and this gives us a great time to reflect on how their common sense advice applies personally to our lives. These timeless truths give us hope so that we will…

How can we have hope for each day so that we will never be disturbed? It sounds like a difficult objective to achieve. Let’s start with verse 28 and find out.

28The hopes of the godly result in happiness,

We all have hopes and dreams. For some they may be large and bright, but for others just making it through another day is their hope. If we have our hope in God, then even if our daily outlook is not what we would desire, we can find happiness because our hope is not based on ourselves or others that may have influence over us. Our hopes, dreams, and impact, are for an eternal reward, regardless of how small it may appear in the eyes of the world. Even the smallest act of kindness or help that provides hope for another will ripple through eternity. Contrasting to this, the expectations of those people that do not have their hope in God will all be for nothing. If all of our dreams and ambition are for this world only, then everything that we hope for will eventually die out and have no eternal value.

29The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity,

When our values and foundation for life is built on God’s precepts and principles, then our speech and actions will have integrity. The trail that we travel each day will be on solid footing and stronghold. In contrast to this, the very stronghold that we can use as our foundation becomes a heavy burden to those who do not follow God because their trail of life is not based on what is firm and solid.

30The godly will never be disturbed,

We have all seen and probably used those signs at a hotel that say “Do Not Disturb.” It is our hope that people will honor that. As Christ followers, regardless of what happens in our lives, we should live in peace and not be disturbed by the temporary and fleeting issues of life. I know that few have mastered this fully. I certainly have not. In the context of this verse, it is particularly referring to being uprooted from a place of security. When we feel that our life and world is being disrupted is when we need to draw on God’s strength to keep us from being disturbed. In contrast to this thinking are those who are not following God’s precepts and principles for life. They have no foundation for their security and will easily be uprooted from their safe haven.

31The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice,

As we looked at a couple of days ago, it is best if we do not talk too much. When we need to speak, what we say should be pertinent and helpful to those that we are talking with. As we gain wisdom on our daily trek of life, we will be in the position to provide wise advice when the opportunity presents itself.  Make sure what you say is good, godly, and completely truthful. In contrast to that, those who speak with the intent to deceive another should be stopped immediately. While we would not literally cut someone’s tongue off for being deceitful, we should certainly not allow them to speak and not listen to them if they do.

32The lips of the godly speak helpful words,

This verse continues the thought from the previous one. If we follow God’s precepts, then anything that we say will be to encourage, help, and strengthen those that are listening. Let us not waste our breath or words if they do not fulfill this principle. When we hear people that are slandering others, speaking lies and any other perverseness, then we know that they do not follow God’s precepts and principles that are found in His Word. Let us never fall into the second scenario.

Today we have finished up with Chapter 10 of Proverbs as we discovered and explored five more practical and timely nuggets of wisdom. Take time to consider them and apply them to your life. Let them permeate your thoughts and impact your life so that your living legacy will be evident to all.

Tomorrow we will head back out on our trail and make a stop at a baseball field. While I am not a big sports fan due to my focus on business, there are some lessons we can learn about life from baseball. 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. Just 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 319 of our trek. This week we are remaining at camp around the campfire as we continue digging for the nuggets of wisdom that are found in the book of Proverbs. So far we have explored the first 22 verses of Chapter 10, and we will continue to cover a few verses each day. This section of Proverbs compares and contrasts bite size nuggets of wisdom that apply to everyday life. I know that you will enjoy it as we learn together.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are putting the finishing touches of Wisdom-Trek Journal Volume 1 together and also the Beta version of Your Life Plan Blueprint. We should be able to release them soon. I will let you know when they are available.

Today and tomorrow we will remain in camp once again as we continue to dig for those wisdom nuggets that are found in Proverbs 10. As we feel the gentle spring breeze blowing the fire and smoke back and forth, we have all experienced have the wind shift unexpectedly and all at once we have smoke filling our eyes. Solomon certainly experienced this also as he describes in one of the nuggets today. Before we get to that tidbit though let’s look at a situation where…

You might be thinking, “Is Guthrie saying that doing wrong is fun?” That doesn’t sound like something you would present…Well let’s all face it, sometimes we are either tempted to or actually do wrong because it does appear to be fun. I am just as susceptible to believing this as anyone, so let’s start with verse 23.

23Doing wrong is fun for a fool,

See I told you that doing wrong is fun…that is if we choose to be a fool. There are many activities that we may be tempted to participate in because they do look like it would be fun, but we must look at the long-term consequence of such actions. Sure eating pizza every night may appear to be fun or enjoyable, but what would that do to us physically long-term? How about innocent flirtation in the workplace. That may seem fun, but what are the potential long-term results? We could come up with dozens of scenarios, but I think you understand what I mean. To follow through doing short-term activities may appear to be fun without looking at the long-term results makes us a fool. In contrast to this is for us to live wisely which will bring long-term pleasure because we understand the consequences to making sensible and wise decisions.

24The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled;

Fear…It seems to be so rampant today, maybe it always has been. Even among Christ followers it seems to be that they are full of fear and worry instead of the rich and satisfying life that we should be living. I understand it a bit more with those who choose not to follow the precepts of God. They do not have true hope for the future. Why is it that these fears are fulfilled? I have seen it time and time again, and it is called a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we anticipate a certain outcome, we will subconsciously create a situation in our lives where what we anticipate comes true. In contrast to that, as Christ followers, our hopes, dreams, and ambitions are much more likely to come to fruition because we position ourselves in the situations of life that they will be granted. This is what Christ referred to numerous times in His ministry when he said, “Your faith has healed you.” 

25When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,

This verse is closely tied to the previous one with a bit of a twist. When the storms of life hit, and they will for all of us, the people who do not have their hope in God will have nothing to shelter them. They will be tossed back and forth in desperation because they do not have a solid foundation on which their life is built. In contrast, those who have their hope in the Lord have a solid and lasting foundation for their lives. Although the storms may be fierce in our lives also, we can have peace because our foundation is secure. Sometimes God calms the storms for us, other times he shelters us and calms our hearts in the storm.

26Lazy people irritate their employers,

As a business owner most of my adult life and as a person who tends to be self-driven, I understand this verse first hand. A person who is lazy at work is a real irritation and pain. Growing up on an apple orchard, we made vinegar all the time and drinking a little of it really hit your tongue and teeth with pain. Also, all of us have probably experienced sitting around the campfire when the wind suddenly shifts and smoke fills our eyes. It can be extremely painful. This is the type of pain that a lazy person brings at work or at home. Let us commit to not be lazy.

27Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life,

On a quick read of this verse we may question this. I am sure we all know of those who were godly people who died in the prime of life, just as we know unsavory people that have lived a very long life.  Once again the Proverbs are general principles for life, not hard commandments. If someone respects the Lord and follows God’s precepts, then he will make wiser decisions for life, and therefore, will be more likely to live longer or have their life lengthened. In contrast to this, if someone is foolish and does not follow God’s precepts, then they are more apt to make stupid decisions and choices in life and will be more likely to die before they would have otherwise.

Today we discovered and explored five more interesting and thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom. Take time to ponder them. Let them permeate your thoughts and impact your life so that your living legacy will be evident to all. We will continue with the last five nuggets of wisdom from Chapter 10 tomorrow, 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 318 of our trek. Yesterday and for the next few days, we are going to remain in camp around the campfire as we continue digging for the nuggets of wisdom that are found in the book of Proverbs. So far we have explored the first 17 verses of Chapter 10, and we will continue to cover a few verses each day. This section of Proverbs compares and contrasts bite size nuggets of wisdom that apply to everyday life. I know that you will enjoy it as we learn together.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The week of work and activities is fairly brisk as we work with our various clients and the projects we are involved with. For one of our major clients, we provide on-demand remote software support, and we never know how much time that will consume in a day. So we have to be flexible and shift between the other projects. I have to admit there are some days that it makes it difficult to switch focus between them all and still be as productive as I would like.

Today we will remain in camp again and as we talk with each other about life, it is important to keep in mind that our words have a huge impact on others, even when we don’t realize it. I certainly have fallen prey to this many times. This is why we should make sure to choose our words wisely and sparingly. Few people have gotten into trouble by speaking too little, but we certainly understand how easy it is to say the wrong thing when we speak too much. Many of the wisdom nuggets that we will dig for today have to do with our words.

We start with the subject of…

18Hiding hatred makes you a liar;

You might ask, how does hiding hatred make you a liar? I think we all know people that are nice to our face, but we know that they really dislike us. We may do the same thing to others. So, how do we make sure that we do not continue this habit ourselves? Frist, we should forgive other people. Even when someone hurts us, we should not hate that person. Instead, we should pray for them.

If we truly do dislike or hate a person, but are nice to them to their face, then we are a liar. When we hate another person, we are really destroying and enslaving ourselves. We are controlled and trapped by our internal hatred. We need to learn to let it go and to forgive, even if they don’t ask for it or deserve it. To forgive is to set ourselves free. Christ certainly forgave us even though we do not deserve it.

Closely related to this is when we slander others. Slandering others really does make us a fool. Anyone who hears your slander will realize that they are probably the target of it when they are not around. We need to stop gossiping and talking ill about others. We should encourage and build them up.

19Too much talk leads to sin.

This verse really describes most of us well. We all love to hear ourselves talk and expound on our wisdom. We give advice, when none is asked for. We become an expert in areas that have no true experience in. During many a conversation, we go on and on and on, usually about ourselves. When we don’t control our talk, inevitably it will result in saying too much, or the wrong thing, at the wrong time, to the wrong person. It will lead us to sin. Contrasting that, if we learn to keep our mouths shut, especially when many others are still speaking, then we will become wise and sensible…or at least, appear that way.

20The words of the godly are like sterling silver;

As we learn to only speak when it is appropriate and only speak what is necessary at that moment, we will become more good and godly. Then when we do speak, it will have an effective influence and bring value to others, just like the value of pure silver. Contrasting that is the fool. This person prattles on so much that the quality of their speech becomes worthless due to the quantity of the speech.

21The words of the godly encourage many,

As we learn to control the quantity and quality of our words, then they will become effective and powerful. Instead of insulting others with our speech, we will encourage others. Our words will be good and godly.  On the contrasting side of that are those who speak foolishly.  When you speak too much, and speak what is not appropriate, it will reveal your lack of common sense. A truly wise person with good sense does not have to speak a lot for others to realize they are wise.

22The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich,

To shift our focus a bit now, we see that our true riches do come from the Lord and are provided as blessings to us. These could be financial riches, but there is so much more in life that truly make us rich. As Christ followers, whether we have little or much materially, we should be rejoicing daily in all the blessings that we do have. The Lord wants us to live a rich and satisfying life – one that contains no sorrow. Choose to live abundantly today.

Today we dug up five more precious nuggets of wisdom. Four of them deal with controlling what we say and when we say it. The fifth allows us to understand that our blessings do come from the Lord with no sorrow. Let them permeate your thoughts and impact your life so that your living legacy will shine through for everyone to see. We will continue with a few more nuggets of wisdom from Chapter 10 tomorrow, 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 so they can come along with us 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 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!