Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 34 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Wisdom from Ben Franklin - Part 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 34 of our Trek and in honor of Independence Day in the United States, yesterday we started a 4-day series of episodes in which we are consulting one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who was known for his wisdom and practical sage advice.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  It was a pretty light day for work, but I was able to get out and mow the entire lawn and just finished up before it started to rain.  With the help of my brother Jack and his son Robert, who live next door, we were able to move most of the furniture into our newly renovated office upstairs.  I just have to finish by moving the shelving units that I use for my standing desks.  On the day this podcast airs,  July 4th, I should be able to sand the floor in the "Eating Area."  I hope to be able to put a couple coats of polyurethane on it before we head back to North Carolina for 12 days.

On our Trek today, we continue our review of the 85 practical tips written by Benjamin Franklin which are called The Way of Wealth. Wealth here is not just referring to material gain but also what truly creates a life of abundance in all areas.

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Yesterday we covered tips 1-22, so let’s venture on our trail today as we review tips 23-45.

When consumed regularly, these nuggets of truth and wisdom help us to grow and mature and to become healthy, wealthy, and wise in all areas of life. Let’s start right in:

One today is worth two tomorrows. – Take advantage of what you have today and maximize it. There are no guarantees of tomorrow for any of us. Matthew 6:34 reminds, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today. – Never delay what you can and should do today. Accomplish all that you can today, so your tomorrows are free for greater opportunities.

Be ashamed to catch yourself idle. – Don’t waste your time and the time of others. There is a time for rest, but it is not when you should be doing something productive.

Let not the sun look down and say, "Inglorious here he lies." – Never end the day in shame or loss of honor. If you have done something unethical during the day, fix it. Better yet, don’t do that action to begin with.

The cat in gloves catches no mice. – In order for a cat to catch a mouse, it needs its claws. If we are going to do any job properly, let’s make sure we have the proper tools and resources in place.

Constant dropping wears away stones. – Be persistent in all that you do.

By diligence and patience the mouse ate in two the cable. No matter how difficult the task or how large the project, take it a step at a time, and you will complete it. As we said on day 30, eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Little strokes fell great oaks. – This is another quote that is well known and one that was repeated to me many times growing up. Even the largest of obstacles can be overcome by the smallest of steps taken over and over.

Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure. – If you want the future benefits of a life well lived, then you must live your life well today and each day. Work now, play later. The opposite never works long term.

Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour. – Every moment of every day is important.

A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things. – If you work when you should, then your reward will be time for leisure you can enjoy. A lazy person will not have the resources to enjoy any type...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 33 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Wisdom from Ben Franklin - Part 1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 33 of our Trek, and in honor of Independence Day in the United States, for the next four days we are going to consult one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who was known for his wisdom and practical sage advice.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  It has been a fairly busy day, but not quite as hectic as the first part of the week, so I have been able to get through some of the project work that was not quite as crucial.

Before we head back to North Carolina on Sunday, we do hope to start moving the furniture back into the renovated office, sand and varnish the floor in the eating area, and get the lawn mowed. It will be a challenge to accomplish it all, but we will try.  Below is a picture of the new flooring and wainscoting in our renovated office.

As we begin on our Trek today, we find a buried box near our camp and on opening it, we realize that it contains a listing of 85 Practical tips written by Benjamin Franklin. Let’s take the next few days to see how they apply to our lives.  Old Ben was one of my mom’s favorite authors, and she read many of his quotes to us growing up in hope that his seeds of wisdom would be planted and grow in our lives.

These nuggets of wisdom, when consumed regularly like the book of Proverbs, will teach us to live disciplined and successful lives and to help us do what is right, just, and fair.  Now, it may take a few days for us to reflect on all 85 sayings, but I will add some of my own thoughts along with Ben’s so that we can apply them most effectively.  Some of the sayings do contain words that are not used often today, but I think they are easily enough translated.  So let’s get started.

God helps them that help themselves. - While this is not actually listed in the Bible as many have thought, it still contains Biblical truth.  God is not going to miraculously do for us what He has already given us the capability of doing. 

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears while the used key is always bright. We will remain brighter, sharper and more useful by effectively working than we ever will by being lazy. Proverbs 6:6 says to, "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!"

Dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of. – Ephesians 5:16 puts it this way, "Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days."

 The sleeping fox catches no poultry. – You can’t accomplish your goals if you don’t take action. Proverbs 6:9 puts it this way, "But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?"

There will be sleeping enough in the grave. – I have to admit, that I do like to work. My kids think that the old hymn "Work for the Night is Coming" is my theme song. I have to admit that I may have repeated that phrase a time or two while they were growing up, but on a serious note, we do need to take advantage of the times in life when we can be productive. As John 9:4 says,  "We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work."

Wasting time must be the greatest prodigality. – Prodigality is excessive or extravagant spending. Money you can always earn again, but time we can never get back once we waste it.

Lost time is never found again. – We are starting to see a theme here in Ben’s anecdotes. Unlike losing money or material possessions, once time is lost it is gone forever.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 32 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

How to Live a Life of Significance

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 32 of our Trek. Today we are going to look at how we gain significance in our lives by living intentionally and with purpose.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Although The Big House is located in an older suburban neighborhood, it sits back off of the road a bit and is surrounded by very large mature trees with a nice wooded area beside it.  This setting makes for a pleasant habitat for different wildlife.  Besides the squirrels that are everywhere, today our newborn twin fawns are frolicking and resting on the lawn, the family of hawks that have taken up residence in a nearby tree are quite noisy, and both a large pileated woodpecker (think Woody Woodpecker) and a much smaller redheaded woodpecker are scavenging for grubs.

I believe all of us want to live a life of significance, knowing that we are making a positive impact on others and the world.  The problem is that life for most of us is very hectic, and we have competing demands for our time, energy, and resources.  Some days it is hard to keep our heads above water, and we constantly feel like we are being sucked into the cesspool of life’s activities, which is why it is so important to live life intentionally and with purpose.

If we are going to make this shift, we need to have an intentional mind shift from a life of activity to a life of purpose.  Begin living a more simplistic life, one where you take time to stop and smell the roses along the trek of life and enjoy each day's journey.

Living a simple life certainly requires intentionality. In a world that is hectic, busy, and hurried, simplicity is not. In a culture that encourages selfishness and excess, minimalism does not. And in a society that is rushing to gain more, satisfaction with less is counter-cultural.

To live an intentional life, we must begin by laying a proper foundation and then add practical steps on each day's Trek on top of it.

First, find a solid path for life.

Realize that your life is made up of choices. Every morning is a new day full of decisions and opportunities. You get to pick your attitude and your decisions. You don’t have to let the circumstances of your past negatively determine the pattern of your life in the future. You have a choice in the matter. You do not need to be stuck in the same pattern of living that you have been for years. Realize that every morning is a new opportunity. Thinking of this brings to my mind the Bible verses in Lamentations that we can rest in.  Chapter 3 verses 22 and 23 read,

 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning."

Evaluate the path you are taking and the tribe of people that you are trekking with. Life is not lived in a vacuum. You are on a certain path and live surrounded by a tribe with its own culture that are moving somewhere. This tribe and its culture form a steep downhill slope. Living an intentional life will require you to take a step off of the trail and evaluate the path you are on to determine where it is heading, how it is affecting you, and if it is taking you in a direction you desire.  We can get guidance to make these decisions as we read in Psalm 32:8 the Lord says,

“I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.”

Examine yourself. Know who you are. Get a strong handle on your passions, talents,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 31 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today I encourage you to Think and Grow Wise.

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 31 of our Trek. It is hard to believe that it has been a month already since we launched Wisdom-Trek. It has been both challenging and exciting to create Wisdom-Trek and to know that the podcast has been downloaded nearly 8,000 times in the first 30 days.  Thank you so much for your support and please keep promoting Wisdom-Trek so that we can all grow boldly where few have chosen to grow before.  Our purpose each day is to gain wisdom and insight which will help us to create a living legacy.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  We have had the privilege of observing fairly young twin fawns in our yard the past couple of days.  The deer seem to become less afraid each year.  These two beautiful fawns have stayed fairly close to the house bedding down in our yard. I was getting concerned that maybe something had happened to their mama, but towards dinner time, she came sauntering through the yard herself. After they nursed for a bit, the three of them headed into the small wooded area behind the house.  We all need to take time and be thankful for the little joys of life.

As we come to the end of another very busy day, I am also thankful for all the experiences and opportunities that God has weaved into my life.  Yes, it is overwhelming at times (okay, most of the time), but it is through the challenging times of daily life that we gain and grow in wisdom.   Wisdom is obtained through years of proper thinking and experience.  That is why today’s podcast is titled "Think and Grow Wise."

As we continue our Trek, consider this: To become a wise person, you need to gain accurate, perceptive insights into human behavior and understand how this is integrated into everyday situations. You need to practice what Christ's half-brother James wrote in his letter in Chapter 1 verses 19 and 20, "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." You will need to be observers of human nature and master psychologists with excellent emotional intelligence.

You have to be willing to learn from real life experiences not just academic study. This may mean that you keep what you know to yourself but are willing to share what you know with certain individuals that are ready to think and learn.

You need to have discernment and give advice to open-minded learners. If you desire to become wise you will learn the talent of asking questions that lead to new understanding. This practice will bring a consciousness to yourself to communicate what you know when the situation is right and with those who are ready and willing to learn.

If you are to become wise you need to think about what you do and don't do. You need to have a strong inner frame reference built on your integrity for your actions and statements.  You need to learn to "read" situations well and understand others accurately, to see through the obvious, and to trust your intuition.

You will need to think through life issues and gain a sense of the hidden motives behind the actions of others.  This practice will allow you to become less vulnerable to cons, threats, criticism, and manipulation. If you are able to learn this trait, then you can handle pressure and threats with humor. You will be able to remain stable and sustain self-control in times of turmoil.  You will desire and expect things to work well. This will allow you to feel optimistic and self-confident when coping with rough situ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 30 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we will look at Dealing with the Major Obstacles in Life.

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 30 of our Trek. Yesterday we discussed how trekking up mountains and though valleys is much like life.

One of my hesitations in creating the various topics for our podcast and journal each day is that I have no excuse for not taking a dose of my own medicine.  Today has been one of those days where working with our base of clients has forced us to scale steep mountains and cascade into deep valleys without much time to enjoy the scenery or rest. All day I have had to remind myself, as we will look at in today’s podcast, that no matter how huge the tasks appear,  I need to stay focused on bite-sized manageable nuggets, and eventually I will work through it all.  We do hike a lot of different types of trails on our podcasts – all with the purpose of gaining wisdom and insight that help us to create a living legacy.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  The specialty contractors that we have assisting us with our renovations are nearly finished.  The new trim is complete and the new windows in our formal dining room have been installed.  Once the rooms are completed, I will post a couple of pictures in our Wisdom-Trek journal entries.

As we trudge along our trail today on our trek of life, we are confronted with some huge obstacles that are blocking our way.  When we reach these points along our trail, which will occur more often than we desire, we need to prepare mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually how we are going to handle these seemingly insurmountable obstructions.

Today we want to determine, the best way to take huge and overwhelming tasks or goals and break them into manageable segments. Or, the question we will ask today is "How do you eat an elephant?" And the answer is always, "One bite at a time." Let me assure you that no actual elephants were harmed during the creation of this podcast.

 

Most of us have heard this saying, probably many times. But that does not lessen its value.  I know I have used it with my children throughout the years. Even now that they are all adults, when they come to me with a huge issue that they are facing, I always remind them, "Just eat the elephant one bite at a time."

Although I have used this phrase hundreds of times, like probably most of you, I often fail to apply this lesson in my life, as I am sure you do, too. If you view the elephant as one giant obstacle or goal that your whole life depends on, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. As we trek through life each day, we need to learn to enjoy the small bites along the way.  Let’s break this into three segments.

It’s not just about big goals or huge obstacles.

Many people make a major mistake in being entirely overwhelmed by a huge obstacle, or focused on big goals.  To keep with our hiking analogy, let’s say your goal is to become a Colorado fourteener, which is to hike all of the 53 Colorado Summits that are 14,000 feet or higher.  To look at this goal all at once would be a very big obstacle to overcome, but if you strategically plan to accomplish this goal over a period of months and years one summit at a time, then it becomes doable. If you plan on becoming a fourteener in a matter of a few weeks or months, then you are probably in for a great disappointment.

Long term goals are great, and even huge obstacles can be exciting because of the challenge. But, for every long term goal you have or for every major obstacle you face,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 29 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at Trekking the Mountains and Valleys of Life.

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 29 of our Trek. The past two days we looked at 12 trails of life that we can take to be infused with courage.  Today we will consider how trekking up mountains and though valleys is much like life.  We cover a lot of topics on our podcasts – all focused on gaining wisdom and insight that help us to create a living legacy. Many of the podcasts are in a series of steps that cover multiple days, so if you have missed any episodes please subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes or Stitcher or listen on Wisdom-Trek.com.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  The renovations on the house are coming along nicely, and it looks like I will be able to finish the wood floors in "The Eating Area" this week, which will allow us to put the room in use once again.  The new wainscoting in the upstairs office looks great, and the specialty contractor has matched the woodwork in other parts of the house exactly. Once the rooms are completed I will post a couple of pictures in our Wisdom-Trek journal entries.

So let’s continue up the trail today on our trek of life to see the analogies between our virtual trek and real life.

As we consider this analogy, most often it comes to our minds that we want to be on the mountaintops all the time and avoid the deep valleys at all cost.   What we may fail to realize is that in order to reach the summit of a mountain, we have to traverse upwards on many rough and winding trails.   Once we do reach the mountain tops if we desire to continue on with life, then we must move forward, which will require that we head back down into the valleys of life.

Climbing high mountains in life can be just as difficult and challenging as when we feel we are in the lowest of valleys.

Most of us do tend to associate difficult times in our lives with the idea of being in a valley. Maybe it’s a time of depression or despair. Maybe you’ve lost your job or are struggling financially. Maybe your job performance is just suffering. Maybe it’s a relationship that is broken and appears to be shattered.

I prefer to look at life more as seasons than mountains and valleys.  Each of us experiences the upward climbs and the downward slopes, sometimes multiple times each day.  There are seasons of life that are hard, terribly hard.  During the difficult times, it seems our world is pitch black, and we are stuck in the valley of despair. We don’t know if a new day will dawn, or if the sun will ever peak above the next mountain. How should we handle these situations?

I realize there are some that have been mired in the valley for years, but that is usually the exception. One personal practice that I try to remember when times are difficult is to ask myself the question, "What crisis was I having or what was I worrying about last year on this same day?" Usually, I have no clue. Then I remind myself, so shall it be next year.  The momentary crisis of today will pass like the storm in the night, and soon we will see a new day dawning with all of its glorious radiance.

One truth that we tend to forget is if we want to reach the summit climbing the mountain is also challenging. It may mean that we indeed need to make that difficult climb in order to see the sun.

As we travel between North Carolina and Ohio many times each year, we pass through the entire length of West Virginia.  While the mountains in WV are not nearly as tall as the Rockies, there are ravines between the mountains that are so close together they ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 28 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at the 12 Trails of Courage (Trails 7-12).

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 28 of our Trek. Yesterday we looked at 6 trails that we can take to gain courage, and today we are going to look at the remaining 6 trails of life where we can be infused with courage. We cover a lot of topics on our podcasts – all focused on gaining wisdom and insight that help us to create a living legacy. Many of the podcasts are in a series of steps that cover multiple days, so if you have missed any episodes, please subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes or Stitcher or listen on Wisdom-Trek.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, but by the time that it airs, we should be back at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  If you have not heard the story of our primary home in Ohio, please check out the About Us page. We are blessed to have a history rich with stories.  The stories that all of us share about life are the spice that makes life interesting and allows us to live abundantly.

Let’s begin up the trails of courage, and see how we can apply them.

The Trail of Taking Bold Action

It takes courage to take bold action, but nothing changes if nothing changes. Have the guts to step boldly from your comfort zone to make the changes and take the chances that call you forward to fulfilling the potential within you. Courage allows you to trade procrastination and excuses for a commitment to being a person who is willing to do what it takes to live life abundantly. Whatever the risks you face on your trail of life, it is a much greater risk not to do anything.

The Trail of Perseverance

It takes courage to overcome the setbacks and failures that present themselves on the way to your goals, ambitions, and dreams. Perseverance and reaching those dreams is what brings the greatest sense of achievement. Face your challenges with a deep determination to stay the trail. When the trails become rough and the obstacles seem insurmountable, resist surrendering in the face of adversity.  You can continue to climb, for any goal worth pursuing will require its share of determination and perseverance. Plug into the dreams and ambitions that make your spirit soar, and remember that it matters not that you reach the summit but that you had the guts to try. It is through perseverance in the face of adversity that the ordinary become extra-ordinary.

 

The Trail of Saying No

Sometimes we need the courage to say no to the good in order to make room for the great. Every time we say "yes" to a request or offering, we are automatically saying "no" to some other choice.  However, finding the courage to say "no" first requires being clear about what you most want in life so you can say "yes" to the right choices.  This practice will help you set boundaries in the midst of conflicting directions and requests.  It will also teach people what you will and will not accept. Saying "no" when you need to may not be easy, but the price you pay for not doing so far exceeds any momentary discomfort.

 

10. The Trail of the Open Heart

It takes courage to be open to experiencing life's pain as deeply as its joy, and yet this can be life's richest fulfillment.  Opening your heart fully to the depths of emotion that come with a life lived abundantly takes great courage, but it is the only way worth living life. It takes courage to let down your defenses and make yourself vulnerable to the anguish that life can sometimes bring so that you can experience the joy that comes from connecting with others openly, intimately,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 27 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at the 12 Trails of Courage (Trails 1-6).

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.  This is Day 27 of our Trek and today and tomorrow we are going to look at 12 trails of life where we can be infused with courage.  We will cover the first 6 today and the remaining 6 tomorrow.  We cover a lot of various types of topics with many of them in a series of steps that cover multiple days. So, if you have missed any episodes please subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, or listen on Wisdom-Trek.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina,  as we are wrapping up the week and will be heading to The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, to maintain the lawn and continue our internal renovations. We are excited to get back for a week and finish up the downstairs room off the kitchen, which we always referred to as the "eating area."  It was actually the milk porch when the house was originally built. We should also be able to move into the room directly above the "eating area," which we always referred to as the sun-porch but now is being renovated into our new office.   We converted the downstairs office to another bedroom, where Paula’s mom stays when we are in Marietta.

Let’s begin up the trails of courage, and see how we can apply them.

The Trail of Personal Responsibility

Courage gives you the strength to take personal responsibility for your actions. You can't always control your circumstances, but you can always choose how you will respond to each situation, regardless of how difficult. No matter what challenges, you face you can have the courage and power to make the ultimate choice, which is either to let the world impact you or to go out and impact the world. Resist the impulse to blame your woes on others or situations of life, but instead make the decision to own your life and be fully responsible.

The Trail of Living with Integrity

Courage gives you the strength to live with integrity at all times. Integrity is the only path in life upon which you will never get lost. Placing integrity at every step of the trail and with every decision you make requires a willingness to do what is right above what is convenient or politically expedient. At times, this means veering off the safe and comfortable trail onto one less traveled.   By taking an alternate trail, the risk of failure or disapproval may run high. At all times, living with integrity calls you to forge your trail. At its core, integrity is about wholeness and alignment between your deepest values.  It will control every decision you make and every action that you take.  Integrity calls forth courage and greatness.

 

The Trail of Seeing New Worlds

Courage gives you the opportunity to see your world in a new perspective because you are unwilling to settle for how life is today.  You usually will not see the trails of life or the world, as it is, but as you are. Too often we settle with answers to life’s questions because we do not have the courage to ask new questions. We contend with those who claim a monopoly on the truth. The fact is that none of us has a monopoly on the truth. We just have our own version of it.

While I feel that all truth ultimately was created and comes from God and can be found in His Word, I am not naïve enough to think that I have a corner on the truth market, and neither should you. We all should continue to study and to gain wisdom and truth. Have the courage to ask ourselves and others the difficult questions about life.

It does take courage to question our own assumptions and beliefs,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 26 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success (Steps 21-25).

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Life is certainly interesting and each day brings its ebbs and flows.  At the end of June, we will be finishing up a contract with a client which we have worked with closely for the past two years.  While we will miss working with this client, we also just found out that a large project with another client, which we have been waiting to start for about five years, will begin next week.

While we try to plan and set the course of our lives, we have to realize that our trek of life will have its twists and turns that we cannot plan for.  This is one reason we need to embrace each new day fully and live abundantly in all that we do.

We can and should plant and water the seeds, but ultimately, it is God who determines when that seed will sprout and how bountiful the harvest will be. This is such a difficult lesson to learn for most of us but one that is so valuable.  With these lessons, we will inevitably run into failures along the path of life, whether those are caused by us or someone/something else.  For this reason, we have spent this week looking at how we can bring beauty from ashes and success through failure.  So let’s examine the final five failure scenarios 21-25.

Failures teach us to let go of the past. We must accept that there’s nothing we can do to change the past. You did the best you could. When you’re facing your failures, know that you were as good, loving, and effective as you could have been. That you did the best that you could based on the information you had at that time.  If you were to go back, you couldn’t do anything differently because that’s who you were and that’s what you knew then. It’s done. Let go of your past. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. That brings to my mind a paragraph from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. In chapter 3:12-14, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."  "We run from failure...we run to success...but what really matters is not what we’re running from but where we are running to!"   

Stepping stone #21 – Let go of the past.

Don’t feed the fire that burns you.  We need to be very careful what we allow to roam within our minds.  Most of our thoughts of failure only exist in our head and are merely ideas. It may not seem like that, but that is how it is. If you believe that you can’t or shouldn’t do something because it may lead to failure, then that’s a thought in your mind.  If you believe you are better than others, that’s a thought. If you believe you are no good, that’s a thought. Our thoughts are linked together and constructed from other thoughts that we’ve learned and allowed to grow in our minds. These thoughts can be good or bad, but if you are feeding the thoughts of failure in your mind, then that fire that rages within you will consume you.  We need to analyze our thoughts, choose the ones that are good and helpful, and discard the rest. As we looked on a previous day's Trek in Scripture the word "heart" and "mind" can be used interchangeably. Think of that as we read Luke 6:45, "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good mind,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 25 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success (Steps 16-20).

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are in the middle of a busy week, as I am sure many of you are.  Something that we all should make a habit of, especially when life is overwhelming and stress is mounting, is to pause and reflect on all the blessings that we have.  Take time to thank your friends, family, and God for the wonderful aspects of your life.  I realize that some days we have difficulties and hardships, where the storm clouds of life seem to be so dark, but always remember that the sun is always shining above those clouds.  Maintain an attitude of gratitude and those rays of sunlight will start piercing the darkness.

As we start our trek today and look at the benefits that failures bring into our lives, imagine as we hike up the trail we see a thick covering of dark clouds.  Those are the failures that we experience in life. As we look at those failures for what they are, we will start to see the sun beams piercing through them shining light on an otherwise dark trail.  The more we realize and understand what we have learned from failures, the brighter our day will become until the clouds are insignificant by comparison.  Some clouds may remain, just as the consequences of our failures do, but they do not need to control our lives. So, let’s examine failure scenarios 16-20.

You are not a loser unless you accept the failure as final. Failure is the catalyst that allows us to make positive changes in our lives, and that allows us to move on to something different, maybe even bigger and better. Failure pushes us just a little bit closer to inevitable success, for in failure, we learn what won’t work or what more needs to be done. Only when you quit trying is it the real failure, since you give up hope of ever doing anything "right."  Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how fast you run. What matters is how long you run. There may be many instances that knock you down on your journey; what makes you a winner is your ability to stand up and run again. "Never lose on your way; you are not a loser unless you accept it," Author Unknown.  

Stepping Stone #16 – Never look at failure as final.

It depends on how quick you learn from failures. The consequences of failure will be determined by how quick you learn, how quick you grow, and how fast you transform yourself into a new person, into a wonderful reflection of the beautiful creation you are. If you don’t allow yourself to grow and to learn from your failures, you’re doing a great disservice to yourself and to those people that you impact, who deserve to have you be the wonderful person you have the capability of becoming. "No matter how you fall, just think how to get up fast."

Stepping Stone #17 – Learn quickly from your failures.

Have positive attitudes towards challenges. Look at the failures and shortcomings in your life as refinement, as you move on and become a beautiful example of what you can be. And remember, failure is not the absence of success; failure is a step towards success. “Your attitude towards your challenges is the key to your happy life."   

Stepping Stone #18 – Have a positive attitude even in failures.

Failures teach us to welcome changes. Change happens whether we want it to or not. We need to welcome change and find ways to turn the unexpected failures into an opportunity for growth. Don’t become frightened and simply react, instead take action. How we handle the inevitable changes in life is key to living a life without fear.