Wisdom-Trek ©

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 14 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at how sharing will create transformation.

Hello and welcome to Wisdom-Trek!   This is Guthrie Chamberlain, and I am your Guide to Wisdom. This is Day 14 of our Trek, and today we are looking at how you transform your thinking through sharing, which has the capability to transform your life.

Today we are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  As I am creating these journal/podcast notes, we are on our way south from Marietta to our home south of Charlotte in Indian Trail.  I am blessed to have Paula willing and able to drive on our many excursions, which allows me to work in what would otherwise be idle time.

As we finished up the latest two weeks in Marietta, I was able to get our large lawn mowed and some other outside activities completed. The flowers planted last month are really starting to accent the house nicely.  The amount of continual work that needs done to keep the Big House in good shape is always enjoyable but can be somewhat overwhelming. Fortunately, I don’t have to trek these tasks alone.  Paula helps out, as does one of my brothers, Jack, who lives next door on the same property.  Even Paula’s 82 years young mom, who lives and travels back and forth with us, helps by weed whipping and blowing grass and leaves.  So, it truly is a family affair.

As mentioned in yesterday’s podcast/journal, we were able to attend the opening night performance of Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama.  If you are ever in the Chillicothe, Ohio area during the summer, it is well worth the time.  It was an excellent performance.

Thank you for sharing our life trek with us 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 encouraged you to be more deliberate on choosing the right mindset each day and being proactive on creating the day and life that you enjoy.

As we head out on our Trek today, we continue our previous thought about sharing with each other. This simple act of sharing wisdom and knowledge can transform the lives of others as well as our own lives.

One of my Virtual Mentors, Jim Rohn was considered one of the foremost business philosophers of our time.  He discussed the importance of sharing, which is certainly what we want to foster within the Wisdom-Trek community.

Jim Rohn said it this way:

The key to make our life trek really unique and worthwhile is to share.  As we travel through life each day, it is important that we grasp the concept of sharing by teaching others, and then participate in sharing by learning from others.

That is why I have encourage you each day to share your stories, experience, and wisdom with us, as it will be a benefit to both you and us.

As we share stories and experiences with each other, it allows all of us to learn, grow, and change.

This is what we can learn in sharing ideas, stories, experiences and wisdom:

If you share an idea with 10 different people, they get to hear it once and you get to hear it 10 times. Share wisdom and insight as you have opportunity with your family, friends, and with others that you meet on life’s trek.

When one person shares with another, two things could happen. If you share with someone else, they could be transformed—your paths may have crossed at just the right time. This may be their life changing moment. They may have most of their trail figured out, but need that extra bit of information that only you can share.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 13 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at the Importance of MindShift.

Hello and welcome to Wisdom-Trek!   This is Guthrie Chamberlain, and I am your Guide to Wisdom. This is Day 13 of our Trek, and today we are looking at the importance of always keeping a forward momentum as we travel on life’s trail, regardless if the trek is easy or difficult. In order to do so, we must keep moving forward with a positive mindset while making sure that our footing is secure.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  I am making these journal notes during the first week of June. It has been another very busy week for Paula and me.

We officially launched this Wisdom-Trek podcast this week, and trying to learn, coordinate, and balance the demands of this new and exciting project, while maintaining the normal client workload that we have through our consulting company, Venture Consulting Group, has proven challenging.

We are celebrating Paula’s birthday this week. On her birthday we had dinner at the Buckley House in Marietta, which was a very nice restaurant with good food. As I am making the journal notes for this podcast, we are our way to see Tecumseh! Which is an outdoor drama celebrating the Native Americans in southern Ohio.  Paula is so gracious to drive, so that I can work on various projects while traveling.

It is certainly nice to be in a season of life where we can take the time for these types of activities and to have the wisdom to know that we need to. If you are younger in your trek of life, remember to take some time for relaxing and recharging. I have to admit that I did not do so near as much as I should have and still have a few lessons to learn.

That is my personal sharing for today. If you have any questions that you would like to ask of us or desire additional information, please leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us, or email me at [email protected]. We want to form a bond with you that will allow us to be your guide, mentor, and friend.

Please share your stories or questions with us through the links mentioned. We will work them into future podcasts so that everyone on our Trek can get to know each other.

Yesterday we came to understand the crucial difference between and the purposes of a compass and a clock.  With the knowledge that we gained, we can now focus on life’s trail that is before us each day.

Each day when we rise, we have some initial crucial decisions to make. How we start the day will largely determine how well the remainder of the day goes.  We will often chat on our Wisdom-Trek about the importance of what we allow into our minds.  One of my favorite quotes from one of my Virtual Mentors Zig  Ziglar is, “You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.”

Has your trek in life been difficult at times?  Do you ever feel that you are standing in front of an impassable mountain?  Life trails at times are rugged and rough, we may encounter difficulties that we have to overcome.

In some seasons of life the cold winter winds blow while other seasons are sunny and warm without a cloud in the sky.

Some nights are so dark that you can’t see your hand in front of your face while other days you can see for miles.

To imagine life as anything else is to not live in reality.  The difference will always be how we perceive and then handle each day of life.

Clare Boothe Luce put it this way,

What does your trail look like today, and how are you going to perceive it?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 12 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we look at the difference between The Compass and The Clock.

Hello and welcome to Wisdom-Trek!   This is Guthrie Chamberlain, and I am your Guide to Wisdom. This is Day 12 of our Trek, and today we are heading up the trail and will look at the differences between a compass and a clock (watch).  They are both important on our Trek, but serve uniquely different purposes on our Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  Yesterday’s journal/podcast script was written on my trip from Columbus to Albuquerque. Today’s journal/podcast script is being written on my return trip home.

The technical software demo that I assisted our client with for the state of New Mexico went well, and I feel that we presented the product and its features in a very favorable light.  We planted the necessary seeds, added the water needed, and now the harvest is in God’s hands.  We must always do our part before we can expect God to do His.

I have come to realize that wisdom is gained by the varied experiences that we have in our lives. Some of these experiences have been great and some not so much so.  As long as we learn from these experiences and apply the lessons to our lives in a positive and practical manner then those experiences are useful.

Life is not always easy, and sometimes it is just plain difficult, but our growth would be very limited if it were easy all the time. Friction is how the hardest of stones become smooth.

As Paula and I share our personal life experiences, and the lessons we have learned, our objective is for you to get to know us on a personal level, so that we can be your guide, mentor, and friend.

If you would like to know anything about our lives, please leave your comments or questions so we get to know each other on this trek of life.  Also, please check out our website Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

We would like to get to know you better, so please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us, leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek, or email me at [email protected] – I will personally respond to any inquiries.

During the first 12 podcast episodes, we have:

Set up base-camp

Established 7 habits and guidelines

Learned about the 9 tools we need for our Trek

And built our Trek cabin with its 7 columns

It is now time to head out on our Trek, to begin to scale wisdom’s mountain and work towards creating our living legacy. Each day we will learn from life, pause to reflect, and apply what we see and hear to gain wisdom.

As we head up the trail today let us pick up and examine the two items we have in our hands.  In our left hand we have a compass, and in our right we have a clock (watch). Let us inspect them closely to see how each will assist on our Trek today.

 

The compass and the clock will only bring value to us if we know how to use them properly. These are two very important tools with two very different purposes. We do not want to confuse the two.

Let’s look at the true story of Roald Amundsen and his trek to be the first team to reach the South Pole in 1911.  His destination was known from the very beginning, and that never changed.  His compass provided the direction that he needed to be successful. It allowed his team to stay on course.  The compass always pointed to his "true north," which in his case allowed him to head in the opposite direction since he was heading to the South Pole.  He never had to fear about the direction he was heading because his faith was in the compass along with some ma...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 11 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we investigate the 7 Columns of Wisdom.

Hello and welcome to Wisdom-Trek!   This is Guthrie Chamberlain, and I am your Guide to Wisdom. This is Day 11 of our Trek, and today we will look at the 7 Columns of Wisdom’s House which provides us the structure for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House  in Marietta, Ohio.  We continue living a full and rich life that some days makes my head spin.  As I am starting to write this journal for day 11 of this podcast, I am sitting at gate C55 in the Columbus Ohio Airport and on my may to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Tomorrow I will perform a technical software demo for one of our clients. Our many years working with technology has given me a broad knowledge in this area. This trip hit my schedule on rather short notice, but I am thankful for this opportunity and the skills to fill this role. I have to admit one of the hurdles on planning, scripting, and recording these daily podcasts has been allocating enough time to produce a quality podcast while balancing a heavy client schedule.  We are always grateful for the varied and rich opportunities of life although maintaining a balanced life as an entrepreneur is always challenging.  I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.

As we share each day, our objective is for you to get to know us on a personal level, to enable us to not only be your mentor but also your friend. Please leave your comments or questions if you would like to know anything about our lives as we get to know each other on this trek of life.  Also, please check out our website Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

We would also like to get to know you better, so please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us, leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek, or email me at [email protected] – I will personally respond to any inquiries.

In the initial 11 episodes:

We first established a base camp.

Next we established a purpose for our Trek and discussed what is needed in order to stay on track towards our destination while still enjoying the journey.

Then, we laid out the foundation for a successful Wisdom-Trek by inspecting the tools needed to assist us in creating a living legacy.

Today we will build the structure on our foundation by looking at principles for obtaining the wisdom that we need for success.

After today, we will start looking at separate "wisdom nuggets" or topics that will assist us as we trek this life together. Some of these nuggets may string together over multiple days, but each day we will take time to stop and enjoy the scenery as we look at snapshots of wisdom.

As an analogy, think about these wisdom nuggets as our daily nutritional supplements.  When taken along with your own life experiences, they will provide you with the nutrients you need to live long and prosper. It is my hope that you have enjoyed our trek so far as much as I have and that you will continue to join with us each day.

Today, we want to ask the question, if wisdom were to build a house, what would this "wisdom house" look like? Proverbs 9:1 indicates that this has happened,  “Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven columns.”

A basis for the 7 Columns is that 7 is the number of completion or perfection.  So the 7 Columns of Wisdom’s house shows complete wisdom.

As I have studied this, I had to ask myself, what are the 7 columns that make up complete wisdom?

I searched for insight on this, both from other philosophers, students of the Bible, and my own study.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 10 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Hello – and welcome to Wisdom-Trek!   This is Guthrie Chamberlain and I am your Guide to Wisdom. This is Day 10 of our Trek as we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  One of the pleasures of being at The Big House is to be able to walk around our property and realize that this is the same property that my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents walked on.

The Big House was built in 1903 by my great-grandparents and it is still in the family. We only have about 5 acres of the original farm, which was long ago sold off in parcels and is now an older, but well maintained, suburban neighborhood. The small remaining portion is still as beautiful as always and is like stepping back in time to a mystic and wonderful place. We are grateful to be able to live here.   As I am creating this podcast/journal this week, the peonies that used to be along the pasture fence line are in full bloom, and they are beautiful this year.

                             

We would love for you to get to know us on a more personal level. Please leave your comments if you would like for me to continue to share some tidbits on a daily basis.  Please also check out About Wisdom-Trek.

We would also like to get to know you better, please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us or leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek.

During these first 11 days of our podcast/journal we have setup base camp, discussed some guidelines, and chatted about the tools needed for a successful trek.  My hope is that you have enjoyed this part of the trek as much as I have.

Today, we are continuing our exploration into the tools or equipment we need in order to gain wisdom, live fully, and enjoy our trek of life while we create a living legacy.

Our wheel analogy, is nearing completion as we once again consider love as the hub of the wheel and the remaining tools or attributes as the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.

In our 2nd analogy of love being your backpack for our  trek, we only have this last tool/attribute to complete the set.   I hope that these analogies help you to understand the importance of each of these traits.

The remaining spoke to make our wheel complete (or my 2nd analogy the tools in our backpack) is self-control. As with the previous attributes, self-control  is referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit." This fruit is an outward manifestation of the seeds we possess internally.  As these attributes grow in us and produce good fruit they will allow us to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

So onto our final attribute/tool which is self-control.

It is not by coincidence that self-control is our last attribute on the listing of the Fruit of the Spirit.  Just as love is the hub of our wheel analogy, self-control can be compared to the rim of this same wheel.

If we look at the second analogy of love as our backpack, then self-control would be the drawstring or clasp that keeps all of the other tools in place.

Self-control applies to all areas of life, but for our time together today,

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 9 of our Wisdom-Trek, thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, your guide to wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  We are back in Marietta for a couple weeks for more renovating and grounds keeping.

I had the opportunity of working outside mowing, trimming, and staking new tree saplings that spring up in our yard each year.  An interesting phenomenon that we have discovered, though, is that the squirrels also wait for us to stake any new oak trees that have sprung up, so they can go and dig up the acorn. To say the least, it is very hard to get any new oak trees started from the acorns.  There have been a few that have managed to grow and survive, but it is always a fun and interesting challenge to keep them hidden from our furry friends.  We are hoping for 2-3 to survive this year.  We also stake a few maple trees, which are not as hardy starting, but they usually don't get rooted up.

We would love for you to get to know us on a more personal level.  As we trek together I look forward to sharing and hope that our simple and authentic lives will be a blessing to you.  Please check out more about us on Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

We would also like to get to know you better, so please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us or leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek.

During the first two or three weeks, we will lay the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy. Please make the time to review any podcasts or journals that you may have missed.

Today, we are continuing our research into the tools or equipment we need in order to gain wisdom, live fully, and enjoy our trek of life while we create a living legacy.

Our wheel analogy, is nearing completion as we once again consider love as the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes as the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.

In our 2nd analogy of love being your backpack for our trek,  we only have a couple of more tools/attributes to complete the set. I hope that these analogies help you to understand the importance of each of these traits.

The two remaining spokes in our wheel (or my 2nd analogy the tools in our backpack) are gentleness and self-control. As with the ones that we have already discussed, these attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit" with these fruits being an outward manifestation of what we possess internally.  These attributes allow us to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

So onto gentleness, which is the tool/spoke (attribute) that we will consider today.

Gentleness in our society is often misinterpreted and equated with weakness, especially with men.  Very few men would probably seek out the description of "he is a gentle man," but in the same line of thought, we seek to be considered gentlemen. Interesting thought considering they both mean the same thing.

Gentleness is one of the most powerful of all the tools within our backpack. It is born out of a person who also has great patience and is at peace with themselves.  It is a person that does not need to control others by force. It is a reflection of a truly mature and wise individual.

Gentleness means recognizing that the world around us is fragile, especially other people.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 8 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  We are back in Marietta for a couple weeks for more renovating and grounds keeping.  With a large lawn to maintain, I look forward to the time I can be outside on the mower enjoying nature and listening to podcasts or audio books.

As of the time of making the notes for this podcast/journal we just found out that our sixth grandchild which is due in September is a girl.  She is the daughter of our third child Barnabas and his wife Leesha. That will make 3 boy and 3 girl grandchildren.   We are excited to welcome this new life into our family.  Granny and Gramps can’t wait to meet her in person.

We would love for you to get to know us on a more personal level, so each day we will share a little personal information.  We live a rather modest and simplistic life, but it is always full to the brim with activity and enjoyment.  Please check out our website Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

We would also like to get to know you better, so please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us or leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek.

During the first two or three weeks we lay the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy. I encourage you to listen to any previous episodes that you may have missed.

Today, we are continuing to consider what tools or equipment we need in order to gain wisdom, live fully, and enjoy our trek of life while we create a living legacy. 

As we reflect back to our analogies, we recall that love is the hub of the wheel and the remaining tools or attributes are the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness.

I also used a 2nd analogy of love being your backpack for our trek. our backpack is filling up with the attributes/tools we need for success.  Word pictures and parables help us to learn much easier, so please use the word picture you best relate to. I also encourage you to work on strengthening these attributes in your life each day.

The three remaining spokes in our wheel (or my 2nd analogy the tools in our backpack) are faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit." As we cultivate this fruit, it will grow in our lives as we build the foundation to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

As a reminder, I have provided tools to assist in these areas on our Free Resources page.

I encourage you to take the 9 Tools Self-Assessment to see which attributes in your life need a little more nourishment and cultivating without ignoring the existing strong points.

Today we will look at the tool/spoke (attribute) of faithfulness.

As we consider faithfulness and look at the definition, we see that a faithful person has five facets to them:

Strict or thorough in the performance of duty – a faithful worker

True to one's word, promises, vows – a faithful spouse

Steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant – a faithful friend

Reliable, trusted, or believed – a dependable person

Adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate – a faithful account or copy

A faithful person has the attribute of faithfulness integrated in every aspect...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 7 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me. 

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio.  Each day, as it is applicable, I will share stories and personal life experiences as we trek together.

As of the time of making the notes for this podcast/journal our personal trek has us traveling again. This week Paula was in For Myers, Florida for 4 days visiting her Aunt. We had a day trip from Charlotte to Savannah working with a client and headed back to The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, at the end of the week.  Traveling does get wearisome at times, as does daily life, but we always endeavor to enjoy the journey as we continue our treks for this season of life.

We would love for you to get to know us better on a personal level.  We are ordinary folks that have chosen to make our life extraordinary.  If we hyphenate that word it is extra-ordinary, so I guess our lives must be more ordinary than most. Paula and I have many times joked that we are probably considered a boring couple, but within that steady, ordinary life we have experienced much, and for the most part, have enjoyed life fully.  For more about us, please check out our website Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

Likewise, we would like to get to know you better, so please feel free to share with us on Wisdom-Trek.com/Contact Us or leave us a message on our Facebook page Wisdom-Trek.

I encourage you to listen to any previous episodes that you may have missed. During the first two or three weeks we are laying the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy.

Today, we are continuing to consider what tools or equipment we need in order to gain wisdom, live fully, and enjoy our trek of life while we create a living legacy.

We are visualizing life as a wheel or bicycle tire, with love being the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes making up the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of joy, peace, patience, and kindness.

I also used a 2nd analogy of love being your backpack for our trek and each of the attributes as tools we need for success.  Whichever one you can visualize best, please use it. I also encourage you to work on strengthening these attributes in your life.

The four remaining spokes in our wheel (or my 2nd analogy, the tools in our backpack) are goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit" and as we cultivate this fruit it will grow in our lives as we build the foundation to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

I have provided tools to assist in these areas on our Free Resources webpage at Wisdom-Trek.com/resources.

I encourage you to take the free 9-Tools Self-Assessment to see which attributes in your life need a little more nourishment and cultivating, without ignoring the existing strong points.

Today we will look at the tool/spoke (attribute) of goodness.

As we consider goodness we see that it is closely tied to yesterday's lesson on kindness.  If we are kind people and show kindness, then we will naturally do good to and for others.

When you think of a good person, you probably imagine a person who is authentic or a person that you enjoy being around because of their character and integrity.  That is the type of person that we should strive to be.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 6 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at Home 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Springtime in the Carolina's is nice, and it is great to be able to get outside some.   In late May, Paula and I spent a beautiful day at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  If you are ever in that area, it is well worth the time to spend a day or two there.

Each day, when is it applicable, I will share stories and personal life experiences as we trek together. If you are interested in getting to know us better, and have not done so already, please check out our website Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

Today, we are continuing to consider what tools or equipment we need in order to learn, gain wisdom, and enjoy our Wisdom-Trek.

On day 2 of our Trek, I challenged you to visualize your life as a wheel or bicycle tire, with love being the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes making up the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of joy, peace and patience.

I also used a second analogy of love being your backpack for our trek and each of the attributes as tools we need for success.  Whichever one you can visualize the best please utilize it. I also encourage you to work on strengthening these attributes in your life.

I have provided tools to assist in these areas, which can be found on the journal for day 2 or on our Free Resources webpage at Wisdom-Trek.com/resources.

If you have not taken the time to listen to the previous podcast episodes, I would encourage you to do so.  During the first two or three weeks of our podcast/journal the nuggets of wisdom that we consume will build on each other as we lay the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy.

The remaining spokes in our wheel (or my second analogy the tools in our backpack) are kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit," and as we cultivate this fruit it will grow in our lives as we build the foundation to create a legacy of wisdom,  seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to "Live Long and Prosper."

If we use the analogy of farming, a healthy and abundant harvest of any kind is dependent on proper nourishment.  In the same manner, if we expect positive results and habits in our lives, then we must cultivate our lives physically, emotionally, educationally, and spiritually.  Only then can we expect our lives to produce an abundance of good habits and traits.  

I encourage you to take the 9-Tools Self-Assessment to see which attributes in your life need a little more nourishment and cultivating without ignoring the existing strong points.

Today we will look at the tool/spoke (attribute) of kindness.

 

As we consider kindness, it can be one of the most powerful and life-changing attributes/tools that we possess. To be kind to another person does not cost us anything. It should be easy for us, and it can change the world for others.  We never know what another person may be going through and an act of kindness quite literally could be a matter of victory or defeat, even between life and death.

Kindness may be harder for some people who through genetics or environment have not learned the practice kindness, but kindness can become its own motive.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 5 of our Wisdom-Trek and thank you for joining me.  

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Today we continue to investigate the tools needed for a successful Wisdom-Trek.

Today we are recording our podcast/journal from our studio at Home 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The pleasant weather continues and my desire is that I could really be outside on a trek through the North Carolina Mountains… but duty and responsibilities must be my priority.   If you would like to know more about Wisdom-Trek or me personally please go to Wisdom-Trek.com/About Wisdom-Trek.

We are continuing to consider what tools or equipment that we need in order to ensure and enjoy our Wisdom-Trek.

On day 2 of our Trek, I challenged you to visualize your life as a wheel or bicycle tire, with love being the hub of that wheel and the remaining tools or attributes making up the spokes stemming from a perfectly round hub. So far we have inserted the spokes of joy and peace. If you have not taken the time to listen to the previous podcast episodes, I would encourage you to do so.  During the first two or three weeks of our podcast/journal the nuggets of wisdom, that we consume will build on each other as we lay the foundation of living an abundant life while creating a living legacy.

The remaining spokes in our wheel (or my 2nd analogy the tools in our backpack) are patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These attributes are referred to in the Bible as the "Fruit of the Spirit" that should be manifested in our lives in the same manner that an apple tree produces apples.

Healthy and abundant fruit is an outward indication of a healthy tree.  In the same manner, if we are living a healthy and abundant life, then we should be producing the "Fruit of the Spirit" in our lives. 

An interesting aspect of producing a healthy crop of apples, or any other type of fruit, is that it requires that the less healthy branches be pruned from the trees. Doing this allows the healthy ones to utilize the available resources, which enables  the tree to thrive and produce larger, more abundant fruit.  In the same way, we need to continually prune the less healthy habits or practices in our lives, so that the healthy attributes are stronger and more vibrant.  In that way, we can then live life fully and be creating a living legacy each day.

Today we will look at the tool/spoke (attribute) of patience. 

As we consider patience today, we must realize that this may be one of the hardest attributes to instill into our lives.  We all lack patience in certain areas of life, and if we allow impatience to grow, it will poison all other attributes.

The lack of patience may manifest itself while we are driving, waiting in line at a store, or attempting some task or obligation that is not going as planned.  I have certainly been guilty, at times, of being impatient in all these situations and have to continually guard against it.

I know this may sound harsh, but impatience boils down to selfishness.   We feel that our time, resources, and even ourselves are more important than someone else.

What we need to realize is that patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is timing; it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.

A patient person is a strong person.  Proverbs 25:15 states,  "Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.

As we learn patience along our trek of life, we will become stronger and gain endurance.  Endurance will allow us to succeed long term.

Using our "trek" analogy, if we were going to hike up a tall mountain trail, it would be foolish to think that we would succeed sooner by being...