Wisdom-Trek ©

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.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 139 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like Being a Farmer

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 139 of our Trek. Yesterday we searched for 11 mile-markers to create a living legacy. Today and for the next several days, we will be digging up nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and applying Wisdom-Trek logic to these nuggets that we discover. 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 heading to Marietta for the weekend to start the leaf harvest and share in our grandson Gideon’s 6th birthday celebration, but we will head back late on Sunday since we have some commitments in Charlotte this next week. And then, we will head back to Marietta at the end of next week and celebrate Dad’s 85th birthday.  It is a lot of traveling, but we are so thankful that we are able to do so. 

We also have a busy day on our Trek today, so let’s head onto the trail as we are in search of that hidden treasure called wisdom. This treasure is readily available, but few seek for it as if seeking for gold, silver, or precious jewels. If we desire to be joyful, we must seek for wisdom as Proverbs 3:13-15 tells us,

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,

the one who gains understanding.

For wisdom is more profitable than silver,

and her wages are better than gold.

Wisdom is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

Along our trail today, we once again come across an overlook and down in the valley we see the farmers busy at the harvest.  This scene reminds me of how wise it would be if we all would think like a farmer.

Thinking Like a Farmer

One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized and technology driven age is the fact we've lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the natural rhythm of life. As a result, we have our priorities out of balance. Let me illustrate what I mean:

For a farmer, springtime is his most active time. It's then when he must work around the clock, rising before the sun and still toiling at the stroke of midnight. He must keep his equipment running at full capacity because he has but a small window of time for the planting of his crop. Eventually winter comes when there is less for him to do to keep him busy.

Every farmer knows that you can't sow and reap on the same day. There is a timetable for your harvest that requires both working and waiting. Patience is a small price to pay for what you will receive.

There is a lesson here. Learn to use the seasons of life. Decide when to pour it on and when to ease back, when to take advantage and when to let things ride. It's easy to keep working 10-12 hour days, year in and year out, and lose a natural sense of priorities and cycles. Don't let one year blend into another in a seemingly endless parade of tasks and responsibilities. Keep your eye on your own seasons, lest you lose sight of value and substance.

Proverbs 23:3-5 encourages us to be careful of the continuous pursuit of wealth,

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.

Be wise enough to know when to quit.

In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,

for it will sprout wings

and fly away like an eagle.

As we consider thinking like a farmer, we must realize that most of us will not be farming full time.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 138 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

11 Life-Changing Lessons

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 138 of our Trek. Yesterday we hiked the 7 trails of creating opportunities. Today we will search for 11 mile-markers to creating a living legacy. 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. It has been a pleasant week in the Charlotte area – sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s.  Although I do love the work that we are doing, during weeks like this I yearn to be outside enjoying God’s creation and communing with nature. As we continue on our Trek through life, we will have to consciously choose to take more time for short excursions each day. 

When we are hiking and in our daily lives, it is imperative that we enhance our power of observation. The more we increase our ability to observe, learn, and understand, the wiser we will become. Let’s continue on the trail of opportunity that we began yesterday and observe the 11-mile markers that will teach us some life-changing lessons. Once we have mastered these lessons, we will be able to more effectively impact the lives of others, which will allow us to create a living legacy that ripples through our world and through generations to come. I have gleaned these lessons from one of my virtual mentors, Zig Ziglar, who has impacted millions throughout the world.

The trail will be a little longer today, but it is a beautiful day for our Trek. As we meander down the trail, we are looking for the mile-markers that should be along the trail. We must use our keen sense of observation otherwise we may miss the markers, which at times are hidden in the underbrush. In the same way, many important markers in our lives become hidden with all the stuff that we buy or the activities we do, and we miss very important lessons. Finally, the first of 11 mile-markers comes into view.

Mile-Marker #1 - First, Help Others

· “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

It’s possible to get ahead in life by taking advantage of other people. But it’s far better (and easier) to get ahead by understanding what people want and then helping them get it. Once you’ve gone out of your way to solve somebody’s problem, they’ll go out of their way to help you achieve your goals. The goal of every successful person is to help as many people as possible as much as possible. When you create something that’s of great value to many people, your life or business is assured of success.

Mile-Marker #2 - Success is Lived

· “Success is in the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph.”

Seeing success as an end goal is one of the biggest misconceptions of success. Success is actually an ongoing journey, more about enjoying the trail than the destination. According to Zig, the most rewarding part of becoming a successful person is the actual becoming. He said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Mile Marker #3 - Keep Moving

· “Remember there is plenty of room at the top — but not enough to sit down.”

To be a difference maker in this world, you must continue moving forward until the very end. A strong work ethic is a key to success. “Get rich quick” schemes will never work. “The elevator to success is broken, but the stairs to success are always available.”  Many people have negative associations with hard work.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 137 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The 7 Trails to Create Opportunities

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 137 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the six reflection points for life’s transitions. Today we are going to hike the 7 trails of creating opportunities. We cannot sit idly by and wait for opportunities to come to us. We must create opportunities for ourselves and others.  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. Today is as busy as expected, but at least we are a bit more rested than we were yesterday.  There are so many opportunities in life to grow and excel if we are looking for them. With today’s technology those opportunities are more prevalent than ever. It does require that we step outside of our comfort zone, but that is what makes life exciting and worth our trek. Unfortunately, I think Thomas Edison was correct when he said,  

As we start on our Trek for today, we want to shift our mindset from looking for opportunities to creating opportunities.  There may be a fine line here, but if you are looking for opportunities, you are assuming that they are already available. Creating opportunity requires that we assemble the puzzle pieces of our life in order to create the opportunities that we desire. As we create these opportunities, we want to look at the 7 trails that will make a significant impact on our world each day.

As we continue on the trail for today, we pass by a beautiful clear lake nestled in the mountains, and it provides us a time to consider our ability to impact everyone that we meet, either in person or online.  In order to create those opportunities we desire, we must be seekers and have an unquenchable hunger to be difference makers. As I throw a huge rock into the lake, we see the ripples extending from it in ever-widening circles. In the same way, as we create opportunities, we will make an impact on our world that will send out never-ending ripples in our ever-widening circles of influence. This will allow us to “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” as Mahatma Gandhi shared.

Some of the points in today’s Wisdom-Trek come from a Ted talk by Kare Anderson who shared this insight,

Honing your greatest talents and skills through your authentic message is the key to successful contributions as an opportunity creator, which will lead you to survive and thrive in the fast-changing world. By making new opportunities through these 7 trails that we are hiking today, you have the capability of achieving immense accomplishments.

There is one caveat, though…To create real opportunities, you must focus on how others will also benefit from the opportunities that you create.  None of us live in a vacuum. We must always be looking for ways to help others improve, and in doing so, we will also be creating positive opportunities for ourselves. As we explore these seven trails, I will first ask you a question, “What opportunities can we create together, and how can we accomplish this?”

1. Become an Opportunity Maker for Others

It is essential to become an opportunity maker for others first! Everything else will naturally flow and follow. Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:31, "Do to others as you would like them to do to you."

2. Collaborate & Provide Support

It is a true art to collaborate with people that act, think, and process information differently than we do!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 136 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Six Reflection Points for Life's Transitions

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 136 of our Trek, and for the past six days we remained in camp and studied the map of wisdom trails as we explored Proverbs chapters 2 and 3.  We will occasionally remain in camp and continue on in the book of Proverbs, but for today we will head back on the trail and learn six lessons on how to handle transitioning from one trail to another.  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, and it has been a busy day of work after very little sleep on our red eye flight back from Phoenix last night. It is amazing as humans that we have the ability to continue on with a very limited amount of sleep. We should be able to re-energize before heading to Ohio on Friday for our grandson Gideon’s sixth birthday celebration on Sunday. It will be a quick trip coming back this weekend before heading back up the following weekend. Life is full, but we are enjoying the journey.

As we head out on our Trek today, we soon come to a split on the trail and find it difficult knowing which would be the best path to take. One leads upward through sparse growth but probably leads to a beautiful view at the summit. The other trail leads us downward into the valley where there is lush growth and a river flowing through it. Oh, which trail to take? These are the decisions that we must make in life. Most of the time our decisions will not be choices of a good trail over a bad trail, but which path to take where both seem equally attractive in their own way.  When we come to a split in the trails of life or such transition points, how do we make the most of the decision that we do choose?

Six Reflection Point for Life’s Transitions

Major life transitions –  moving to a new city, becoming a parent, deciding when to retire – can be an exciting and invigorating part of life if we view it in that manner. Yet transitions, even happy ones, can also be stressful and bring up mixed feelings.  For most of us, change brings uncertainty and a certain measure of fear. This is natural, but we cannot allow fear to prevent us from moving forward.

Moving from a rural community or farm into a big city with its excitement and challenges can be a bit overwhelming. The first few weeks after the move is usually much more difficult than anticipated. Similarly, no matter how exciting getting pregnant and having a child is, the magnitude of this life transition can be mindboggling.  Although I don’t plan on retiring any time soon and it could be many years, even the thought of not working the majority of my time makes me realize what a transition time that will be for me when it arrives.

The best way to prepare for major transitions is to take some time for self-reflection. Use the following trail guide for six ways to help you to embrace change and make the most of your new life trail.

1. Recognize that transitions are hard because they can shake your sense of identity.

We naturally define ourselves in part by our surroundings. When these surroundings change, it can be disorienting. Getting married changes your identity from a single person to a partner. Having a child changes your sense of identity from wife or daughter to now include being a mother. A new job changes your identity or role at work. For example it is exciting to get a promotion at work, but the new position has more responsibility. You may like this,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 135 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter 3:21-35 - Trusting the Lord #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 135 of our Trek, and we are remaining at camp this week as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs. We have discovered some precious treasure so far this week, so let us continue on our study of the map to wisdom.

Yesterday we explored Chapter 3:13-20, and today we will finish Chapter 3:21-35 as we discover the value of having common sense and discernment. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook although we will be going on many treks between our times at camp.  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 just arrived back in Charlotte after a very busy but productive few days with our friends and business partners Charles and Alison Mecom. We are working together on a couple of large construction projects in the Phoenix, Arizona area. This podcast is being released a little later than usual due our travel schedule. We took a red eye flight back to Charlotte which delayed the initial release of this podcast.

As we continue on our discussion of Proverbs 3, I trust that this time we spend at camp studying the map for wisdom has been and will continue to be valuable and beneficial. Even if you do not consider yourself a person of faith, my hope is that you will stay around and gather the wisdom that is universal to all.

As I mentioned the past couple of days, the title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

· Common sense in not always common.

Let’s start out now and glean wisdom from Proverbs 3:21-35.

21My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.  Hang on to them, 22For they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.  

Verse 21-22 should encourage us. We need to keep our eyes and mind on common sense, discernment, love, and wisdom. We are to cling to them as we would if they were any precious stone. Gold, silver and gems may be beautiful. But, wisdom is more beautiful than any valuable objects. These attributes are to be so evident in our lives that it is like wearing a necklace. The beauty of these attributes should be very evident to everyone that sees us.

23They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.  24You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.  25You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, 26for the Lord is your security.  He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. 

In verses 23-26, unlike gold and silver, which many would attempt to take from us, we can hold onto common sense and discernment, and no one can steal them from us. They are part of the very essence of who we are. Life is a trek, and when we have these attributes in our lives, we will we be less likely to make mistakes that would cause us to stumble and fall. We have nothing to fear.  Verse 24 gives us special comfort. We should not be afraid of those things that go bump in the night because this passage teaches us that God will protect us. While I do not have this particular problem, I realize that many people struggle to sleep. We can trust in God, He can keep us safe. He can protect us.

27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.