Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 24 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 11-15).

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.The temps remain very warm this week with a temperature of 100° on Monday June 22nd. That temperature broke the previous record set in 1956, which was the same year I was born, so it has been a long time. Seriously, I really don’t picture myself as much over 30, though. And, fortunately I am in good physical condition, so hopefully I will stay that way for a long time.  We should all strive to be young at heart, to allow the simple things of life to thrill us, and to enjoy the adventures of each new day. What are you going to do today to foster that spirit?

As we are day dreaming, let us continue on our trail and explore five more stepping stones that are on the path before us.  Remember that as we journey on, we will turn our failures into stepping stones for success.  As with most issues of life, it is more about our perspective than the situation itself.

Overcome the fear; overcome the procrastination. Fear of failure, not the failure itself, is the biggest roadblock to your success. When you have overcome the fear of failure, you overcome your procrastination and excuses for inaction. Thereafter you are well on your way to fail, learn, and succeed like never before. When you run into fear that is blocking you from taking action, ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that can happen if I take this action?"  Unless it is physical harm or death to you or someone else, then what is stopping you? Everything else can be overcome. Ralph Heath put it this way, “The quickest road to success is to possess an attitude toward failure of ‘no fear.’”

Stepping Stone #11 – Overcome the fear by taking action.

Not getting what you desire can be a blessing. Not obtaining success immediately can be a real blessing because it forces you to reevaluate things and gain a new perspective.  It opens new doors to opportunities and information you would have otherwise overlooked. When the rewards of success are great, so are the challenges.  Embracing the possibility of failure is key to taking on a variety of risks. Whether you’re reinventing yourself by starting a new business or allowing yourself to trust another person to build a deeper relationship. "Clouds in our lives are sent many times to bring showers of blessing."

Stepping Stone #12 – Failure can be a blessing in disguise.

Failure teaches us to blame ourselves first and take responsibility. Our first reaction to failure is to blame anyone/anything but ourselves. If we perceive others are to blame, then there is nothing we can do to correct the problem. We cannot change people’s personalities, neither can they change ours. If we assume responsibility, then we can analyze what went wrong and take corrective action. This is the art of bouncing back from failure. To achieve your personal best, to reach unparalleled heights, and to make the impossible possible, you can’t fear failure. You have to take responsibility for your actions, you must think big, and you have to push yourself. "The more you take responsibility for your past and present, the more you are able to create the future you seek," Celestine Chua.  

Stepping Stone #13 – Failure teaches us to take responsibility

Failure forces us to do things right. Failure is discouraging. It drains energy and resources, but it forces us to do things right. Failure separates those who think they want success from those who are determi...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 23 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 6-10).

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we have another busy week lined up.  In addition to our regular client work, I have been invited to be a guest on two other podcasts this week, we have an onsite visit with one client, and then we are headed back to The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, this coming weekend.  We are never wanting for something to do as we endeavor to enjoy life’s journey each day.   Thank you so much for coming along with us on this trek of life as we consider you our friend.  It is our desire to also be your guide and mentor as we navigate the rugged trails that each of us encounter daily.

As we continue on, we want to use five more stepping stones as we traverse the trails before us.  Our lives will be filled with obstacles, difficulties, and, at times, failures.  Here are five more ways we can navigate over, under, around and through the obstacles of life.

The more you fail, the more you learn more. While we should not purposely fail, we need to thrive on the wisdom and experience that we gain from failing.  We need to soak it in and embrace it. Our objective each day should be to make a positive difference in the lives of others through taking action.  When we take smart action we should never fear failure. We need to persevere in spite of failures. Every failure is a learning opportunity on how not to do something or how to do it better. If we are going to be an achiever then to some extent failure is the way of life. Every failure makes us much more determined to succeed. “Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers but sadly, most people, don’t want to go there!” Ralph Heath.

Stepping Stone #6 – Learn from your failures.

Failure can be positive or negative.  Failure is a learning tool. Thomas Edison failed a thousand times before he invented the lightbulb. Failure is trying to do things others have not considered. It is a temporary by product of creativity. It is challenging the learning process. A reporter once asked Thomas Edison “"How did it feel to fail 1,000 times? ' 'I didn’t fail 1,000 times,' Edison responded. 'The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.'”

Stepping Stone #7 – Failures are steps to success.

Failure is experiential education at work. To be a real winner in life you need to endure failure and the agony it produces. Success is achieved when you are willing to take risks and lose. Most people choose to engage in occupations and activities that are safe and predictable. If you enjoy that, do the very best you can and enjoy each day.  For many people, those occupations don’t deliver satisfaction, fulfillment or joy in living. If you find yourself in that position, then for you failure is not to move in the directions of your dreams.  If you desire something more, then take action, "Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying and pursue your dreams, or you will only fail by taking no action.”

Stepping Stone #8 – Failure provides experiential education.

Failure can be a weapon. We can learn discipline through failures.  It allows us to sharpen ourselves against the grindstone of failure. We do not need to make excuses for failure. We need allow it to be the weapon of determination to succeed. Although you might fail incredibly, you might succeed incredibly, and that’s why incredible risk and courage are required. Fail or succeed either way, you’ll learn more than ever about your strengths, talents, and resolve,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 22 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 1-5). 

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as we embark on another week I want to share some blessings of this past weekend.  Saturday we were able to help our younger daughter Janet and her new husband Rowan Webster (They were married on April 11th of this year in a beautiful wedding on Holden Beach in North Carolina.)  move from an old rented house into a much newer, single story home in a nice neighborhood in Charlotte.

Although temps were in the mid-nineties with high humidity, the day was enjoyable, and we were able to get most everything moved.  My muscles are a bit sore, but other than that we were thankful that the move went smoothly.  Harry, our oldest son who also lives in Charlotte and our grandson Kip were able to help out some, too.

On Father’s Day we went to church and lunch with Harry and Kip. Harry’s wife Chelimo is serving her two weeks of summer camp as an officer in the Army Reserves, so it was good to help fill the gap.  I also heard from our other four children.  It is a blessing to have a great relationship to all of our kids and to be a positive influence in their lives.

Let’s head up the trail on our Wisdom-Trek and begin our investigation of how obstacles or failures, if applied correctly, can actually become our stepping stones for a successful journey.

Obstacles or failures in life are always more significant when they are our failures.  From my perspective, all of my failures are major failures.  This reminds me of the saying, "Minor surgery is when it performed on someone else; major surgery is when it is performed on me."  The same concept also applies to obstacles and failures.

Today we will look at the first five lessons we can learn by turning those failures or obstacles into stepping stones.

Always look for the positive side of the obstacle or failure. It’s easy to blame someone or something else (or even fate) for the events in our lives, but it takes courage to be able to see the bright side of a failure and move on. So be brave, be persistent, and be dedicated. Be committed, confident, and passionate; remember you have only one life to choose from. It takes time and focus to overcome fear and gain a positive mindset. The first lesson is to consciously maintain a positive attitude.  If you do this, no matter what you encounter, you’ll be able to see the lessons of the experience and continue to push forward.

Stepping Stone #1 – Take courage and be positive.

Failure is a time for celebration. Failing is never fun, but if you celebrate the fact that you have gained knowledge, wisdom and discernment then the failure has served a useful purpose.  The trail to success is littered with the failures of those individuals who chose to celebrate the opportunity that each failure provided. The most significant breakthroughs in all areas of life were built on the backs of failure. Whether it was Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney or a host of others, their celebration of failure, spurred them onto success. Ralph Heath states, “One of the biggest secrets to success is operating inside your strength zone but outside of your comfort zone.”

Stepping Stone #2 – Celebrate the wisdom gained.

Failure teaches us to calculate the risks we take. When we fail, we can analyze the risk that we had to take and readjust the process. Risk may not be eliminated, but we will better know what risk not to take and be better prepared. The risks you take should be calculated; you shouldn’t fly blindly into the night and sim...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 21 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at The Expectations and Realities of Life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and although today has been another busy day with various projects, we are thankful to have the work to do and the skills needed to complete them successfully.

This episode will be released on Father’s Day the 21st day of June, and I just want to express my admiration and love to my dad, Hal Chamberlain, who is nearly 85, still living, and in relatively good health.  Dad loves us without condition and has been a good and Godly example to all 10 of his kids, our spouses, his 40 grandchildren and at last count I believe 20 great-grandchildren (so far).   Thanks Dad! We love you. Talk about planting and harvesting, Dad planted very well and has harvested in abundance.

Just as in my personal life, Dad’s expectations of life as a young man and the reality of life as he is nearer to the finish line are drastically different. There have been many struggles, hardships, and difficulties that were not anticipated, but there were also blessings in abundance and the legacy that he and mom left will impact all of eternity.  Even this podcast and journal are a direct result of their impact on me.

On our Trek today, we want to explore the difference between the expectations and realities of life. With most mountainous hiking trips, when you start out the trail is smooth and wide, and we think, "Wow! This is going to be easy."

In the same manner, as we start into adulthood we know so much about life we feel that we have it all together, and our parents and older associates have missed the boat somehow.

We plan out our lives with dreams and ambitions, and we feel that the road to success will be typically smooth. And then, life gets in the way.  We get busy living life, and the years just rush by. And, before you know it, you are in your 50s and 60s and you wonder, "What just happened?"

If you have not reached that point in your life yet, realize that it will also happen to you and be prepared for life’s mountains and valley and the trails twist and turns.  No matter what age you are or what season of life you are in, it is never too late  to remember to enjoy and celebrate life each day, regardless of how rough the path is. This is what makes life worthwhile.

Let’s look at what the wisest man who ever lived had to say about life.  This was King Solomon, who was the king of all Israel from approximately 970 – 931 BC. Towards the latter years of his reign, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and saw life from this perspective.  In chapter 1:8-9 he wrote, "Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.  History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."

So we see that life is full of unexpected results, and our desire and pursuit is for more stuff. But, Solomon also wrote in Chapter 2:24-26, "So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.  For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him."

These are choices that we need to make early and often in life.  Yes, work hard and succeed in whatever you are called to do, but take time to enjoy it.

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.  I am all for planning and dreaming, I always have many ideas and plans in my head, written down, and in some measure of completion. But,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 20 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at The Echoes of Life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with another busy workload today with many projects demanding time.  Sometimes we feel like the proverbial plate spinner in the circus trying to keep all the plates spinning without them falling and breaking.  However, we do strive to balance this out towards the end of day by taking a break and having a healthy and nourishing dinner.

Paula and I work with our various clients together, but we each have our specific areas we work on.  Paula usually focuses more of her time in the afternoons and evenings.  While she is finishing up her work, it allows me to break at about 6pm in the evening to prepare dinner for us.  I love to cook, and we both prefer to eat at home where we can control the cost, quality, and quantity of what we eat.  It works very well for our situation.

As we invite you into our lives each day, it is our hope that you will consider us your friend, guide, and mentor on this trek of life. Life’s trails are not always smooth and can be rather difficult, but the key is to draw strength from each other and to seek joy in each situation.

Today on our Wisdom-Trek, let’s visualize ourselves on a narrow path with a wall of stone on our right side and a steep cliff on our left. Across the vast valley is another ridge of mountains.  As with life on many days, our path today is steep and is strewn with rocks of all sizes.  It certainly makes the trek today slow and difficult.  As we are moving slowly along as a team, we hear someone from the group of trekkers shouts out, “I’m scared!” And, within a few seconds, we hear a voice coming back to us from across the valley “I’m scared!” Someone else calls out, “Me too!” Andc we hear back, "Me too!"

Realizing that this will not be good for our moral, our trek, or our safety, I call out, “You can do it!” And, from across the valley, the same words come back to us. Once more I holler out, “You are doing great! You are a champion!” And, the reassuring words are repeated back from the other mountain.  With these reassuring words, peace comes to the team, and we successfully navigate this dangerous part of our trail.

Such as it is with our trek of life. What we project out comes booming back to us as an echo.  This is very similar to the principles of planting and harvesting which we looked at on day 15.  You will harvest what you plant but much more than you plant.

It is so important that we are always aware that what we say and do does have a significant impact on the lives of others, and as it is returned to us like an echo will impact us as well.

Zig Ziglar said it this way,  "Life is an echo. What you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you."

 

What we say can give nourishment and strength as Proverbs 16:24 explains that "Kind words are like honey — sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."

Our words can also:

Be a source of wisdom, "Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook," Proverbs 18:4.

Satisfy like a good meal, "Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction," Proverbs 18:20.

Are more valuable the any riches, "Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies," Proverbs 20:15.

As we consider the words that we speak to others and even to ourselves, let us reflect on what Mother Teresa said.  

Our actions can also echo back to us.  How we treat others, will ultimately be how we are treated.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 19 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at the 1° Difference.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it has been a hot week outside with temperatures hovering around 100° each day. And, it looks like it will extend into next week also. We are continuing to learn how to balance our daily client work load with the addition of creating our daily journal and podcast for Wisdom-Trek. At times life can be stressful, but we are gaining momentum and efficiency each day.   I would like to thank each of you who takes the time to either listen to our daily podcast, read the daily journal, or both. It is appreciated.

As we continue our Trek today, we come upon a grass airstrip nestled among the mountain peaks, and it brings to mind how precise our flying would need to be in order to locate and land on this strip. From the air, it would be nearly unnoticeable. This got me thinking about how crucial it is that we stay on course when flying. A mere 1° off course could have a significant impact on whether we reach our destination safely.

You might think out of the 360° in a circle being off by only 1° is not a big difference and for a very short distance, that may be true. Let’s look at what that means if we are hiking or more significantly flying.

Consider this. If you're going somewhere and you're off course by just one degree, after one foot, you'll miss your target by 0.2 inches. Trivial, right? But what about as you get farther out?

After 100 yards, (one football field) you'll be off by 5.2 feet. Not huge, but noticeable.

After a mile, you'll be off by 92.2 feet. One degree is starting to make a difference.

After flying from San Francisco to L.A., you'll be off by 6 miles.

If you were flying from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., you'd end up on the other side of Baltimore, 42.6 miles away.

Traveling around the globe from Washington, DC, you'd miss by 435 miles and end up in Boston.

In a rocket going to the moon, you'd be 4,169 miles off (nearly twice the diameter of the moon).

Going to the sun, you'd miss by over 1.6 million miles (nearly twice the diameter of the sun).

Traveling to the nearest star, you'd be off course by over 441 billion miles (120 times the distance from the earth to Pluto, or 4,745 times the distance from Earth to the sun).

Over time, a mere one-degree error in course makes a huge difference!

It is much the same with our trek of life. We allow small, seemingly insignificant obstacles to divert us from our intended path. It may not seem like a big deal, but over days, weeks, months and years it will have a large impact.

What are you accepting in your life? What is your tolerance for being off course?

Neither a marriage nor a business fails overnight. Cataclysmic failure generally comes from a series of small, correctable failures. I like to call these failures “one-degree failures.”

Just as it is hard to recognize being one degree off while flying at 30,000 feet, it is hard to realize these “one-degree failures” in our own daily lives. That’s why we need a crystal clear flight plan for our life and business, an easy way to measure success or failure, and someone who cares enough about us to hold us accountable.

Straying off course doesn’t have to result in cataclysmic failure in life or business. In fact, when flying, a plane is rarely on true course, but the pilot is continually making small adjustments to its course to ensure that overtime that the true course is followed to its intended destination.

While you may have never piloted a plane before,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 18 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at Facing Adversity.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2’in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as I work in our home office today, I certainly count it a blessing that our training, experience, and current technology allows Paula and me to work from literally anywhere we have an internet connection.  This gives us the freedom to work and travel together nearly every day.  Take time today to think of a blessing in your life, that you might otherwise take for granted.

As we continue on our Trek today, we spot a small airplane flying above us, so I want to continue our theme of flying and ask the question, why do planes take off and land heading into the wind?

When I first started flying lessons many years ago, the concept of taking off into the wind seemed counterintuitive. Wouldn't a pilot have an easier time if the wind were coming from behind the aircraft giving it a push, so to speak, instead of rushing into a strong wind?

The key to taking off into the wind is the concept of lift.  The more wind that passes over the wing of the plane will allow the plane to lift off the ground sooner. In short, pilots like to take off into a headwind because it helps them achieve "wheels up" faster. A jetliner like a Boeing 747, needs at least 150 mph of airspeed to become airborne, without wind, the plane has to accelerate to a groundspeed of 180 mph to lift off, but when you have a 30 mph headwind, the plane only has to accelerate to 150 mph, thanks to the extra boost it gets from the headwind.

Even a small plane, like the Cessna 172 that I flew, would benefit from the oncoming wind.  The small planes can fly at extremely slow speeds, so a little headwind while taking off certainly allows the plane to achieve lift sooner.

Landing into the wind is also very crucial in aiding the airplane to slow its decent while maintaining adequate lift to keep it afloat until touch down.  If you can slow your speed while descending at the proper rate it will provide a shorter roll out once you are on the runway.

As an aviation saying goes,

As with life, the wind won’t always blow exactly in the direction that is needed for taking off or landing, which is why most airports with more than one runway will have a runway that crosses the other, so there are alternative options.  Even with that, good pilot training consists of taking off and landing in crosswinds also.  Just like the Boy Scout motto reminds, one must "Always be prepared."

Once you are airborne and at the right altitude, it is best if you can have the wind at your tail pushing you forward much faster than your calculated ground speed.  All of these factors have to be calculated ahead of time. There is nothing worse than running short on fuel before you reach your intended destination.

There are many other factors that also need to be considered when flying, such as air-pressure and how it changes with temperatures.  We do not have the time to get into the physics around the entire concept of flying, but as a pilot, it is good to have a working knowledge of this information.

Now that we understand, at least a little why it is best to take off and land into the winds, let us consider how that correlates to our trek of life.  Most of us would like to "go with the flow," to have the wind at our backs, and to have some external force drive us on to a life of ease and success. Well, sorry to break the news to you, but that is not how life is for most of us on most days.

This does not mean that we can’t have a joyful and abundant life because it is how we interpret and handle the headwinds of life that makes the diffe...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 17 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at The Value of a Checklist.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we are at the beginning of a new week, which should be a busy and exciting adventure as always. We are in for a hot spell in North Carolina this week with temps nearing 100° every day.  It looks like the entire eastern US will experience much of the same.

As we continue upwards on our Trek today, the beautiful blue sky calls us higher and higher.  As I look at the cloudless sky, it makes me desire to take up flying again to be able to soar above all the terrain and obstacles of life.

I obtained my private pilot’s license when our oldest son Harry was in high school.  If fact, we had the blessing of taking lessons at the same time, and Harry was able to receive his private pilot’s license even before he got his driving license.

I went on to get my instrument rating at the time, both for my peace of mind and for safety's sake.  It was enjoyable, and I do miss not flying currently. But, with my current responsibilities and workload for this season of life, it is not a priority at this time.   It does take a lot of commitment, in both time and resources, and my commitments are focused elsewhere for now.

Similar to flying, if we decided to set out on a long and difficult trek such as hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, which runs through the mountains of North Carolina, one of the first items that would be required is a complete checklist.

Every step in the process from flight planning, pre-flight inspection, flying, landing and safely parking the aircraft, is driven by a detailed checklist, even as private pilot. If these checklists are not followed exactly, it literally could be the difference between life and death.

One of the most important elements of flight training is safety, and one of the most essential safety procedures is the preflight checklist. There are as many checklists as there are models of planes because the preflight checklist is of utmost importance. A good pilot knows that having a preflight checklist can avert a disaster.

Even with the most detailed checklist, though, pilot training includes always expecting the unexpected. The electrical system malfunctioned and we lost all lighting and communications with the tower during one flight when I took Paula with me.  Fortunately, we flew out of a small regional airport near Marietta and were near the airport, so we were able to land safely and call the control tower after landing to explain the situation.  The extra training we received on how to handle this type of situation came in very valuable that day.

Let’s get back on the ground and continue on our Trek.  Imagine if we were going to hike the Appalachian Trail.  What would be on our checklist?  While I have never hiked anywhere close to that long or difficult of a trail, I have read several articles from those who have hiked all or part of it.  The checklist is extensive, and if you are not prepared, the hike can be very dangerous.

Completing the entire 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking, which can take three months or more. It requires great determination and commitment, but can potentially be accomplished by anyone with the ability to walk. That's not to say hiking it is easy. The footpath of the Appalachian Trail is far more rugged than most anticipate, given the soft and gentle profiles of the mountains and relatively low elevations.

Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike, but only about one in four makes it all the way. Who knows,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 16 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at The Aggregation of Marginal Gains.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and this week has been packed with work and activities. Even our evenings were busy as we had my sister over on Tuesday, a neighbor’s birthday dinner on Wednesday, and a night of worship at our church on Friday.

As we trek through life together, having a strong community both in person and online is crucial. While some downplay the concept of online communities, they can be very important and powerful in our lives.  As we grow in wisdom it is important to reach out to others to both give and receive strength and encouragement.

Let us know how we can be of assistance to you as members of our Wisdom-Trek community.  Please share your stories or questions with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us, we will work them into future podcasts so that everyone on our Trek can get to know each other.

On yesterday’s trek we learned The Five Principles of Planting and Harvesting which also apply to our lives as we plant good seeds into our own lives and the lives of others.  I have created a PDF of these five principles which can be found on our Free Resources page.

If you have missed any previous podcasts or journals, please go back and check them out on iTunes, Stitcher, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

As we leave the clearing of yesterday and continue upwards on our Trek, we will look at how important each small step is in the trek of life.  So many times we are looking for the big changes, big results, and instant success in life.  Instead of these huge breakthroughs (which usually never happen), we should focus instead on the small Aggregation of Marginal Gains.

While it is vital to know where we are heading or our destination, it is also important to know how we are going to get there.  Vision and goals are important, but they will only be achieved one small step at a time.  It is by connecting these small steps together that we will be able to make great strides.

So, what is the Aggregation of Marginal Gains? It means the identification of a number of areas in which you can make small gains, which all add up to something much greater.

A phrase coined by one of the finest elite sports coaches in the world, Sir Dave Brailsford, this philosophy was used by the UK cycling team to win most of the medals at the 2004 Olympics in London, and by Team Sky to win the next year’s Tour de France. British Cycling has risen from nowhere to lead the world in a relatively short space of time, building a platform for lasting success.

While most people look for a few big improvements, usually without success, a wise person will look for a lot of small, even seemingly insignificant, areas of life to take action and improve on.

Let’s take an example that most of us can relate to – maintaining a healthy weight for our height and age.  While I am currently pretty close to my ideal weight and in good shape physically, that has not always been the case. I have been as much as 30 pounds heavier than I am now, but I did not lose all of the weight at once.  It took the aggregation of marginal gains to reach my current weight.

I did change what I was eating some, but the biggest impact was just choosing to eat a little less than I did previously.  I also started exercising on a more regular basis, but I did not start our running a 10k every morning like I do most days now.  It was small incremental changes in habits over a period of months that made the difference.

It's so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making bette...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 15 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at The Five Principles of Planting and Harvesting.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It is good to be back for three weeks, as we focus on the many business projects that we have to complete.

As much as Paula and I love The Big House, it is nice to also spend time in a much smaller and virtually maintenance-free home in Charlotte.  The weather is rather warm this week around the 90+°  mark for each day.  I am thankful for the AC and being able to stay inside for the most part.

Tonight Rebecca, one of my sisters who lives in Charlotte and is a couple of years older, is coming over for dinner, and we plan on sorting through some boxes of old pictures from our childhood.  We are going to set aside the ones that are worth scanning so that we can preserve them electronically and share them with our other siblings.

There are ten children in our family, and we are blessed  that we are all still alive and healthy.  The memories of our childhood are precious to us all.  As we go through life’s trek together, it is good to have family and friends to encourage us along our way.

Here is one of those pictures of Mom with the ten kids, and then a recent picture of this past Thanksgiving where six of us were able to gather at The Big House. (I am the one on the back right.)  Although Mom is no longer with us, Dad is still going strong - healthy and enjoying a life where he does not have to work hard to barely make ends meet.   It was a great childhood, and although we were poor by most any standards, we learned to work hard, love always, and make the best of each day.

Thank you for allowing us to share tidbits of our life trek with you as we are continually learning to enjoy the journey each day.

Please share your stories or questions with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us. We will work them into future podcasts so that everyone on our Trek can get to know each other.

Yesterday we looked at just how important the practice of sharing our experience and wisdom is as we share life’s road together.  It has the potential to radically transform those that we teach or share with, and reinforces the lessons we have learned in our own lives as well.  If you have missed any previous podcasts or journals, please go back and check them out on iTunes, Stitcher or Wisdom-Trek.com.

Today on our Trek, we have scaled to a little plateau where we can see through a clearing in the trees. As we look through this clearing we see a large field of wheat as it gently blows in the breeze.  As we visualize this, can you feel the soft wind as it circles around you?

Our wisdom nugget today will be about the principles of planting and harvesting.  If you grasp how these concepts impact all areas of life, they will lay the foundation for a life filled with abundance and joy, while you are creating that living legacy.

I would like to title today’s Trek The Five Principles of Planting and Harvesting. We will use the analogy of a farmer, as this is easiest for most of us to understand.

The farmer knows that planting is a choice. If we ever expect to see a harvest, we must first choose to plant a crop.  In the same manner, if we expect to see positive results in any area of our lives, we must be willing to invest in purchasing the seeds and then choosing to plant those seeds.  Without these two crucial steps, there will be no harvest.   Investment in resources and time always precedes returns.  To think otherwise would be foolish

The farmer knows what type of crop he wants to plant. Since planting requires a substantial investment,...