Day 101 – Life is Like a Clock

September 9, 2015 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 101 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like a Clock

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 101 of our Trek. Yesterday we came to understand that life is like working in a farm field. We need to take time to look up in gratitude, look around to help others, and then to refocus on the work at hand. Today we want to understand how life is like a clock.

In celebration of passing the milestone of our 100^th Day on our Wisdom-Trek, we have a special gift that we will be giving out to 7 of our fellow trekkers to show our appreciation to our faithful team members. On October 5^th, we will have a drawing in which we will be giving away 7 Wisdom-Trek t-shirts. There is an entry form on the main Base Camp page of Wisdom-Trek.com, where you can enter once per day throughout the month of September. Thank you so much for coming along with us each day on our Wisdom-Trek.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I was able to finish cleaning the woodwork and floors in our dining room this morning, and tomorrow morning, I should be able to start applying polyurethane to the woodwork. There is a significant amount of woodwork in the dining room, so time will determine how much I am able to accomplish.

Outside the house, our newest twin fawns and their mother spent a few moments outside of our office window this morning. Our office is on the 2^nd floor with large windows. It was nice to observe them unnoticed. The fawns must be very young based on their size and the spots that are still clearly visible. The pair of hawks also graced us with some acrobatics today, which was interesting. It has been a pleasant day of work with focus both on our client work and podcasting today. We are making progress with both.

It is time, though, to break camp and head out on our Trek, and as we do, you check your clock on your phone to determine the departure time this morning. You do some quick calculations to estimate how far we will be able to travel today if everything goes according to our planned hike. It then dawns on you that life is like a clock in so many ways.

While there is a certain reality to time, the measure of time, a clock, is a man-made creation. As Albert Einstein put it, “Time is an illusion,” yet nearly every moment of our lives is controlled by the clock. The clock tells us when to get up, when to go to work, when to eat, when to go home, when to sleep, and then the cycle repeats itself each day.

As such, we need to be careful on how much we allow the clock to control us. As H. G. Wells put it, “We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” We need to live a life that is rich and satisfying.

As we continue on our trail today, let us examine the different ways that life is like a clock. In our first analogy within the created limitations of time, man sets his own boundaries, defining his life in quarters just as a clock has its time measured in fourths. The first quarter of life is childhood, the second is young adulthood, the third mature adulthood, and the fourth is old age.

Life, like time, does not stop for anyone.

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Paula and I wonder where the years have gone. We still feel like we are in the second quarter of life but realize that we are firmly entrenched in the 3^rd quarter of a normal lifespan, even if God grants us the opportunity to live to 100 or longer.

Time, like life, does not stop for anyone. For this reason, each hour of your life is valuable. Other than to learn from it, you must not live in the past. You cannot change yesterday. You can only make the most of today and look with hope toward tomorrow. Live fully and enjoy each day, for you will never have an opportunity to live this day again. Take time to be kind, both to yourself and others. You need to make sure that you utilize your time to make the greatest impact.

Live fully and enjoy each day, for you will never have an opportunity to live this day again.

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The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the church in Ephesus Chapter 5 verses 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.”

Next, let’s look at a second analogy of how life is like a clock. The measurement of time is broken down into seconds, minutes, and hours. As God’s most precious of creations, made in His image, we are made up of mind, body, and spirit. The mind is like the seconds moving at the fastest rate. We are constantly thinking and planning. The body it like the minutes, controlled by the mind to take action based on the decisions of the mind. The spirit is the reflection of the accumulation of our thoughts and actions. What is your spirit reflecting today?

Moonrising — What is Your Spirit Reflecting?

There is no separation of the three. All are intertwined to make us who we really are. We scheme and plan in our minds, we take action with our bodies, and we feel we are in control of our destinies in our spirits. Our lives, to a certain extent, are the sum of our choices, but it is God who is the final time keeper.

As Jesus’s half-brother James wrote in his letter to the dispersed Hebrew nation in James [4:13]-17,

“Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog — it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one’s health is more,
To lose one’s soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in “Tomorrow,”
For the Clock may then be still.”
― Robert H. Smith

Today we are reminded that life is like a clock. Let us be mindful to spend our time wisely on our trek of life and keep moving forward each day. Join us tomorrow for another Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will learn why our life is like a river.

That will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

If you enjoy our daily doses of wisdom, I encourage you to take the time to invest in yourself.

Invest in improving Wisdom-Trek by leaving your name, email address, and a comment on our website, so we can provide you with wisdom and insights that best fit your needs.
Invest in yourself by listening to our 7 minutes of wisdom each day.
Invest in the lives of others by encouraging your family and friends to journey with us on our Wisdom-Trek.

Thank you!

The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
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!

Day 100 – Life is Like Working in a Farm Field

September 8, 2015 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 100 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like Working in a Farm Field

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 100 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the 10 life lessons that we can learn while hiking. Today we want to determine why life is like working in a farm field.

During the remainder of September, we will be celebrating achieving the milestone of our 100^th Day on our Wisdom-Trek. Very few podcasts last more than a few episodes, but we realize that as with anything worthwhile in life’s trek, podcasting takes consistent persistence. On October 5^th, we will be having a drawing in which we will be giving away 7 free Wisdom-Trek T-Shirts. There is an entry form on the main Base Camp page of Wisdom-Trek.com, where you can enter once per day throughout the month of September.

Wisdom-Trek T-Shirt — Wisdom-Trek 100th Episode Drawing

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am creating this podcast on Labor Day in the US, so most of our client work was non-existent today, which gave me an extra day to work on our formal dining room. I finished removing the old varnish from the woodwork and was able to sand the floor. Tomorrow morning, I will finish vacuuming the dust and begin preparing to apply polyurethane to both the woodwork and floors this week. My goal is to have it finished no later than Saturday, prior to heading back to Charlotte on Sunday.

While it does require a lot of effort to renovate the various rooms in The Big House, it does bring a great sense of satisfaction realizing that we are fixing up the house that was built by my great-grandparents to its original condition. In some rooms, we are making it even better. Paula and I feel strongly that this is part of the family legacy that God has entrusted to us. It is our hope that we will be able to set up a fund to help future family members to maintain the house. It is both time consuming and expensive to maintain but a heritage that we feel is worth the investment. Paula was also able to plant some crocus and Hyacinth flower bulbs down the front walk this morning so we can enjoy them in early spring next year.

It is time, though, to break camp and head out on our Trek for today. As we move slowly up the trail, we come to a clearing overlooking a valley. In the valley are acres of fields containing crops, and we notice the workers stooped over, busily harvesting the crops by hand.

Growing up on a small farm and apple orchard, I am reminded of how life is like working in the field harvesting the crops. We worked many hours harvesting both vegetable crops and picking apples by hand one at a time. Apple harvest was an intense season, requiring a lot of work climbing both the trees and ladders to reach all of the apples. In addition to the physical labor of climbing, we had a picking bag strapped to our front, which when full would hold between 40 and 50 pounds of apples.

As I remember the many years of growing up, I do reflect on how blessed I was to learn the value of hard work and many other lessons and wisdom that I can now apply to each day. This reminds me of a lesson taught by one of my virtual mentors Jim Rohn. His lesson was titled Look Up, Look Around, and then Back to Work. Let’s look at each of these points.

1. Look Up

Whether we are working in a field, like we see the workers in the valley that we overlook on our Trek today, working in an office, digging a ditch, or completing any other task during the day, let us take time to pause and look up. We are to look up to give thanks to God and ask Him to help us through each day. As King David proclaimed in Psalm 121:1-3,

“I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?

My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.”

cloudy-day — My Help Comes from the Lord

In 1 Chronicles 16:8 David also said,

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.”

2. Look Around

Once we look up, next we should look around. The reason to look around is to assess our progress and to see if any other workers in your field need your help. We are all on this Trek of Life together. When others are in need of help, we should be ready and prepared to help them. We never know when we will also need help from someone.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds,

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Also in order to get the crop harvested on time or any other work accomplished in a timely manner, we will need many to help as Jesus describes the spiritual harvest to his disciples in John [4:35]-36,

“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”

FARMWORKERS-1-master675 — Look around to help others.

3. Then Get Back to Work

Whatever our job, occupation, and calling is in life, we should work hard, work with excellence, and be consistent and persistent in all that we do. We never know when our work on this trek of life will be complete.

John 9:4 admonishes, “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.”

Hard work brings success and will benefit us tremendously. There are numerous verses in Proverbs that give us the grounded principles for success.

Proverbs 10:4, “Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.”

Proverbs 12:11, “A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.”

Proverbs 21:5, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Today we are reminded that life is like working in a farm field. We should look up, look around, and then get back to work. So, join us tomorrow for another Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will learn why life is like a clock.

That will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

If you enjoy our daily doses of wisdom, I encourage you to take the time to invest yourself.

Invest in improving Wisdom-Trek by leaving your name, email address, and a comment on our website, so we can provide you with wisdom and insights that best fit your needs.
Invest in yourself by listening to our 7 minutes of wisdom each day.
Invest in the lives of others by encouraging your family and friends to journey with us on our Wisdom-Trek.

Thank you!

The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
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!

Day 99 – 10 Life Lessons Learned from Hiking

September 7, 2015 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 99 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

10 Life Lessons Learned from Hiking

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 99 of our Trek, and yesterday we discovered that life is a lot like hiking at night – filled with uncertainties and fears. Since none of us can know with certainty the future, life is like hiking at night with a headlamp on. We can only see a short distance in front of us, but if we continue on, we will see far enough to hike the entire distance.

Since we started Wisdom-Trek with Day 0, today we reach a podcasting milestone as we reach our 100^th episode of Wisdom-Trek. We have used hiking as our analogy for Wisdom-Trek, since life is a trek during which we explore our world each day.

I thought it would be a fitting topic today to explore the 10 life lessons that we can learn while hiking, but before we proceed any further, I have a special message. In celebration of our 100^th episode, I will be announcing a drawing later this week where we will be giving away 7 free Wisdom-Trek T-Shirts. We don’t have all of the information set up yet, so keep listening each day for the details.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This morning I spoke at Putnam Congregational Church as we began a 2 part series of the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. I feel that the lesson went well, and the congregation seemed to enjoy and learn from it. Next Sunday I will present the 2^nd part of the lesson. If you would also like to hear a similar teaching, please listen to Days 2-10 of our Trek.

At The Big House this past week, we have been able to enjoy our twin fawns and their mother that I discussed in previous episodes, as they come out to graze in our lawn each evening. We also have another mother deer with her set of twin fawns that are much younger and were probably born within the past month. This is a little late in the year for them, and their mother also looks younger. We enjoy watching them as they meander around in the evening. Our pair of hawks has been around this week again after some time of absence, so they may be checking on their nest. It is our hope that they will return again for next spring.

On this beautiful and sunny late summer day, let us break camp and head out on our trail to explore more lessons that we can learn from life’s trek. Life is filled with both wonderful and challenging expeditions. The key is to choose to enjoy your journey and to learn as much as possible from each experience.

Life is filled with both wonderful and challenging expeditions.

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Here is a list of 10 life lessons you’ll learn that make your journey worthwhile.

You can’t just give up in the middle. Once you set out on life’s trek, you can’t turn back halfway to your destination. Some days our trails will be easy. Others will be very challenging. Always keep your eye on the destination. Only God determines when our Trek is over. Until then, we need to keep moving forward.
Take one step at a time. All we know for sure is that we can take one more step, and we must take them one at a time. Focus on the next step while keeping your eternal destination in mind. The trail you’re climbing may be steep and slick, but millions of others have climbed through life successfully, and so will you. Ignore the magnitude of the overall trek of life. Take it one step at a time, and keep moving forward
There will always be a voice in your head that says “can’t.” Accept the fact that you will have fears and doubts. You are human. Stuff all of your “can’ts” into “cans,” and banish them to a corner of your brain. Tell the “can’ts” to shut up, and keep moving forward.
You are stuck with your own baggage, and it is up to you how heavy it is. No one else will hold your pack for you on your journey. Let go of the things that weigh you down, because the longer you go, the heavier that pack will feel upon your shoulders. As Hebrews 12:1 reminds,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day…Everyday.

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Arrogance will come back to haunt you. Whether it’s thinking you’re better than those around you on life’s trek or shutting out other valid opinions, your ego will have a direct effect on your success. Be kind to your fellow trekkers. It’ll take you a long way, and keep moving forward.
A positive attitude will see you through. No matter how confident a fellow hiker may appear, everyone with you is just as nervous/frustrated/stressed as you are. Make the journey better for everyone with a little optimism and encouragement. Help others to keep moving forward.
You are only as strong as your weakest link. You won’t make it up that mountain and to your destination alone. If you don’t work together, you won’t successfully reach the summit. Treat the people around you as part of your team or, even better, your family. If they trip and fall, help them up, you will need the same from them, and keep moving forward.
You’ll be a burden to others if you’re not prepared. Prepare yourself for life’s trek. Take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you’re on the trail without enough water or resources, you put everyone else in danger by drinking theirs. Be prepared, and keep moving forward.
Learn from the times of suffering, and it will build your character immensely. As long as you learn from life’s lessons and allow them to improve you, the times of suffering will have meaning and purpose. We grow most in times of adversity when our trails are the roughest. Keep moving forward.
The view at the end is beautiful, but in reality, so is the entire journey. Enjoy every step you take because the scenery along the way is just as beautiful, in its own way, as the view from the top. Until God takes you to the ultimate summit with him, keep moving forward, enjoy your journey, and create a great day every day.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi Chapter 3 verses 13-14, “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.”

spirituality hiking — The Ultimate Summit

And As Dr. Seuss said,

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So…get on your way!”

Today we saw a snapshot of 10 life lessons that we can learn for our trek of life. Join us tomorrow for another Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and tomorrow we will learn to look up, look around, and then get back to work.

Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

If you enjoy our daily doses of wisdom, I encourage you to take the time to invest yourself.

Invest in improving Wisdom-Trek by leaving your name, email address, and a comment on our website, so we can provide you with wisdom and insights that best fit your needs.
Invest in yourself by listening to our 7 minutes of wisdom each day.
Invest in the lives of others by encouraging your family and friends to journey with us on our Wisdom-Trek.

Thank you!

The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

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If you are interesting in hiking, check out this great comprehensive article on Top 50 Long Distance Hiking Trails In The USA http://bootbomb.com/info/hiking-trails/top-50-long-distance-hiking-trails-usa/

This link is provided with permission by Brian Bradshaw of http://bootbomb.com

***************

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
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!

Day 98 – Life is Like Hiking at Night

September 6, 2015 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 2 Comments

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 98 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like Hiking at Night

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast.This is Day 98 of our Trek. The past two days we explored the four zones of life, or as we referred to them as trails, where we can choose to spend most of our time. As much as is feasible we need to hike on the Trail of Genius where we can reach our full potential.

One interesting point, though, is that on the Trail of Genius, the trail ahead of us is less predictable. Sometimes we are not be able to know more than a short distance where the trail will take us. This is how life is. None of us know with certainty the future, so our trek of life is like hiking at night with a headlamp on. We can see a short distance in front of us, but if we continue on, we will see far enough to hike the entire distance. So today, we are taking a nighttime hike to prepare us for the various seasons that we will encounter in life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today we were able to invest time with four of our grandkids watching the Washington County Fair Parade. After that, we went and looked at a modular home that Nat and Elizabeth are considering purchasing as they are looking to build out in the country. Then we headed back to The Big House for the afternoon for some fish sticks and ice cream. It was a great time together with our grandchildren. We always enjoy the time we have together. I also spent some additional time preparing for the lessons that I will be teaching at church the next couple of Sundays.

Watching the Washing County Fair Parade with the Grandkids

It is time to break camp now and since we are going for a night hike, we need to prepare all the necessary gear for tonight’s trek. Hiking at night brings with it dangers and hazards that we may not encounter during a day hike. We cannot see nearly as far up the trail. The darkness hides familiar landmarks and renders those you can see in totally alien terms. On a dark night, depth perception becomes a guessing game, and a whole new set of animals comes out to play along with other perils, both real and imagined that can make the hike much scarier. We have our map, a GPS Unit, a very strong headlamp and the other necessary provisions, so let’s begin.

ormp-night-hike-on-the-trail — The Fear of the Unknown

When we think about life’s trek, it is a lot like hiking at night. You must keep your eyes on the trail and focus on the direction that you are going but not forget the importance of checking your map or GPS. If you are leading the expedition, you must be aware that those who follow you need your guidance and assurance that you know where you are heading, and that you will safely lead them on the trail you are on for this hike.

I like to plan and set goals for both our personal lives and business, and in reality they are one because all of life is integrated into my personal life. It is important to have your plans so that you can make choices that are prudent and wise. Your plans and goals are the GPS that you are following. As we move through each day of life, it is like hiking at night. We need to prepare, but as we are hiking we can only see a few feet in front of us. None of us have the guarantee of tomorrow. We need to live as if we are to die tomorrow, but plan as if we are going to live forever.

We need to live as if we are to die tomorrow, but plan as if we are going to live forever.

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While hiking at night can seem scarier than hiking the same trail during the day, you cannot let that perception cloud your judgment. If you worry about “night sounds” or the things that go bump in the night just because you can’t see as far as you would like, you will never make progress and be stranded on your trail.

ormp-night-hike-dog-is-free — Things that go bump in the night…

We all have occasions when we allow our doubts and fears to overwhelm us, but this is wasted energy and effort. As a Christ follower, I am convinced that God has all things under His control, but I have to constantly combat trying to control everything myself and being anxious when I cannot. How soon I forget the words the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi Chapter 4 verse 6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

We have to plan well, but live in the moment, making the best of every opportunity and realizing that:

Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry…God never blinks.

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We need to not worry about a future that may or may not come. We must chose to enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.

Jesus put it best in his words from Matthew [6:25]-34,

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

I encourage you to plan and prepare your life as if you would live another hundred years. Also, live in such a way that each day you are creating a living legacy, but understand that as you are hiking along life’s trail at night you can only see a few feet in front of you. Also, realize that you do have a map and GPS (God’s Word and your plans). Although there will be scary times and many things, you do not understand, that you need to continue to take one step at a time. You will eventually reach your destination, and as you trek through the night, the sun will eventually crest over the mountaintops and soon be in the full light of day.

Remember this quote from Bobby McFerrin, “In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don’t worry. Be happy.”

In every life, we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double.

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On our night Trek, we learned to trust our headlamp, map, and GPS to get us through the dark and scary times. So, join us tomorrow for another Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will explore some more life’s lessons learned from hiking.

Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

If you enjoy our daily doses of wisdom, I encourage you to take the time to invest yourself.

Invest in improving Wisdom-Trek by leaving your name, email address, and a comment on our website, so we can provide you with wisdom and insights that best fit your needs.
Invest in yourself by listening to our 7 minutes of wisdom each day.
Invest in the lives of others by encouraging your family and friends to journey with us on our Wisdom-Trek.

Thank you!

The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

***************

This link is provided with permission by Brian Bradshaw of http://bootbomb.com

***************

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
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!

Day 97 – Hiking the Trail of Genius (2)

September 5, 2015 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III Leave a Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 97 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Hiking the Trail of Genius (2)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 97 of our Trek. Yesterday we started our exploration of the four zones of life, or as we referred to them as trails, where we can choose to spend most of our time. So far we have hiked the Trail of Incompetence and the Trail of Competence. Today we will explore the Trail of Excellence and the Trail of Genius. When we finish this two day hike, we will have a clearly marked map showing how we can navigate toward and spend most of our time on our personal Trail of Genius.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are making slow but steady progress on the woodwork in the dining room. My hope is to be ready to complete a couple of coats of polyurethane on the woodwork and floors before we head back to Charlotte at the end of next week.

In addition to my client work and preparing for this daily podcast, I am also preparing to speak at Putnam Congregational Church the next two Sundays. I will be using a few of the notes from Wisdom-Trek.com as the lesson material. Life sometimes is quite busy, and we yearn for a less hectic pace. But in the same way, it is rich and satisfying. We do deal with the emotional rollercoaster each day, just like you, and it is with the preparation of this Wisdom-Trek journal that we are able to maintain a reasonable balance in life.

I trust that listening to the podcast or reading the journal helps you to find balance as well. Thank you for allowing me to share each day. Let us know in the comments on the daily journals how it is helping and what we can do to serve you better.

It is time now to break camp and set out to explore the final two trails. If you missed our hike on the first two trails of Incompetence and Competence, please listen to Day 96 of our Trek.

As I mentioned yesterday, the zones or trails that we are exploring were originally mapped out in a book called The Big Leap written by Gay Hendricks. In this book Gay plots the zones or trails that will help us to conquer fear and take life’s trek to the next level. This is possible, but only if we are willing to make the changes needed.

Trail #3 – Excellence

The Trail of Excellence is where most proficient and successful people hike. This is a trail that you can excel on. You are more successful than most other hikers, and you are rewarded for it. This reward can be monetary, like in a job or business situation, or it can be recognition by others for your particular giftedness.

While you may have a sense of satisfaction on this trail, it is also easy to become too comfortable on this trail. Although you may be compensated and recognized for your achievements, there is a gnawing sense that you’re not making the kind of impact you want, and you live on a plateau of tolerance. You are on the brink of breaking through into genius, but you have to take that leap of faith and venture out of comfort.

A personal example for me would be the remote technical support work that I do for one of our clients. I have excelled in this field and enjoy the work most days but feel that I am on a plateau and desire to break through to the Trail of Genius. While I feel that God still wants me to use my gifts on this current trail, this podcast and some of the other business changes that I have briefly mentioned will help us to move upward to the final trail.

Trail #4 – Genius

The Trail of Genius often requires a bold decision. Your friends and family will question you because you are leaving behind what, to them, seems like success to pursue something speculative. You will require courage and faith to make this transition. Friends and family will come along later.

TAKING-THE-LEAP — Taking a Leap…It is never easy.

Finding your Trail of Genius takes some work and introspection. Chances are that you’ve already been given subtle or not so subtle clues throughout your life, but have ignored them or tossed them over the cliff. Your Trail of Genius may be something idealistic that you’re hesitant to admit to for various reasons

5 excuses that will prevent you from hiking on your Trail of Genius:

It’s a bit out there and risky.
It would mean you’ve been wasting your time on other trails (although they should be your trails of preparation).
It might require making drastic, painful changes to your life.
It might be embarrassing to admit and share with friends and family.
It’s against social norms or conventions.

zone_of_genius — Excuses for not hiking on your Trail of **Genius**

4 questions for finding your Trail of Genius:

“What do you love to do most?” (You love it so much you can do it for long stretches of time without getting tired or bored).
“What activities, tasks, or work do you do that doesn’t seem like work?”
“In your activities, tasks, or work, what produces the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction to the amount of time spent?”
“What is your unique ability or gift? What unique ability of yours, when fully realized and put to work, can provide enormous value to you and/or your world?”
- “I’m the best when I’m…”
- “When I’m at my best the exact thing I’m doing is…”
- “When I’m doing that, the thing I love most about it is…”

Reaching your Trail of Genius requires that you break through your current upper limit. Just like we discussed how fleas are trained on Day 66, we can easily become programmed to think there is a false plateau and that we can scale no higher.

Reaching and staying on your Trail of Genius is going to require that you say “no” a lot to current routines so you can say “yes” to new opportunities. Get good at saying “no” to self-limiting opportunities that take you off of your Trail of Genius.

Don’t allow yourself to concoct false beliefs for why you can’t be on your Trail of Genius. Break through that upper limit, move beyond your current plateau, and remember the reason you are on this Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insight, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before, and to live long and prosper. Your Trail of Genius will allow you to live a rich and satisfying life.

Your Trail of Genius will allow you to live a rich and satisfying life.

Tweet This

Today we explored the trails of Excellence and Genius where we have learned to hike to new heights. Come along on our hike tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will explore how life is like hiking at night.

Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, YouTube, or Wisdom-Trek.com.

If you enjoy our daily doses of wisdom, I encourage you to take the time to invest yourself.

Invest in improving Wisdom-Trek by leaving your name, email address, and a comment on our website, so we can provide you with wisdom and insights that best fit your needs.
Invest in yourself by listening to our 7 minutes of wisdom each day.
Invest in the lives of others by encouraging your family and friends to journey with us on our Wisdom-Trek.

Thank you!

The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.

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This link is provided with permission by Brian Bradshaw of http://bootbomb.com

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Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
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!

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