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 guthrie@venturecg.com – 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 maps from those who had attempted the trek before him. His effectiveness was driven by this faith in his compass and the guidance from the maps.

As a person of faith and a Christ follower, God’s Spirit is my compass and His Word are the maps.  I am confident that on each day’s Trek if I put my faith in these “tools,” the direction for my life will remain true.

Not every day is easy. Some days will be bright and clear and we will see for miles. Other days will be shrouded in fog, and we will easily lose our way.  As long as we have our compass to guide each day, though, we can be sure that we are heading in the correct direction.

Secondly, the Amundsen team meticulously planned that they would march 20 miles every day. No more, no less regardless if conditions were good or bad. In reality the distance varied slightly, but he also knew that if they we going to reach close to 20 miles, they must move at a certain pace each day, which would take a certain amount of time.  He relied on his clock to ensure that they marched 20 miles each day.  Roald Amundsen knew that the time allotted would allow them to meet that goal.  He determined to be efficient with each day.

To learn more of Roald Amundsen’s 20 mile march, I suggest reading  Jim Collin’s book titled Great by Choice.  Discounted books can be ordered through the links on our Free Resources page.

It seems that our lives today are so driven by the clock that we forget to use our compass.  Our days are so jammed packed with activities that we lose perspective of our overall destination. We have become a world that is efficiently ineffective.

We must use both the compass and the clock to be effective and efficient. To gain wisdom and build a living legacy, we must keep our eyes on the summit while we plan what each day’s activities will entail.

A compass determines our effectiveness on how well we stay on the trail and head in the correct direction towards our destination. The clock helps us to regulate how far we will travel each day. If we attempt to be overly efficient by completing too many activities, then we will burn out before effectively reaching our destination.

As an analogy to our Trek, if we try to run too fast on this trail of life, we may very well find that we lose our footing and careen down the mountain side in a bloody heap of nothingness.

As this applies to our daily tasks, the compass helps us in doing the right tasks. A clock helps us to do the tasks with efficiency.

Each has its place. But, the compass must come before the clock; therefore, effectiveness before efficiency. The “mega priorities” of the compass (our destination) governs the “mini priorities” of the clock (daily tasks).

As a Christian, I look at it in this manner. To surrender our time to God is to be governed by a compass rather than to be controlled by a clock. A compass, therefore, becomes a symbol of an internal guidance system that provides us with our values and convictions, which mine happen to be based on God’s Word.

This non-negotiable governs our lives. In the same manner that the magnetic force pulls the compass needle, it is God who governs the drive of our lives. We surrender to His force and focus on those tasks that will ultimately help us to reach our destination.  This is how we begin to create a living legacy.

The reason I am able to use God’s Word for guidance and direction is found in Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Let’s keep balanced in life by effectively using the compass to guide our overall direction, as we daily use the clock so we can be efficient.  As listed in Ephesians 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

That will finish our podcast/journal for today. Tomorrow we will see that how far we go and grow in life is determined by us and identify what it takes to create a great day, every day.  This can be challenging at times but is possible. Please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Today’s free tool is a full color PDF of our compass and clock as a reminder of our priorities in life. It can be found with the other resources on our Free Resources webpage, or simply click on the image below.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast in the comment form on Wisdom-Trek.com/day12, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com If you would like us to discuss any topics or answer any questions during our podcast, please let us know. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

If you have not done so already, please take the time to visit iTunes, Stitcher, or an Android player and subscribe so that Wisdom-Trek will be available for you each day automatically.  We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

Please leave us a rating on each episode. It means so much to us! Also, spread the word to everyone you know to join us on our Wisdom-Trek. Thank you!

Check out Wisdom-Trek.com for the daily journal, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

As we take this Trek together let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day! See you tomorrow!