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Day 26 – (Steps 21-25) 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

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

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

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

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

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  1. Failures teach us to let go of the past. We must accept that there’s nothing we can do to change the past. You did the best you could. When you’re facing your failures, know that you were as good, loving, and effective as you could have been. That you did the best that you could based on the information you had at that time.  If you were to go back, you couldn’t do anything differently because that’s who you were and that’s what you knew then. It’s done. Let go of your past. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. That brings to my mind a paragraph from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. In chapter 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  “We run from failure…we run to success…but what really matters is not what we’re running from but where we are running to!”   
    • Stepping stone #21 – Let go of the past.

  2. Don’t feed the fire that burns you.  We need to be very careful what we allow to roam within our minds.  Most of our thoughts of failure only exist in our head and are merely ideas. It may not seem like that, but that is how it is. If you believe that you can’t or shouldn’t do something because it may lead to failure, then that’s a thought in your mind.  If you believe you are better than others, that’s a thought. If you believe you are no good, that’s a thought. Our thoughts are linked together and constructed from other thoughts that we’ve learned and allowed to grow in our minds. These thoughts can be good or bad, but if you are feeding the thoughts of failure in your mind, then that fire that rages within you will consume you.  We need to analyze our thoughts, choose the ones that are good and helpful, and discard the rest. As we looked on a previous day’s Trek in Scripture the word “heart” and “mind” can be used interchangeably. Think of that as we read Luke 6:45, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good mind, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil mind. What you say flows from what is in your mind.”
    • Stepping stone #22 – Don’t feed a failure mindset.

  3. Failure is never an option. If you want to achieve a goal in life, then you have to be assured that you are fully prepared and have resolve to guarantee that failure will never be a permanent option for you and those you impact. If you remember back or have read about the Apollo 13 mission back to earth when it was damaged, you likely remember this quote. NASA controller Jerry C. Bostick said these now famous words, “Failure is not an option,” and that phrase has been etched into our collective memory ever since.
    • Stepping Stone #23 – Failure is not an option.

  4. You always have a choice. If you can’t physically change something, you can always change the way you think about it. You can sit in the dark, or you can find your inner light and discover powerful pieces of yourself you never knew existed. You can view a crisis as an invitation to learn something new, viewing the shake-up in your outer world as an enlightening opportunity to wake-up your inner world. You must choose to, “Keep moving forward.”
    • Stepping Stone #24 – Failure provides choices.

  5. You can control your own destiny. Notwithstanding the role that God plays within our lives, He also permits a great deal of freedom for us to make the choices that shape our destiny. In order to make choices that may change your destiny, you must first know yourself and what you are creating moment by moment. What you do in the present moment brings you closer to shaping your destiny. Make the choice and move forward.  Choices are the hinges of our destiny. When adversity strikes (and it will), it’s not what happens that will determine our destiny.  It’s how we react to what happens. You can chose failure, or you can choose success.  Ultimately it is your decision. “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved,” Jennings Bryan.
    • Stepping stone #25 – Failure teaches us to choose our destiny of success.

We continue today with our practical lesson from the Bible about Gideon. It is a very intriguing story of hardships and failure for the nation of Israel by the hands of the Midianites.   If you have never done so, I would encourage you to read the entire story that is found in Judges 6 and 7.

The nation of Israel had failed God by setting up alters and places of worship to false gods.  So God sent an angel to Gideon who told him that he would be assigned the responsibility to rescue the nation of Israel.

 Gideon-an-Unlikely-Hero

At first, Gideon faltered or failed to trust God’s plan.  First, Gideon destroyed some alters to false god Baal and was nearly killed by his family members. His father Joash stepped in and reasoned with the crowd to let Baal defend himself. From that point Gideon started to be viewed as a leader. So, let’s pick up the story in Judges 6:33-40 where we see that Gideon still had his doubts, “Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.

 Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,   prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.’  And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.

 Then Gideon said to God, ‘Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.’  So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.”

gideon-and-woolen-fleece

We see that Gideon still struggled, doubted, and failed to move forward. We will see how that all changed when we continue the story tomorrow.

Well that will finish our podcast for today. This week we have seen 25 ways to turn failure into success.  If you missed any of them please check out the Wisdom-Trek podcast iTunes, Stitcher, or on Wisdom-Trek.com. Tomorrow we will look at what it means to be encouraged, or another way it might be put is infused with courage, as our story of Gideon will display.

So please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast on the Contact Us page of our website, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

Please subscribe on iTunes or the player of your choice, so Wisdom-Trek is downloaded each day automatically. We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

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

You can read the journal from today’s podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com,  where we also have 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!

Day 25 – (Steps 16-20) 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

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

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

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

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The dark clouds of failure are clearing
  1. You are not a loser unless you accept the failure as final. Failure is the catalyst that allows us to make positive changes in our lives, and that allows us to move on to something different, maybe even bigger and better. Failure pushes us just a little bit closer to inevitable success, for in failure, we learn what won’t work or what more needs to be done. Only when you quit trying is it the real failure, since you give up hope of ever doing anything “right.”  Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how fast you run. What matters is how long you run. There may be many instances that knock you down on your journey; what makes you a winner is your ability to stand up and run again. “Never lose on your way; you are not a loser unless you accept it,” Author Unknown.  
    • Stepping Stone #16 – Never look at failure as final.

  2. It depends on how quick you learn from failures. The consequences of failure will be determined by how quick you learn, how quick you grow, and how fast you transform yourself into a new person, into a wonderful reflection of the beautiful creation you are. If you don’t allow yourself to grow and to learn from your failures, you’re doing a great disservice to yourself and to those people that you impact, who deserve to have you be the wonderful person you have the capability of becoming. “No matter how you fall, just think how to get up fast.”
    • Stepping Stone #17 – Learn quickly from your failures.

  3. Have positive attitudes towards challenges. Look at the failures and shortcomings in your life as refinement, as you move on and become a beautiful example of what you can be. And remember, failure is not the absence of success; failure is a step towards success. “Your attitude towards your challenges is the key to your happy life.”   
    • Stepping Stone #18 – Have a positive attitude even in failures.

  4. Failures teach us to welcome changes. Change happens whether we want it to or not. We need to welcome change and find ways to turn the unexpected failures into an opportunity for growth. Don’t become frightened and simply react, instead take action. How we handle the inevitable changes in life is key to living a life without fear. “When life takes a U turn towards failure, make the changes needed to turn towards success.”
    • Stepping Stone #19 – Welcome the changes that failure provides.

  5. Failures teach us to be strong. Turning failure into success may not happen overnight. Realize that your spirit, mind, and body are all working together toward success. Doing so will help you stay focused and, in the end, become successful. Picture yourself in the best case scenario after you have succeeded at meeting this challenge. Believe it can happen. “Always be strong, even when you are weak, because only the strong ones find strength in themselves.”
    • Stepping Stone #20 – Failure teaches us to be strong.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts

Our practical lesson from the Bible today is a very interesting story. Let’s set the scene taken from Judges Chapter 6 and verse 1, “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.” So in other words, the Israelites had failed in keeping God’s commands not to worship other God’s. To shorten the story a bit, the Midianites were whooping up on the Israelites.  They stole their crops, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys.  They found themselves hiding out in caves.

Finally the Israelites realized that this was not fun, and verse 7-8 says, “When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian,  the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites.” We pick up the story in verse 11-16, “Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’

‘Sir, Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?’ Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.’

Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’

‘But Lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!’

The Lord said to him, ‘I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.’”

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So we see in today’s story when we are in the middle of hardships and failures, it is difficult to see how we are going to recover, especially if we feel we have to do it all on our own. Like Gideon, when failure strikes us, we may feel weak and inadequate to overcome the issues.  We need to draw on our own strength at times, but we must never lose site of the fact that we can and should draw on the strength of others to help us through difficult periods and times where we have failed.  Certainly as a follower of Christ and one who adheres to the teachings of the Scriptures, I also draw on the strength that God provides for my life.

Tomorrow we will continue to build on the story that will show how Gideon was able to overcome not only his own failures, but the failure of an entire nation.

That will finish our podcast for today. Join us tomorrow  for the last five Stepping Stones 21-25 on our journey to turn failure into success.  We will explore how victory and success can be ours, even in the face of what appears to be insurmountable odds.

So please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast on the Contact Us page of our website, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

Please subscribe on iTunes or the player of your choice, so Wisdom-Trek is downloaded each day automatically.  We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

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

You can read the journal from today’s podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com where we also have 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!

Day 24 – (Steps 11-15) 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success

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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?

Gramps & Grandkids
Gramps & Grandkids

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.

      1. 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.

      1. 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.

      1. 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

      1. 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 determined to succeed. Failure narrows the playing field. The first people out are those that blame others, and the next out are those who lose interest. The weak go first. The strong learn to hang in there and keep bouncing back until they win. “It’s true that not everyone is positive by nature,” John C. Maxwell.
      • Stepping stone #14 – Failure forces change.

      1. Failure tells us we are going in the wrong direction. If you are out hiking and find yourself on a trail that will not lead you to your destination, then you are forced to stop, change course, and get on a correct trail. Continuing down the same path will only get you farther from your destination. In personal or business very often, this change of direction is forced on us because we are out of money or resources. Once we come to that realization then we are free to choose another path. The wrong path should not be viewed as time wasted but as lessons learned. When you try a new trail, chances are you will get it right. New paths will result in bringing you to the correct direction. “Life is tough enough as it is. It’s even tougher when we’re headed in the wrong direction,” Max Lucado.  
      • Stepping stone #15 – Failure helps us to get back on the correct path.

Abraham Lincoln - success
Abraham Lincoln – Success

As we look at the practical lesson from the Scriptures on how failures resulted in success, we will read today of Moses’ response to his father-in-law Jethro, who gave Moses a plan to turn his failure into success when judging the Hebrew nation.

Let’s continue the story in Exodus 18 verses 24-26, “Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.”

 From Jethro’s advice, Moses structured the first court system for the Hebrew nation.  He set judges up in a hierarchal form to alleviate the need for judging all the people himself.  Finally Moses had time to focus on what he was called to do, which was to lead the entire nation. He truly achieved success through his failure.

What are the areas of your life where you need to turn the failures into successes?

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Learn from failures

That will finish our podcast for today. Join us tomorrow  for Stepping Stones 16-20 on our journey to turn failure into success.  We will also look at how Gideon failed to trust God but through a series of test was able to succeed.

So please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast on the Contact Us page of our website, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

Please subscribe on iTunes or the player of your choice, so Wisdom-Trek is downloaded each day automatically.  We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

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

I have posted several pictures and resources from our trek today, so 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!

Day 23 – (Steps 6-10) 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success

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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.

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Hiking Obstacles
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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, and you’ll strengthen your will for the next challenge. “Sharpen your success weapons on the grindstone of failure.”
    • Stepping Stone #9 – Use failure as your weapon to succeed.

  5. Failure programs you for success. Every failure has a builtin mechanism to autocorrect and reprogram you for success. Therefore, think of failures as a way of programming you to improve and succeed. When we fail, we naturally activate the auto correct mechanism which provides us with the tools needed to work successfully the next time. “You’ve got to keep finding better ways to run your life, or someone will take what you’ve accomplished, improve upon it, and be very pleased with the results.
    • Stepping Stone #10 – Program failures into success.

success-consists-of-going-from-failure-to-failure-without-loss-of-enthusiasm-26
Failure to Failure

We are continuing with a practical lesson from the Scriptures on how failures resulted in success. Yesterday we left off with Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, rebuking him for how he was handling the administration of cases that were brought before him for judgment.  Up until this point Moses was handling the entire workload himself – sounds like something I would attempt.  If you missed yesterday’s podcast or journal, make sure you go back and catch up on the story.

Let’s continue the story in Exodus 18 verses 19-23, “Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”

Notice the wise advice from Jethro to solve the issue of Moses.  Moses was floundering and struggling with keeping up with the workload.  You might say he was failing in his ability to handle the situation.

Jethro’s first advice to Moses was to let him know that he is still in charge, and responsible for what goes on, but he does not have to do all the work himself.  In fact we already saw that he was not capable of doing so.  He instructed Moses to teach others to handle the matters of dispute, except the very major ones.  But Moses had to make sure that he chose not only capable men, but also honest men who would execute the laws properly. You can see from these instructions that most modern societies have their court systems patterned after these suggestions.

Tomorrow we will see if Moses took Jethro’s advice.

edison-on-failure
Thomas Edison – 10,000 ways

That will finish our podcast for today. Join us tomorrow  for Stepping Stones 11-15 on our journey to turn failure into success.

So please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast on the Contact Us page of our website, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

Please subscribe on iTunes or the player of your choice, so Wisdom-Trek is downloaded each day automatically.  We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

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

I have posted several pictures and resources from our trek today, so 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!

Day 22 – 25 Ways to Turn Failure into Success (Steps 1-5)

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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.

stepping stones

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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 simply hope for the best. Achieving the next milestone on your trek requires calculated risk along with preparation, practice, and some awareness of your skills and talents. “To reach any worthy milestone, you must take risks.”
    • Stepping Stone #3 – Take calculated risks.

  4. Failure will draw out negative opinions from others. Be prepared to hear from individuals that will gladly share their negative opinions and doubts about your plans and may try to persuade you to give up before you achieve success. Do not listen to this type of advice, but seek out only those individuals who are wise, experienced and able to provide honest and productive advice – even if you don’t agree what they have to say. Some of those individuals may not see the potential until you succeed. When you do succeed, they will no longer see the barriers, they will want to know how you did it. Pauline Estrem once said, “To achieve the greatest success, you have to embrace the prospect of failure.”
    •  Stepping Stone #4 – Accept only wise advice.

  5. People who fail often grow as leaders. We are all leaders in some aspect or realm of life. To become a natural leader you can’t be afraid to do, then re-do, and re-do again if necessary. You do not wait for the trail to be smooth and free of obstacles. You are looking forward, up the trail, and are willing to take calculated risks.  You embrace the journey of a life that would make life better for yourself and others. You are perfectly willing to slip and stumble at times in order to advance. You take responsibility for your failures and learn from it. You have a passion for what you do and improve upon your failures and persist until you make a success of it. Thomas Edison put it well when he said, “The sweetest victory is the one that’s most difficult.” The one that requires you to reach down deep inside, to struggle with every step you take, to be willing to traverse the most precarious trails without knowing what the path may be like once you reach the next mountain top.
    • Stepping Stone #5 –Growth comes during times of difficulty.

As we consider how failure can lead us to success this week, I will bring out some observations from scriptures where failed attempts rendered through learning, wisdom, and  great success.

Today, let’s look at the story of Moses and his father-in-law Jethro.   This story can be found in Exodus 18.  Let’s look at verses 13-18, “The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.

When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, ‘What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?’

Moses replied, ‘Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.  When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.’

‘This is not good!’ Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. ‘You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.’”

Moses

In other words, Jethro was letting Moses know, that in this situation, he was failing at his tasks, but by learning from his advice, he could achieve success. We will continue this story tomorrow to see what advice Jethro gave to his son-in-law Moses, as we look at five more ways we can turn failure into success.

That will finish our podcast for today. Join us tomorrow for Stepping Stones 6-10 on our journey to turn failure into success.

So please check into our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question about this podcast on the Contact Us page of our website, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. We would love to have interaction from members of our Wisdom-Trek team.

Please subscribe on iTunes or the player of your choice, so Wisdom-Trek is downloaded each day automatically.  We also have a Subscribe to Podcast page.

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

I have posted several pictures and resources from our trek today, so 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!