Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 149 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

2 Steps to Overcome Procrastination 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 149 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the trail of how change begins with a choice and how making the proper choices in how we treat others will allow us to become a person of influence. Today we will explore that difficult trail of overcoming procrastination.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, although we will be at The Big House when this episode is released. It is really a blessing to be able to work remotely from any location as long as we have an internet connection. As technology continues to improve, it will become even easier in the future.

Today as we head out on our trail, we are having a discussion about how easy it is to put off our responsibilities and how we allow non-important interruptions to distract us from doing what is most important. This is an age old issue, but there are so many distractions both online and offline, it is very difficult not to procrastinate especially if you are not very disciplined in your focus. Perseverance is so important to make sure we continue on life’s trail towards the summit.

Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. Sure, there will be times when you feel like you're spinning your wheels, but you'll always get out of the rut with genuine perseverance. Without it, you won't even be able to start your engine.

Perseverance vs. Procrastination

The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination.

Ask people why they procrastinate and you'll often hear something like this, “I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and of course I have to be feeling well physically, too. I can't work when I have a headache. ” The other end of procrastination – being unable to finish – also has a perfectionist explanation…"I'm just never satisfied. I'm my own harshest critic. Unless all the I's are dotted and all the Tt's are crossed, I just can't consider that I'm done. That's just the way I am, and I'll probably never change."

Do you see what's going on here? A fault is being turned into a virtue. The perfectionist is saying that their standards are just too high for this world. This fault-into-virtue syndrome is a common defense when people are called upon to discuss their weaknesses, but in the end it's just a very pious kind of excuse making. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with what's really behind procrastination.

The basis of procrastination could be fear of failure. That's what perfectionism really is once you take a hard look at it. What's the difference whether you're afraid of being less than perfect or afraid of anything else?  You're still paralyzed by fear. What's the difference whether you never start or never finish? You're still stuck. You're still going nowhere. You're still overwhelmed by whatever task is before you. You’re still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future. In your mind you see yourself being criticized, laughed at, punished, or ridden out of town on a rail. Of course, this negative vision of the future is really a mechanism that allows you to do nothing. It's a very convenient mental tool.

I'm going to tell you how to overcome procrastination. I'm going to show you how to turn procrastination into pe...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 148 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

7 Steps to Become a Person of Influence

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 148 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned how to face and then defeat the enemies that live within us and try to limit our potential. Today we will explore the trail of how change begins with a choice and how making the proper choices in how we treat others will allow us to become a person of influence. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, although we will be at The Big House when this episode is released. The week is full of many activities to complete prior to heading back to Charlotte on Thursday and then on to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday as the Podcast cruise starts on Sunday.

The many activities we are involved in and our client workload are a result of choices that we have made over the years. An important attribute that I desire for my life is to be a person of influence. I feel certain that almost everyone would like to have a positive influence on the lives of others. In order to do so, you may have to make some changes in your life. Changes require that we make difficult choices at times. The choices that we have made in our lives up to this point determine the situation that we find ourselves in. So, let me ask a couple of questions…Do you desire to become a person of influence?  What changes in your life will be required in order to reach that position? On our Trek today, we will hike the trails of choice and look for the seven sign posts that are crucial for becoming a person of influence.

Change Begins with Choice

Any day you wish, you can discipline yourself to change your life. Any day you wish, you can open a book that will open your mind to new knowledge. Any day you wish, you can start a new activity. Any day you wish, you can start the process of life change. You can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year. Zig Ziglar put it this way, 

You can also do nothing. You can pretend rather than perform. If the idea of having to change yourself makes you uncomfortable, you can remain as you are. You can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are yours to make. But while you may desire change, you must be willing to make the choice to change. As Ecclesiastes 10:2 says, "A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one."

The current situation of your life is largely based on past choices. You have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

You cannot allow your errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead you down the wrong path. You must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how your life works out. And then you must make the very choices that will bring about a rich and satisfying life.

And, if I may be so bold to offer a piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in life…If you don't like how things are, change them! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your li...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 147 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Conquer the Six Enemies Within  

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 147 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned the value of study and the high cost for ignorance. Today we want to prepare ourselves to face the enemies that live within us. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina although this episode will originally be released on Sunday. We are preparing our podcast episodes a few days ahead of time in preparation for the Podcasters’ Paradise Cruise the first week of November since I will not have the equipment on the cruise to record and post the daily podcast.

We are in the middle of a very busy week of work and activities.  It is a blessing that we are thankful for. We will be celebrating Dad’s 85th anniversary when this episode is released. One of the many blessings and lessons that I learned from my Dad is to take each day of life as it comes to you. There will be trails and difficulties but that should not stop us from continuing forward. He also taught us to enjoy each day and learn the lessons from that day.

It is another great day of life as we trek together. The lessons that we can learn together and the strength that we can gain from one another helps our trek of life to be more enjoyable. Our goal is to live a rich and satisfying life while making a positive impact on everyone that we meet. By doing so, we can create a living legacy each day. One observation that I have made in life is that many of our problems with others and with situations of life are actually struggles that we are facing internally. We also tend to judge others in the same manner that we are judging ourselves. As Shakespeare wrote in his play The Hamlet, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," which suggests that those issues that we protest most strongly against are the very ones that we are struggling with. I have seen this play out in business, organizations, and even more so in churches. The Bible also refers to this in Matthew 7:1-3, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?"

So my exhortation on this is to be very careful when making a judgment against someone else because it may be the very demon that you struggle with internally.  This brings us to the trail that we want to hike today which is:

Conquer the Six Enemies Within

Let me tell you about six enemies we face from within.

1. Fear

The first enemy within is fear. We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Our fears are typically brought on by our own experiences, by what someone has told us, or by what we've read in the news. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once we learn to avoid that situation, we don't need to live in fear of it.

Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

If we are living a life of integrity and truth we have no legitimate reason to fear.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 146 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The Benefits of Study 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 146 of our Trek. Yesterday we learned how to become a miracle worker. Today we want to explore the value of study and the high cost for ignorance. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. But this episode will air on Saturday, and we will be back at The Big House by then, cleaning and getting ready for Dad’s birthday celebration on Sunday. One blessing that we experience driving between North Carolina and Ohio as much as we do is to see the mountains along our drive as the leaves in the fall are changing colors. It certainly makes the drive more enjoyable.

As we head out on our Trek today, it is important to understand and realize the importance of studying the trail guide and learning as much as possible before we begin our Trek each day. In the same way, we need to be continuously improving ourselves by reading books, listening to podcasts, and putting what we learn into practice. Regardless of your economic situation, if you have access to a library or the internet, there is no excuse to remain ignorant on any subject matter that may be important to you. Even if you do not have a particular interest in a subject, anything that you learn can bring value to your life. The more you learn the greater your net worth and self-worth will become. Knowledge does not equate directly to the wisdom that we pursue each day, but when kept in the proper perspective, the more knowledge that you gain should allow you to understand how valuable wisdom really is in your life.

Study To Show Yourself Approved

When I refer to books today, I am referring to physical or electronic books and any other types of online or offline articles and courses.

All of the books that you will ever need to make you as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated, and as successful as you want to be have already been written. They will provide you with the rich and satisfying life that is written of in John 10:10. Always keep in mind that when Scripture refers to a rich and satisfying life, it has little to do with material wealth although that could be a facet of it if we keep it in proper perspective.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, and people who have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that you might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered their wisdom and experience so that you can be inspired by it and instructed by it and so that you can amend your philosophy by it. Their contributions enable you to change the trails of life that you hike based upon their experiences. They have handed you the gift of their insights so that you can change your plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. You can rearrange your lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that you might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change your lives, your fortunes, your relationships, your health, your children and your careers for the better, how many books have we read?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 145 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Becoming a Miracle Worker

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 145 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nine nuggets that are more valuable than money. Today we will learn how to become a miracle worker. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As we finish out a busy week of work, even with the many side trails that we inevitably end up taking on our daily treks, we are still heading in the right direction and making progress. We will be heading back up to The Big House today as we finish preparations for Dad’s 85th birthday celebration. We are blessed to spend this time together as a family honoring Dad and his powerful contribution to our lives.

On our Trek today, we are enjoying the changing seasons. The crisp air of fall, the beautiful leaves as they turn bright yellows and reds, and the ability to relish life in all of its grandeur. Life in itself is a miracle, and we need to make sure that we take time each day to be thankful for all of the miracles that we experience, both small and large. Regardless of our age or status in life, our ability to perform some sort of labor, whether little or much, has the capability to make an impact on our world and indeed the entire world to bring about miracles in the lives of others.

As we continue with the training that I have gained from one of my mentors Jim Rohn along with my own experiences, we will explore our role in the working of miracles.

Labor That Works Miracles

While I don’t think any of us really enjoy paying taxes, we certainly do like some of the benefits that we receive from the taxes we do pay. Most of us would like to experience a phenomenon at tax time and have our taxes paid miraculously, but that is not how it works. Another tax situation is recorded in the Good News according to Matthew, who himself was a former tax collector. The story is recorded in Matthew 17:24-27.  The tax collectors were out doing their work, and they accused Jesus of not paying his share of taxes although technically Jesus was required to pay it. In verse 27 Jesus said,  "However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”  

We read in the passage that Jesus' disciple Peter came to him and said it was time to pay taxes, but they had no money. In response to his disciple's statement Jesus said, "No problem." Now why could he say "no problem"? Well, word had it that Jesus was a miracle worker. If you hand a problem to a miracle worker they are inclined to say "no problem."  It is good when you are able to hang out with people like that.

I do not want to minimize the miracles of Jesus at all because they are truly miracles. When you really think about creation and so much that goes on around us, then we can see miracles every day. God works through faithful and gifted individuals to bring about what is considered miracles to others. The question is, “Are you allowing miracles to be worked through you?”

Since I have 36 years of experience in technology, some may look at what I am able to perform on computers as miracles, but, unlike Jesus, it has taken me many years to gain these miraculous abilities and skills...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 144 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Nine Nuggets That Are More Valuable Than Money

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 144 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. Today we will explore the nine nuggets that are more valuable than money. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We continue on this week with many tasks and activities ahead of us. We also wanted to let you know that two additional podcast episodes where we have been guests have been released. One is the Podcasters’ Paradise podcast in which I speak of being consistent and persistent with the Wisdom-Trek podcast. The second one is called Together 24/7 in which both Paula and I were on the interview discussing working together as a couple throughout our careers. If you would like to listen to either of these podcast episodes, they can be found on Wisdom-Trek.com under The Big House tab.

 

For today, let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom as we search for:

Nine Nuggets That Are More Valuable Than Money

When starting any small business or any pursuit in life, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having adequate capital or money… But you have probably heard of people who started a business or organization with no money and then went on to great success and fortune. “How?” you may ask.

Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than money that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

1. Time

Time is more valuable than money. The time you set aside should not be wasted and not to be given away. Time you set aside to invest in a business that brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making a profit can be considered money time.

How valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth a fortune. Time wasted can be devastating. Time invested can perform miracles, so do not spend time as you would spending money. Invest your time so that it provides wealth for the future.

2. Desperation

When you have very little money you work from the perspective of desperation. Not in a stupid manner, but in a manner that is wise.  You make sure that every dollar invested produces a good return because you have no choice. It is amazing how enterprising you can become when it is do or die financially. Desperation can be a powerful incentive. At this point you say, “I must make this work.”

3. Determination

Determination is the outgrowth of desperation. If you know you have no choice then you must become very determined. Just like a snowball gathers more snow as it rolls down the hill, so determination allows you to continue to grow when there are no other choices. You can say to yourself "If it works once, it will work again."

4. Courage

Courage is more valuable than money. If you only have a few dollars and a lot of courage, I'm telling you, you have a good future ahead of you. Have courage in spite of the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible things no matter what happens. Haven't we heard the stories? From the stories of Victor Frankl or Corrie Ten Boom from the Nazi concentration camps to the heroic stories from 9/11, these are unbelievable stories of being in the depths of hell and finally making it out.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 143 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Shaped by the Language We Use 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 143 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. Today we will explore the subtlety of language, or in other words, being careful of the words that we use when we speak. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are headlong into our workweek with much to do before returning to Marietta on Friday in preparation for a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85th birthday on Sunday. We will be in Marietta for about a week and then will head south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as Paula and I are going on a business cruise the first week of November. I will need to create and record our daily Wisdom-Trek episodes ahead of time since I won’t have the opportunity to do so while on the cruise, so I have a challenging few days ahead of me.

Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we will discuss how what we say and how we say it can have a major impact on our lives. Our time of discovery for today will focus on:

The Subtlety Of Language

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course makes a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference is even in how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don't want and to start saying what you do want. In some aspects, I call that faith or confidence – believing the best, hoping for the best, and moving toward the best.

A few examples could be instead of saying "What if somebody doesn't respond to me?" start saying, "What if they do respond?"

Instead of saying "What if someone says no?" say, "What if they say yes?" Instead of "What if they start and quit?" say, "What if they start and stay?" Or instead of "What if it doesn't work out?" you say, "What if it does work out?" And the list goes on and on.

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want, then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And, sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.

Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. As an example, a teenager says to a parent, "I need $50." And if the parent learns to say, "No comprende. That kind of language doesn't work here. We have the money to give, but that's not how you get $50," then he teaches the teenager to ask, "How can I earn $50?"

That is the magic of words. There is money available here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. If you just learn the philosophy of asking “How can I earn $50?” you can get everything you’d possibly want.

You can't go to the soil and say, "Give me a harvest."  You know the soil smiles and says, "Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed?" Instead if you said to the soil, "I've got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?" Then the soil says, "No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep, and I'll be working while you're sleeping."

If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometim...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 142 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Gratitude and Giving 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 142 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nuggets of creating your opportunity and why success is everything. Today we will explore the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We drove back late Sunday night and are in the middle of a busy week of client work before we head back to Marietta on Friday. Although our life is busy and involves a lot of activities, we do focus on the fact that we are to pursue the rich and satisfying life, or as in some translations say, the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10. We are looking forward to next Sunday as we have a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85th birthday.

Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we are in search of nuggets of gratitude, and the gifts that we can provide to others. Regardless of how difficult our life trails may be at times, we have so much to be thankful for. Our first discovery for today is:

Learn to Be Thankful for What You Already Have

I want to start out today with a question. Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, "No, Guthrie, thankfulness is not key to survival," and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that, and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, "Learn to be thankful for what you already have while you pursue all that you want." I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Both the years and the experiences have brought me to where I am today, sharing with you daily on our Wisdom-Trek as we pursue creating a living legacy.  We have not arrived to this place on our Trek together by accident. It was by divine design. It is the attribute of thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, blessings, and unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude started with my parents who raised me and gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years, and it continues with the mentors that I've met along the way who have absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my resources, and my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, the ideas, the chance to work and labor, and the opportunity to produce results that I have. All of that has brought me to this place on my trek of life. I'm grateful for it all.

What a unique opportunity each one of us has, with so many of us representing different countries, nations, and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here together each day as we gain new wisdom, insight, and understanding and also reinforce what we have learned in the past. We know that each day of our Trek represents countries all over the world, and we have the freedom and liberty to come together on this trek we call life.

These are extraordinary times. There is more freedom across the world than at any time in history. Although our modern news media on both the right and left would try to convince us otherwise,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 141 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Creating Your Opportunity

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 141 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nuggets of wisdom “A Time for Action and A Time to be Fruitful.”  I have learned these concepts from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and we applied Wisdom-Trek logic to the nuggets that we discovered. We will continue on this trail of nugget exploration today in order to find the wisdom of creating your opportunity and why success is important. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, and by the time this episode airs, we will be back in Charlotte for the week. After a busy day Saturday working on our leaf harvest, on Sunday we were able to celebrate our grandson Gideon’s 6th birthday. It was a great day, and we are so glad to be able to be there. Afterward, we headed back to Charlotte for a busy week of activities before we head back to Marietta on Friday of this week.

For today, let us enjoy the beautiful changing leaves on our hike as we seek additional nuggets of wisdom that will help us on our trek of life. As we travel through life, we need the keen sense of ability and shrewdness to take ordinary or even sub-par situations and create opportunities from them. It is important to our overall success. We need to seize the day and the opportunities while they are available. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus in chapter 5 verses 15 through 17, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

So let’s first look at the wisdom nugget of:

Creating Your Opportunity

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An innovative person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An ingenious person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

To be resourceful is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It's to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough, and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves,regardless of the economy or other external situations.

A person with an enterprising attitude says, "Find out what you can before action is taken." Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation for what is yet to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And, enterprising people aren't lazy. They don't wait for opportunities to come to them. They create the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what's out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach and to be different.

What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise? The courage to be creative is the second requirement. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 140 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Taking Action

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 140 of our Trek. Yesterday we started digging up nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and began applying Wisdom-Trek logic to the nuggets that we discover. We will continue on this trail of nugget exploration for the next several days. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, as we came up just for the weekend to start the leaf harvest and share in our grandson Gideon’s 6th birthday celebration. When I refer to our leaf harvest, you have to understand that with about 4.5 acres of land with many very mature maple and oak trees. So, they produce an abundant amount of leaves. The Big House is also located in a residential community, so there are some expectations that we will maintain the property. As such, we do strive to keep the leaves gathered up on a timely basis so they don’t end up all over the community.

Today was just the first day of many that we will spend gathering leaves. Fortunately we have a very powerful vacuum system attached to our mower that takes much of the difficult work out of it.  We were able to clean the entire mow-able portion of the yard today which consisted of 8 loads. Each load has a capacity of over 400 gallons. That is a lot of leaves, and today was rather light in comparison when most of the leaves fall. I do enjoy spending the time outside, though, so it was a good day.

We will head back to Charlotte late on Sunday since we have some commitments this next week. With a full schedule, the days will fly by before returning to Marietta again this coming Friday.

Let’s continue on our trail today and search for some more nuggets of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” As we start today, we first want to explore the wisdom nugget regarding a time to take action.

A Time to Take Action

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don't need to be hasty if it isn't required, but you don't want to lose much time either. The time to act is when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.

Let's say you would like to build your personal library of books, either physically or electronically. If that is a strong desire for you, what you've got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible before the feeling passes and the idea dims. If you don't, you fall prey to the Law of Diminishing Intent.

We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But, if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found. If nothing changes in your life, then your life will not change.

So take action. Set up a discipline or habit when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you're motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes and the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups.

You've got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity.