Wisdom-Trek ©

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 ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 380 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (5) - The Awakening of Spring

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 380 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will ponder the truths about life and creating your living legacy. Today we will consider The Constant, Predictable Pattern of Change within the Cycles and Seasons of Life.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Wednesday, we invested the day with our local client assisting with the monthly billings and other back office duties.  After we had finished with the client, we went shopping for all the food and supplies for the Chamberlain reunion that starts Friday evening and runs through Monday morning. Some of our family will only be in for a day, but overall we are anticipating 75 -100 family members in attendance. While we did not complete all of the projects we had planned, the most important ones were finished, and we are ready for family to arrive. My sister Rebecca and sister-in-law Ann helped Paula prepare the meals on Thursday. Our nephew Adam came up with Rebecca and helped me with some remaining projects that I worked on.

While change is a constant part of our lives, being able to renovate The Big House also gives us a realization how important a solid foundation in life really is. With the house being over 110 years old, it is still as grand and beautiful as ever. With all of the fast pace changes in our lives, a strong, solid, lasting foundation is an important part of the living legacy that each of us should work toward.

As part of the Cycles and Seasons of Life, today on our trek we will explore change through…

The Constant, Predictable, Pattern of Change

The tide comes in and then recedes; the sun rises, giving light, and then sets, bringing darkness. Drought plagues the farm fields of the world, followed by rain in abundance. On this day, we swelter under the intense heat of the July sun, and soon we clothe ourselves against the penetrating cold of the mid-winter storm. Prosperity brings her abundant opportunity and rewards, but will withdraw at a future time when confronted by a receding business climate. The smile gives way to the tear, as does the joy to the sorrow and the jubilation to the tragedy. Close friends become hated enemies. The guns and bloodshed of war are followed by the stillness of a temporary peace.

For each of us existing on this spinning blue-white sphere called earth, confidence is replaced with the passage of time, by doubt; patience is replaced by stress; expectancy by boredom; and achievement by disillusionment.

As the wheel of life continues its constant turn, all human emotions appear, disappear, and appear once again. We sit in amazement in the role of spectators, as a generation living in morality becomes an immoral generation. This gives us cause to predict the end of the world, as did our forefathers when confronted by the same dilemma generations before.

The confrontations, disappointments, and challenges of life are treated by each generation as though they are the first to experience such events, when in fact, the pre-Christian years saw the same occurrences both appear and dissolve.

In Ecclesiastes 1:4-11 Solomon describes it this way,

"Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.  The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.  The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.  Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 379 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Hope Deferred Make the Heart Sick - Proverbs 13:1-12

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 379 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday we will explore for nuggets of wisdom to help you to grow in wisdom, insight, and understanding. Today we will dig for these treasures in Proverbs 13.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. By the time this day’s trek is completed, we should have the exterior trim and front porch painted. We also need to paint the gas lamps in the yard and a table for the front porch. The details for the reunion are coming together although we were not able to complete everything in our plans. Over the subsequent weeks and months, we will continue to complete the projects on our renovation list.

Much to our surprise and enjoyment after being away for nearly a week, the two young hawks have returned. Although we do not see them frequent the nest, they appear to be practicing their calls, flying, and hunting. It has been very interesting to watch.

Another subject that I find very interesting and useful are the nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs 13. Today on our trek, we will explore the first 12 verses in what I am calling…

 Hope Deferred Makes The Heart Sick

1 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline;

a mocker refuses to listen to correction.

Parents who instruct their children well are those who disciple them. To be able to disciple properly, you must also live a life where lessons can be caught, as well as taught. Yes, instructing children does require various forms of discipline through the process, but a child who is gaining wisdom will accept that discipline as part of their training for life. On the other hand, a child who is unwise rejects the discipline from a parent. He will mock and ridicule that instruction.

 

2 Wise words will win you a good meal,

but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.

When you are wise, your words will be full of wisdom. This will satisfy the soul like a good meal satisfies hunger. In contrast, the unwise and unfaithful person is one who is always seeking to be satisfied, but their hunger is never filled because they seek that which is wrong and cannot bring any lasting satisfaction

 

3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life;

opening your mouth can ruin everything.

As Solomon points out many times in Proverbs, speaking too much is not wise. If we can learn to speak only when it is appropriate, and we have something worthwhile to say, then it will spare us much sorrow and lead to a full and long life. The opposite of this is someone who speaks without thinking or wisdom. They also speak too often, and as a result, their lives will be full of hardship, both for themselves and those around them.

 

4 Lazy people want much but get little,

but those who work hard will prosper.

A person who is lazy does not understand the basic principle and direct correlation between work and prosperity. They desire to have much, but end up with little. Those who are willing to work hard and not chase fantasies or get rich quick schemes will have an abundance of all that they need. One aspect of this concept that many do not understand is that you cannot spend more than you earn. The reason so many people feel that they work hard and still do not prosper is that they are living beyond their means. We can get by in life with so much less than we realize. If we are disciplined, frugal and work hard,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 378 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Guide to Motivation (2)

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 378 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we will provide a shot of motivation to encourage and inspire you to make it a great week. Today we will finish up a two-part exploration of A Guide to Motivation.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had an extremely busy weekend of restoration work. All of the woodwork and floors that we had planned to refinish at this time are completed. We also are making progress on the exterior painting and hope to finish it up by Wednesday. There are some other miscellaneous projects that we desire to complete this week, but they may have to wait until later. Before the start of the reunion, I hope to get a video capture of the renovations that we have completed so far.

Some of the Wisdom-Trek and client projects have been delayed until the middle of July when we return from the Podcast Movement conference. Our focus on the renovations, Chamberlain reunion, and conference where I will be speaking, has consumed most of our time this month. Since the conference is focused on podcasting, I am sure we will be highly motivated to make good progress when we return from Chicago on July 9th.

As we think about motivation, let us head out on the 2nd segment of our trek today to explore 20 ways to sustain motivation when you are struggling…

A Guide to Motivation (2)

The second half of our guide to motivation explores how to keep yourself going when you don’t feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning. Perhaps something new has come into your life, and your old goal isn’t as much of a priority anymore. Perhaps you skipped a day or two, and now you can’t get back into it. Perhaps you screwed up and got discouraged.

If you can get yourself excited again and keep going, you’ll get there eventually. But if you give up, you won’t. It’s your choice — accomplish the goal or quit. Here are 20 tips to assist you in reaching your goal:

Hold yourself back. When you start a new exercise program, or any new goal really, you are full of excitement, and your enthusiasm knows no boundaries. You may think you can do anything. It’s not long before you learn that you do have limitations, and your enthusiasm begins to wane. One lesson to learn and sustain motivation, even if you have a lot of energy at the beginning of a program and want to go all out — hold back slightly. Remember that any goal worth achieving will best be accomplished over an extended period of time. Don’t let yourself do everything you want to do immediately. Plan out a sensible course of action where you slowly increase over time. For example, if you want to go running, you might think you can run 3 miles at first. But instead of letting yourself do that, start by only running a mile. When you’re running that mile, you may tell yourself that you can do more, but don’t. After that workout, you will be looking forward to the next workout, when you will run 1.5 miles. Keep that energy reined in, harness it so that you can run even further long term.

Just start. There are some days when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do that day for your goal. Instead of thinking about how hard it is and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start. I have a practice where I lay my exercise clothes out the night before, so they are ready when I get up. It is starting that is the most difficult time. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 377 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (4) - The Value of Attitude

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 377 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we will ponder on an aspect of life that will help us to create and grow our living legacy. Currently, we are in a multi-part series of exploring the Cycles and Seasons of Life. Today we will hike the Value of Attitude Trail.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. By this weekend, I should have all the upstairs woodwork, floors, and the front stairway coated with polyurethane. This has been quite a feat with a total of 11 doorways upstairs. Even after living here for nearly 30 years, I had not thought about the number of doorways. With applying polyurethane to that many doors and trim, it became painfully obvious that there were a lot. They do look nice, and the time invested now will bring pleasure to many for generations to come. We do consider this our passion project for the extended family and part of our living legacy.

This weekend and the first part of next week, I should be able to finish up the back stairway, and the downstairs hallway and foyer. There is much to complete before July 1st when the Chamberlain reunion starts. We will accomplish as much as we can, leave the rest in God’s hands, and realize that we can continue on as we have opportunity in the months ahead. We are blessed that in this season of life we have time and opportunity to gradually work on the restoration of The Big House.

As we think about life, let us head out on the 4th segment of our trek today to explore The Value of Attitudes within:

The Cycles and Seasons of Life (4)

Regardless of your own religious or intellectual inclinations, it is difficult to believe that humans somehow came about by random chance and circumstances. For all of us, what we believe about the origin of life, and particularly humans, is based purely on faith. Scientific proof requires observation and testing. No one is alive to verify what really happened in the ages past. Recorded human history is only from the past few thousand years.  For me, it is more logical to have faith in a divine creator opposed to random chance and circumstances. I am personally convinced that the entire universe, including the earth and everything living on it, were created by God. Humans are a special creation since we are created in God’s image as describe in Genesis 1:26-27, "Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.' So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." 

Based on this belief, you were created to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God and His precepts. In light of your eternal purpose and existence, even if you live beyond 100, your life is just a speck in time. As it says in James 4:14, "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone."

Your life on earth is but a mere stepping stone within your eternal existence. How your earthly trek finishes is based on the choices and decisions that you make each day. The impact of those choices will remain throughout eternity.

The more that I study, read, ponder, and speculate about people, their deeds, and their destiny, I become more deeply convinced that it is by God’s design that our natural destiny is to grow, to succeed,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 376 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Truthful Words Stand the Test of Time - Proverbs 12:17-28

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 376 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday we will explore for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Today we will continue with chapter 12:17-28.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On the renovation front, we were able to finish painting the swingset/fort, and we are working on painting the exterior trim on the sun porch and front porch. Both areas are quite large, so we hope to finish that painting by the end of this next week. Inside, I am continuing to apply polyurethane to the woodwork and both stairways with the hope to also finish the floors before the start of next week so they will have adequate time to dry solid. Our renovation contractor was in this week and able to finish up the small amount of crown molding that had to be custom made for three curved areas on the walls. It turned out really nice.

It appears that both the parents and young hawks have left for their summer home. We will miss watching them and hope that they will return again next year.

It is now time to go exploring for those precious nuggets of wisdom that are found in Proverbs. Today our title is…

Truthful Words Stand the Test of Time

17 An honest witness tells the truth;

a false witness tells lies.

On the surface, this verse appears very obvious, but if you have ever been in the courtroom during a major trial, you know that there are many times where lies are made to appear as truth. I had a friend that went through a very long drawn out legal battle where the prosecutor pushed very hard for a plea bargain. This would have required him to confess to a lesser crime when he committed no crime at all. Although he had to suffer through the process of 18 months, he finally had his day in court and was vindicated of the charges because he was steadfast with the truth. In the same way, God desires us to always be honest in our testimony and cling to the truth. Regardless of the circumstances, we need to stand on the truth. Justice will prevail because a false witness will be known for his lies.

 

18 Some people make cutting remarks,

but the words of the wise bring healing.

Cruel words can cut to the very soul of a person, and those who speak them are not wise. You can know if a person is wise by how they talk to and about others. In contrast, a wise person will heal instead of cut. They are willing and ready to heal the wounds of those who have been cut down by the unwise. It is our responsibility to be kind and compassionate at all times and in every situation.

 

 

19 Truthful words stand the test of time,

but lies are soon exposed.

There is no substitute for always telling the truth. Although it may be difficult, there is never a reason to lie. When you practice telling the truth all the time, you never have to be concerned about what you told to whom because it is the truth and the truth does not change. Our society has become so accustomed to situational ethics, that it has become the norm in both personal and business life. Our ethics, which are driven by our integrity, should never change based on the situation that we happen to be in from one day to another. Truth lasts forever, but those who practice telling lies will be exposed for what they truly are - liars.

 

20 Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 375 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Guide to Motivation (1)

Thank you for joining us for our 3 days per week, 12 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 375 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday on our trek, we will assist you to motivate yourself so that you can maximize your week in creating and living your legacy, which will positively impact your world.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. During this past week as I have been looking out our office windows, I have made two noteworthy observations. First, our two young hawks are now out of their nest and testing their wings. While they are a little unsteady, they are flying pretty well. They continue to preen the fluffy white down from their bodies, as the new dark feathers are now covering them quite well.

The second observation is the damage to the trees from the cicadas laying their eggs is starting to manifest itself. Most of the time the cicadas will pierce the bark on the tips of the new growth at the end of the tree limbs. As the eggs grow into grubs, it kills the tips of the limbs, which eventually fall to the ground. While it does not impact the large oak trees on our properly in a significant way, I did experience the major damage that the 17-year locust caused to the trees in our apple orchard while growing up. It had a major impact on the trees that took several years to recover from.

This past weekend we had the blessing of having four of our grandkids stay with us Friday night and Saturday while Elizabeth and Nat went to see the musical Oklahoma at the newly renovated Peoples Bank Theater here in Marietta. During high school, I played the part of Little Jake in Oklahoma, thanks to my small stature.

We also had the privilege of attending church with Dad on Father’s Day and also treat him to lunch at his favorite restaurant Cracker Barrel. It is motivating to me to invest time with Dad with his simplistic love for life. He has taught me so many lessons as part of his living legacy to me.

It is now time to head out on our trek for today as we consider some guidelines for motivation so that motivation becomes a habit that is integrated into your daily life. Today and next Monday we will explore…

A Guide to Motivation (1)

Although it may not be obvious at first, the lack of motivation many times stems from fear. Fear that we will fail. Fear of not knowing how to proceed. Fear of looking foolish. Fear that we are not as good as someone else. We start to see all of the obstacles that on our trail, and we are fearful to move forward because we are not sure how to overcome those obstacles. I still suffer from some of these thoughts, and I consider myself both optimistic and motivated most of the time. Some have called this the imposter syndrome, where we lack the motivation to move forward because we lack confidence.

To stay motivated, you need to have a burning passion and desire to succeed and reach your goals regardless of the obstacles on your trail of life. Henry Ford put it this way, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”  You also need to have a plan in place to continue on as Proverbs 21:5 tells us, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty."

One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it. If you can stick with a goal for long enough, then there is a chance that it will become a habit. Once a habit is formed,