Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Day 1 of our Trek

As I mentioned in our first episode on Day 0, I will strive to be transparent and authentic in all of our daily podcast/journals. This means that I am inviting you into our camp and our trek to join with us. I will not extensively edit these episodes, just for the sake of trying to have them sound perfect, any more than when we are sitting around base camp or on our trek, I would not be able to edit everything that I said. This is life, and I want to live it before you as if we were literally on this trek together, which through the magic of technology we are virtually sitting next to each other.

Since I will be recording either from “The Big House” in Marietta, or from our “Home 2” located south of Charlotte, North Carolina, you may hear external sounds of the outdoors, such as birds singing or other noises which, instead of being distracting, will add to our authenticity of life. I may not always present a perfect podcast/journal, but I will provide valuable content in an excellent manner If you have not taken the opportunity to listen to Day 0 or read the corresponding journal, I would encourage you to do so. Also read through the About Wisdom-Trek to learn more about the podcast and me personally.

As with any journey in life, it is best if we have a destination in mind before we begin. It is difficult or impossible to measure progress and success if we don’t know our destination. Once we determine our destination, we should know the best path to take to reach it. It is best if we remain on trails that have been forged before us by others.

Life will take us through many hardships and dangers. At times it will seem like no one has ever traversed the path that we are taking, but there are few, if any, circumstances in life that others have not already traveled. In fact King Solomon, the wisest person who ever lived, in the later years of his life wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, and in chapter 1:9 he declares, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” So we can take “comfort” in the fact that others have been on the same path before us.

What is our destination? As we trek together our purpose is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will setup the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to “Live Long and Prosper.”

I believe that most of us would desire to live a long life and to prosper. Prospering, though, will take many different forms. It could be financial, but that does not need to be our primary way of prospering. Becoming wise and creating a living legacy by making a positive impact on our world will allow us to truly prosper. The primary purpose for us pursuing and obtaining financial prosperity is to allow that impact to be even greater.

We need to be a river and not a reservoir with our financial gain. Allowing financial prosperity to flow through us to others, instead of hording it for ourselves, will help us to gain wisdom.

In addition to setting a destination, our best hope of arriving safely is to have suitable navigation tools. We need to follow a GPS, map, compass or other tools that will allow us to be reasonably sure that we are on the right path. These tools are important, but are only useful, if we follow them. As I am sure each of us has experienced, even with the best GPS or map we sometimes end up on a wrong road, and so it is with the trails in life. We may find ourselves at places or in situations that we never expected, either through our own choices or the choices of others.

We may get off the planned trail, but with the right tools, we can still head towards our destination. While my primary map in life on my Wisdom-Trek has been The Bible, I have also studied and followed many others that have traveled before me. Some of my “virtual mentors” that have reached their destination in this life have been Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and Earl Nightingale.

Using these combined resources, when I have found myself on a unexpected trail in life (which there have been many), I am able to head in the correct direction because my destination remains the same. There have been many steep uphill climbs and some dark valleys, but as I continue my trek, I have the strength to continue.

What are some basic guidelines that we should follow? I have determined that there are four essential guidelines.

As much as possible, stay on the trail. – Don’t be looking for shortcuts in life. There are no shortcuts that are worth taking. Be persistent and consistent and pace yourself for the trail ahead
Never trek alone. – Find others that have gone through the trails before you. Allow them to help you, and learn from them. As you join me on our Wisdom-Trek, allow me to be one of your guides. I may not have reached my destination yet (since I am still alive), but I have studied the map for years and have dissected the journals of those individuals who have made the trek successfully and have created a proven plan on how to assist you. To grow wise make sure you surround yourself with wise people.
Keep moving forward, but take time to enjoy the scenery. – If we have our head down looking at the trail all the time we will miss the best part of the trek. It is not the destination that we will enjoy, but the journey itself. No matter how difficult the trek is, take time to enjoy each day.
Establish positive habits that you practice each day. – Every day we will run into obstacles on our trails of life. Figuratively, a tree may have fallen blocking the path, a stream may have washed out the path, or boulders may have cascaded down into our way. In each circumstance we will need to determine whether we will climb over, under, or go around. Regardless of the path that we need to take to get us beyond the obstacle, if we have certain positive habits ingrained into the fabric of our lives, then we will know how to make the decisions that are correct for us. This is called our “integrity.” Decisions that are right, just, and fair for ourselves and those that we impact.

Below are 7-Habits of a Successful Life that you can weave into the fabric of your life. If you will apply these habits each day, so they become 2^nd nature, then when the obstacles do block your way, it will be easier to successfully get beyond the obstruction and back on the trail to your destination.

These are the habits that will impact eternity.

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Legacy Each Day

If you would like a full color PDF of these 7-Habits, please click on the image below or in the side bar on the right.

So as we end our Wisdom-Trek journey for today, apply these 7-Habits to your life each day. Review them each morning upon rising, and again before going to bed. If you follow this routine for at least 30 days, you will see a change in your life that will begin the trek of Creating a Living Legacy.

I encourage you to leave a discussion topic, comment, suggestion, or question in the comment form below, or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

I would be honored if you would take the time to visit iTunes, or the site that you are using to access Wisdom-Trek and subscribe so that Wisdom-Trek will be available for you each day.

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

Always remember to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day!

See you tomorrow for Day 2 – Tools Required for a Successful Wisdom-Trek.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

This first podcast/journal post is to set up “base camp”

as we begin our Wisdom-Trek.

Since this is the first episode, and I am laying the foundation for the Wisdom-Trek podcast, I am referring to this as Day 0 – The Journey has Begun.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Below I will share a little more about me personally, but also check out the About Wisdom-Trek page on the website to get to know me better. My hope is that I will also have an opportunity to get to know each member of our Wisdom-Trek team throughout our journey together.

It will be an interesting, exciting and worthwhile trek, and it is my hope and desire that you will join me on this daily journey. We will learn from each other and share mutual joy as we travel together. While I do not believe that I “have arrived” in my personal quest, I have spent my adult life studying the Scriptures and learning from wise individuals that have hiked this trail of life before.

Each day we will explore and consume a small “nugget” of wisdom as we cover a different subject or terrain. This 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom will help us to live life abundantly, authentically, and with integrity. Along the way we will be seeking wisdom and discipline and striving to understand the insights of the wise. By doing so we will learn to live disciplined and successful lives and to do what is right, just, and fair. I will count it a privilege if you allow me to be your guide as we trek together.

I do want to note that the associated podcast to this journal will be “my authentic self” with limited editing. That is how life is – there are no dress rehearsals in life. We make mistakes, we make unwise choices, we stumble, and we fall sometimes. While we occasionally have opportunities for “do-overs,” the foibles of life remain with us, and that is okay.

While I will strive to produce error free, high quality podcast and journal entries, I also realize that I am human. I make mistakes. So you will hear me occasionally mispronounce words, have awkward pauses, and get my words twisted around . My goal with Wisdom-Trek, as with life, is to provide you with honest, authentic and excellent content, even though my presentation may not always be perfect. Thank you in advance for understanding, and let us enjoy this journey together. I would encourage you to share your stories with us so that we may also learn from you in our trek.

So why have I titled our journey “Wisdom-Trek”?

Being a Science Fiction enthusiast from childhood, I have always been enamored with the thought of exploring. As one of 10 children, I was blessed to grow up with loving parents on an apple orchard with acres of woods. Along with my siblings, I spent untold hours exploring the “lower 40 acres” with all of its ravines, trees, creeks and a nice size pond. Those experiences carried over into my fantasy of exploring the universe as I faithfully watched the Star-Trek original series on TV. As an adult, I continued to watch all Star-Trek series and other space related programs.

While I still love space programs and movies, my exploration has lead me to the pursuit of wisdom which has also intrigued me. As we trek together, it is my hope that we will create a legacy of wisdom, that we will seek out discernment and insights, and that we will boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In doing so, we will establish the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to “Live Long and Prosper.”

My journal and podcast will not necessarily be focused toward others who share my life of faith as a Christ follower. However, my foundation for seeking wisdom has certainly been strongly influenced by the wisdom that is contained within God’s Word and especially the book of Proverbs. Within the Wisdom-Trek portal, I also have a separate blog on the Book of Proverbs if you are interested. Regardless of your personal spiritual leanings, there is a great deal of wisdom contained in the Scriptures that are applicable to everyone’s lives. If this wisdom is followed, it will result in a rich and full life in all areas.

There are many additional areas that we will explore in our pursuit of wisdom. I will bring in many life experiences (my own and many others) that have influenced me on my Wisdom-Trek. We will also glean the wisdom of many leaders and mentors that have impacted my journey through the mountains and valleys of life. Life’s lessons are not always easy, but if we can learn and grow from them, then those lessons are good lessons. This is how we gain wisdom.

To better prepare for, and understand this journey that we are about to embark on together, let us first look at the dictionary meaning of both the words “wisdom” and “trek“:

Wisdom (n) the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight

Trek (v) to travel or migrate, especially slowly or with difficulty

Based on these definitions, we will pursue actions and decisions that are true and right, with discernment and insight. This pursuit will be slow and at times difficult, but that does not mean that our journey will be without joy and abundance in all areas of life – those are choices that we must make each day.

The more that we pursue wisdom the more we will realize that the important matters of life are not in what we have in material blessings, but the blessings that we have in positively impacting the lives of others. There is nothing wrong with financial success at all, for it is the tool whereby we can impact other lives to a greater magnitude, but financial success must always remain as a tool. Think about money as our backpack on our trek. It can provide us, and others sustenance, tools, shelter, and protection. Indeed on our Wisdom-Trek, we will enjoy our journey as we live each day with the true abundance that makes life worth living.

Each day we will climb to new heights as we look at a different topic of life, which will help to us to gain insights of the wise. As we grow slowly we will make incremental progress in living a disciplined and successful life. This will allow us to do what is right, just, and fair in every area of life. Some days we may just sit at camp and ponder the lessons that we have learned. It is my hope as your guide, as we trek together, or sit around camp, that you will also share stories and insights in the comment section of our podcast/journal. Think of the comments as our “Trek Journal” as we traverse life together.

There is a definite path to gaining wisdom. It is not a mystery, and it is available to anyone who chooses. It is important to have a good navigation system and guide, which I hope to assist with. Life is, at times, hard. The trek may be slow and difficult, but the reward of gaining wisdom and insight is greater than any amount of material gain. We do need to tune our ears to listen for wisdom and concentrate on understanding. We need to cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. If we search for them as we would silver and seek for them like hidden treasures, then we will gain the insights of the wise.

Together we can climb Wisdom’s mountain to reach new heights and to see more clearly lands an places that may not be visible to us now. One crucial point is that we should never trek alone. No one would ever attempt scaling Mt. Everest alone, for it would be certain death. It takes a trained and experienced guide along with the teamwork of each person to reach the summit.

In the same manner let us take our Wisdom-Trek together. Yes I will be a guide on our journey, but each one of us will work together to create a legacy of wisdom that can be passed on to others that we impact. This impact will not only shape our world, but indeed the entire world as more individuals join our trek. Share the news with everyone you know, invite them to join us, the rewards will be grand. Throughout each day’s trek, I will endeavor to share information and tools that will help us along our way.

I would be honored if you would take the time to visit iTunes or the site that you are using to access Wisdom-Trek and subscribe so that it will be available for you each day. Please leave us a rating on each episode and spread the word to everyone you know to join us on our Wisdom-Trek. Thank You!

As we journey on our adventure, I would count it a privilege to assist in any manner. Let’s chat in the comments, ask questions, offer suggestions, share with our crew, and let us always remember to “Enjoy the Journey!”

Your Guide to Wisdom, Guthrie

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