Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 390 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Wisdom of Age - Wisdom Unplugged

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:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 389 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Three Trails of Motivation

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 Three Trails of Motivation

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.

Compliment three people every day.

Watch a sunrise.

Be the first to say "Hello."

Live beneath your means.

Treat everyone as you want to be treated.

Never give up on anybody; miracles happen.

Forget the Jones’s.

Remember someone’s name.

Pray not for things but for wisdom and courage.

Be tough-minded but tender-hearted.

Be kinder than you have to be.

Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel loved and appreciated.

Keep your promises.

Learn to show cheerfulness even when you don’t feel it.

Remember that overnight success usually takes 15 years.

Leave everything better than you found it.

Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do.

When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone’s day.

Don’t rain on other people’s parades.

Don’t waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Keep some things to yourself and don’t promote havoc by backstabbing people you love.

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.

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 388 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (7) - The Growth of Summer

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…

The Growth of Summer

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.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 387 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom Unplugged - Do Not Fear

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:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 386 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Laughter Can Conceal a Heavy Heart - Proverbs 14:1-17

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 386 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 first half of chapter 14.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It is good to get back to a normal schedule this week. For the past two months, I have invested my morning exercise and devotional time working on the renovation projects. While it still provided a good opportunity for physical activity, it is good to get back on the treadmill for my 5 mile run each morning. I am also able to work my other exercise routines in before the run. The morning schedule allows me to have my devotional and meditation time during my 70 minutes of exercise.

As we refocus on our client work and newer projects, I have some catching up to do to clear some of the backlogs. We will get there one day at a time. Since none of us are promised more than today, that will be sufficient.

In case you missed yesterday’s Wisdom-Trek, we have started a very short segment on Tuesday and Thursday of each week called Wisdom Unplugged.  It is a short 1-3 minute wisdom nugget featuring a wisdom inspirational quote designed to be a supplement on those days. Let me know how you enjoy these mini-treks by leaving a comment on Wisdom-Trek or emailing me at [email protected].

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 first half of chapter 14. Today’s trek is…

Laughter Can Conceal a Heavy Heart

1 A wise woman builds her home,

but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

If you are wise, either as a woman or a man, you will take the necessary steps to follow Godly principles to create a home environment that is nurturing and helpful for the entire family. This requires selfless acts of love. If you are foolish, though, you will primarily think about what is best for yourself, and make decisions based on selfishness. This will result in the destruction of the home. Ideally, all members of the family should have concern for and look after each other to foster a proper home life.

 

2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;

those who take the wrong path despise him.

It does not get much simpler than this verse. If you desire to be a good and Godly person, then you will learn, understand, and apply God’s precepts to your life. By doing so you will follow the trail that is best for your life. If you choose to ignore God’s precepts, then you will find yourself on the trail that leads to destruction in your life.

 

3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,

but the words of the wise keep them safe.

Words are so important every time you open your mouth to speak you should do so with caution. If you are proud and speak that which is foolish, it will come back to harm you in the same manner as getting beaten with a whip or rods. In contrast to this, if your words are wise, they will be a hedge of protection to you, protecting you from harm. When you speak the truth, you will not have to remember what you said because it will be the truth each time.

 

4 Without oxen a stable stays clean,

but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

When you work,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 385 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wisdom Unplugged - Your Life Matters

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week, wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 385 of our trek, and today we are providing a new feature that will be available on Tuesday and Thursday of each week called Wisdom Unplugged. This will be a very short nugget of wisdom or an inspirational quote with little or no additional content for the day’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom on those days. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

This is a quote from Ruth Barton which says, "As we begin to see the package God is putting together in our lives and discover his purposes for bringing us to our world, it will provide us with the framework we need to make wise choices. In addition, we will find that a sense of purpose gives hope in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, gives meaning to the mundane aspects of our lives, and helps us to make our lives count for God."

As a recap of today’s quote remember that God has a specific purpose for your life because you matter to God. Go out today and fulfill that purpose and make a positive impact on someone else today.

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:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 384 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Realization of Happiness

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 384 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 are continuing our trek and will hike the trail called The Realization of Happiness.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We arrived back from the Podcast Movement 2016 conference, and I have to say it was worth every minute and dollar invested in it. I realize that the information learned and the connections made will return many times the investment.

The PMx talk I gave on Wednesday was not quite as polished as what I had desired. But, the feedback I received from the audience was good, and I learned some lessons for the next time. Although Wisdom-Trek was not chosen for the Academy of Podcasters Award, just to be nominated was such a privilege. We are honored. Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast won the award in the Religion and Spirituality category, which was well deserved. It is an excellent podcast.

While at the event, we were able to reconnect with existing friends and establish many new friendships. The bonds and connections made this past week will last a lifetime.

After all the renovations on The Big House, a very enjoyable and successful family reunion, and then a great Podcast Movement conference, it will be nice to relax a little and then get back into our normal routine of client work and podcasting. I do have a few projects left that I was unable to complete before the reunion but will be able to leisurely complete those over the remainder of the summer. I plan to make a video tour of The Big House renovations once I get settled back in this week. I will let you know when that is completed.

With a new week facing us now and after some intense and exciting events, it is easy to fall into a lull period where it is hard to stay motivated. We do not want to fall prey to this, so today let’s hike the trail called…

The Realization of Happiness

Clinical psychologists believe that happiness is a product of realization. You must allow yourself to go through a process to realize happiness. While we may not experience happiness all of the time, we can take steps to ensure that we are happier in all aspects of life. It all boils down to the choices that we make in the following 14 areas:

Accept the pains. You must realize and accept your situation for what it is. Sometimes people deny their hardships, thinking that if they don't face them, they will be happier. But it's the other way around. Allow yourself to go through the pains. Live life how it really is today, not what you hope it to be. Joy is an even greater sense of happiness because it defies circumstances. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"

Choose not to stay in pain. This is self-choice or could be called "self-empowerment." You can either be bitter about the pains and feel very powerless, or you can make a choice to do something and feel powerful enough to handle them. It's your choice to live with or without pain.

Forgive yourself and other people. Before forgiveness comes in, think about how other people hurt. Then realize that you can see yourself for who you actually are and not how others want you to be. So finding happiness is never rooted outside, but it's inside you—what you see, how you view things, what you want. Then it leads to your choice: to live your life with yourself. Learn to accept all of the apologies you never receiv...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 383 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (6) - Prepare During Spring

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 383 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 focusing on the life season of spring.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am recording this episode on Monday since we will be leaving for the Podcast Movement conference in Chicago tomorrow and will be away the remainder of this week.

The reunion weekend is winding down with the final clean up and family members gradually leaving. Our final count was 76 family members in attendance which included 7 out of 9 of my siblings, my dad, our children, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. The weather was nice, and everyone appeared to enjoy being back at The Big House for the weekend. We are blessed and humbled to be able to host it. Paula and I always enjoy being the hosts and the facilitators of family gatherings. This season of our lives allows us the opportunity to work on renovating the house and serving in this manner.

Speaking of life seasons, let’s head out on our trek for today as we continue on with the spring season within the Cycles and Seasons of Life within the section titled…

The Constant, Predictable, Pattern of Change

The essence of springtime is faith woven among the threads of massive human effort. Springtime is the fresh air of new opportunity, amid the dissipating clouds of winter. Spring is the time for you to enter the bleak, empty fields given to you as a new chance. When you enter those fields, you see in the adjoining fields the blossoming of nature’s flowers—the daisies, and other miracles of nature, which God planted, reminding you now that nature fulfills its promises. Already, the miracle of the seasons shows itself, for the same snows that gave you cause to huddle for warmth during the winter also covered nature’s crops, which exist now before your eyes.

Expend your effort now, without complaint, without doubt, without pessimism, and without self-pity over the severity of your winter of circumstance. Did the daisies complain because of the same cold and the same winds? No, they did not, yet they exist as either a reminder, a threat, or a promise. Do the lilies hide beneath the cover of earth, fearing an unexpected return of winter, or do they restrain themselves for fear of the coming bugs and weeds of summer? Do the daisies or the lilies of the field of nature make excuses or lie or linger? They are there because they endured circumstance and pushed aside the seasonal obstacles of rocks and hard-packed soil, and so must you if your life is to blossom.

The same God who gave life and meaning, and opportunity to the crops of nature now gives you the same blessings. Are you to say that you are less than a lily or a daisy? Do they have a brain or vision or choice? Do they converse one with another for the sharing of ideas? In His parable in Matthew 6:28-30, Jesus taught us, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"

God does provide everything for you, but He does expect you to use your abilities as the tools to fulfill Hi...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 382 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Walk With the Wise and Become Wise - Proverbs 13:13-25

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 382 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday we will explore for the nuggets of wisdom that are found along the Proverb trail. Today we explore Proverbs 13:13-25.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had such a blessed time with the Chamberlain Reunion at The Big House this past weekend. Reconnecting with siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles was such an enjoyment. We are truly blessed to have the family and homestead that we do.

When this day’s trek is released, Paula and I will be in Chicago for the Podcast Movement annual conference. I am honored to have the privilege to speak during a PMx session, which is similar in format to the popular Ted Talks. These short 15-minute sessions are designed to inform and inspire the listeners with a topic that will be useful to help podcasters succeed in their podcasting journey. The talk that I will be giving is 10 Truths for Creating Your Living Legacy through Podcasting. My talk will be very similar to my Wisdom-Trek podcast. It is my hope and desire to provide the audience with practical tips to help them to live their legacy each day.

One way to ensure a living legacy is by obtaining wisdom, insight, and understanding. There is no better source for this than the book of Proverbs and today’s trek is titled…

Walk with the Wise and Become Wise

Let’s begin today Proverbs 13:13.

13 People who despise advice are asking for trouble;

those who respect a command will succeed.

A person who does not seek advice from wise and tested people will end up making foolish decisions and will end up in trouble. In fact, that person is considered a fool. The fact is that to succeed you must be willing to take advice and learn from others that have proven themselves successful in various areas of life. We must respect and seek out those who are wise.

 

14 The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving fountain;

those who accept it avoid the snares of death.

We need to seek out the instruction of those individuals that have gained wisdom and insight through the years of their life journey. That wisdom will be like water in a desert providing us life and sustenance to carry on where otherwise we would perish.

 

15 A person with good sense is respected;

a treacherous person is headed for destruction.

It is very refreshing to be in the presence of a person with a wealth of common sense. It seems so rare in today’s world. We can respect a person who has these traits. On the other hand, a person without good sense cannot be trusted because they are unreliable, unfaithful, and two-faced.

 

16 Wise people think before they act;

fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.

A sign of a wise person is that they are not reactionary.  They will take the proper time to think before taking action.  This will prevent them from making decisions or taking action that would be harmful to themselves or others. In contrast to this is the fool who reacts instead of taking action and is only wise in his own eyes but whose decisions and actions prove otherwise.

 

17 An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,

but a reliable messenger brings healing.

A person who cannot be relied on for information or results will f...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 381 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Motivate Yourself

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 381 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we will provide you with your weekly dose of motivation that will set you on the trail of success. Today we will hike the six steps needed to motivate yourself.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. By the time this episode is released, the 5-year Chamberlain Reunion will be winding down. Since I am recording this ahead of time, I will have to provide details on future treks.

Paula and I have put in hundreds of hours in renovations and preparation over the past couple of years so that we could provide the best venue and experience possible for the family. We were motivated by a fixed deadline to work extra hours with a focused effort to accomplish all that we had planned. While we did not complete everything that we had hoped to due to time and resources, we were very pleased with the amount of work that we did accomplish. Creating an atmosphere of unity and peace where everyone feels that they have “come home” is important to us and is part of our living legacy for the family.

Although maintaining The Big House is a lot of work and responsibility, we feel that it is part of our God-given mission for life. As Jesus spoke in Luke 12:48, "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." With that awareness, we carry on with the joy of being able to serve in this manner.

Because of the deadline of the reunion we were highly motivated to complete our tasks, which is a basic principle with any motivation. Today let us hike the trail that contains the six steps to…

Motivate Yourself

Let’s get started on our trek for today with a quote from Andrew Carnegie, “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.”

If you want to excel in life, self-motivation is essential. You must know how to motivate yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a situation is. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties. Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is over.

The question is: How do you motivate yourself? We will climb the six steps that will allow you to effectively build and maintain self-motivation.

1. Have a cause.

I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause you care about. This was the Chamberlain Reunion for Paula and me. Such causes can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.

While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s like a mountain spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.

2. Have a dream – a big dream.

Karen Ravn put it this way: 

Your cause is a powerful source of motivation, but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream. For us, it was imagining how The Big House would look with the renovations completed. That image drove us on when we felt like quitting.

Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Being able to host the family for the weekend and allowing them to see the Family Homestead ...