Day 311 –The Trail of Hardship

April 6, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 311 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Trail of Hardship

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 311 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered the 10 Principles for Sustained Success. Don’t forget to apply them as you seek success in any area of life. Even when we are successful, there are days and sometimes even seasons of our life that are difficult. This may be based on our choices, or it could be completely out of our control. Today we will hike that rough trail, which you or someone you know, may be on at this moment which is the Trail of Hardship.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We do have a fairly open schedule this week without a lot of outside activities or extra demands on our time, so we are hopeful that we will be able to focus on some additional project work that has been delayed. This will include more work on the Wisdom-Trek volumes and Your Life Plan Blueprint.

Since we do have a difficult trail to conquer today, let us set out to look for those resting spots along the way where we can sit and reflect, where we can see that the sun is still shining through the thick growth of the forest, and where we can gain the strength needed to continue on even when the path is scattered with rocks, limbs, washouts, and other obstacles. Today we want to effectively navigate…

The Trail of Hardship

We’ve all had days (and maybe even years) when life just doesn’t seem to be going our way! Paula and I have certainly had our seasons of life where we have had to go through stormy nights and deep valleys. This hasn’t been in our relationship with each other but usually focused on our businesses. During the past 35 years as entrepreneurs, we have personally sacrificed and worked very hard to build our businesses.

We have seen success, but there have been downturns also. We have endured storms that have rushed in where within a short period of time years of labor and sacrifice have been washed away. A couple of times this was because of decisions that we made, which at the time seemed okay, but later proved not to be wise. At other times though, economic situations completely out of our control were the factor. This has certainly given us the insight to make sure we do not judge others that may be struggling, as you never really know what someone else may be going through.

Have you ever been on The Trail of Hardship where there have been long seasons of life when you felt like nothing was working and everything was out of whack? How about those frustrating days when you just can’t seem to get anything accomplished and for every step up the trail you take, you slip back two steps?

In the grand scheme of things, a stressful day doesn’t impact life or eternity all that much, but in those longer seasons of joblessness, sickness, financial stress, marital strain, and other ongoing life events, the stress and frustration can seem overwhelming. I think we can all relate to this in some form or fashion. So the question today is, how do we handle those trails of hardship? On the trail today, we have four rest stops where we can reflect on those challenging seasons of life. Struggles in life are inevitable, but destruction is optional. As a Christ follower, I gain my strength through the promises in God’s Word.

1. Remember that your character should always be stronger than your circumstances.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can always control how we choose to respond. In those moments when I choose to stop complaining and instead give thanks to God for the good in my life, the parts that seem bad start to seem much less significant. Choose to keep a positive attitude and thankful heart regardless of what you’re going through. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

2. Remember that your struggles always lead to strength.

Every difficulty in your life, whether big or small, is something God will use to produce more strength, faith, and perseverance in you if you let Him! All your pain has a purpose. Romans 8:26-28 reminds, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

3. Remember that God’s timing is always perfect.

God’s plans are almost always different from our plans, but His plans are always perfect! Have the patience to wait on His timing instead of forcing your own agenda. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.’”

4. Remember that God will never leave your side.

You may feel like you’re going through this struggle all alone, but from the moment you ask Jesus to bring you into God’s family, He will be by your side to the end. So, never lose hope! Deuteronomy 31:6, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Sometimes our Trail of Hardship is actually our unmet expectations, especially financially. Let us make sure we keep focused on what is eternally important. Regardless of the struggle, we can draw strength from the words written in Hebrews 13:5-6, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

Along our trek for today, we have found four resting spots to give us strength and encouragement when we do find ourselves on the Trail of Hardship. Tomorrow and the next day we will search for the 10 Painfully Obvious Truths that are Soon Forgotten. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

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 to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Day 310 – 10 Principles for Sustained Success

April 5, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 310 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

10 Principles for Sustained Success

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 310 of our trek, and yesterday on our trek, we will discover “5 Tips to Navigate Life’s Transitions.” Today we will dig for nuggets of wisdom as we discover the 10 Principles for Sustained Success.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our work week is starting off strong with the last couple of personal tax returns that we must complete. Our construction project in Mesa, Arizona, is coming along well although there are a lot of details tracking the project on a timely basis. It is our desire as more project ramp up in Arizona that we are able to spend more time on site, but for now, we will continue with most of our work remotely.

As with any major project, it does require a lot of hard work and coordination to be successful. With a construction project you must follow the blueprints for it to be completed successfully. In the same way there are certain God-given principles or laws in life that if followed will lead to a successful outcome. The same is true for a successful trek in life, we must stay on the trail to reach a successful destination. Today we will explore the…

10 Principles for Sustained Success

On life’s daily trek you will run into a number of challenges along your journey. You will likely also run into advice from virtually every person or resource imaginable. I have discovered that no matter what your goals are, what your life’s calling is, or what you are looking to achieve, there are some basic principles that always apply. Here are the 10 that I find most important.

1. You can achieve what you thought was impossible.

Along your journey, chances are you will have plenty of people telling you what you can’t do. In fact, you may be one of the people telling yourself that something is impossible. Aim big, you are capable of achieving just about anything, even what you thought was impossible, no matter what anyone says. There is always an investment of time, talent, and resources to achieve what you desire, so the question you have to settle is to determine if you are willing to make that investment. There is always a price to pay but always believe in yourself and never give up. My years of experience have proven to me we are all capable of achieving more than we think.

2. There will be failures.

We all fail, and chances are you will fail a lot before you find any measure of success. The key to finding the success you seek is not giving up when these failures come around. Pick yourself back up and keep working. It will pay off in the end.

3. Success takes time.

You aren’t going to achieve success overnight. There is no such thing as an overnight success. In fact, you may not see significant progress for a few weeks, a few months, or sometimes even years. Real, sustainable success takes time and it happens slowly.

4. Freedom is the best reward for your investment.

There are many people who become financially successful and do not live a rich and satisfying life. They are slaves to their success, their possessions, and their obligations. Seek true success in life that provides you with the freedom to be able to have choices in life. The more choices you have, the more impact that you have on your world.

5. It’s okay to lose that which is not lasting.

There will be times when circumstances beyond your control will cause you to lose money, possessions, and even status. This is not a reason to quit. One thing that you should never lose is that which is most important. Your experience, your integrity, your positive impact on others through your example are the only things that are truly lasting. You can lose. In fact, you can lose a lot of material items, just don’t lose everything by giving up.

6. Successful individuals control their emotions.

Life can be tough at times. It’s overwhelming, and it’s hard. Never lose control of your emotions. Keep them in check, so a cooler head can always prevail.

7. Never be afraid to admit you are wrong.

You will be wrong at some point or another in your journey. No one is ever right 100 percent of the time. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, and take some risks. They may pay off in the end, or they may not. But, either way, it is OK. You become successful through the experiences you are gaining.

8. Your success depends on you.

The level of success you achieve depends entirely on your individual commitment. As mentioned earlier, to achieve success in any area of life requires that you be willing to make an investment of time, talent, and resources. If you are not reaching the success you think you deserve, chances are you are not committed enough to your goals to make the investment needed.

9. Never stop trying to improve.

You must never stop learning and improving. Even when you think you have achieved a desirable level of success, there is always room to work more, achieve more, and improve more. Stretch and grow so that you can have a greater impact on others as you live your legacy each day.

10. Financial freedom can help make a greater impact.

Financial freedom is a powerful thing, but it is important to remember it shouldn’t only be your end goal. Financial freedom provides us with more choices. Those choices allow us to have the freedom to have a greater impact on our world. No matter where you are from or what you are working on, people all over the globe, want one thing: to love and be loved. Love is the most important thing to share with the world, and financial freedom allows you to provide love and happiness to others in a real way. Work toward financial freedom not so you can buy things but so you can have the time, energy and resources needed to share love and happiness with others and to have a greater impact by spending quality time with those who matter most.

As you seek for, pursue and obtain success in all areas of life keep in perspective what is most important as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:31-34, “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.”

Along our trek for today, we discovered the 10 Principles for Success and what is most important when success is achieved. Tomorrow we will reflect on the four truths when life is difficult. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

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 to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Day 309 – 5 Tips to Navigate Life’s Transitions

April 4, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 309 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

5 Tips to Navigate Life’s Transitions

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 309 of our trek, and yesterday we visited the 6 essential waypoints to live a better life. Today on our trek, we will discover “5 Tips to Navigate Life’s Transitions.”

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are a multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are broadcasting this podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Sunday, we headed back south to our Indian Trail, North Carolina home. We dropped our grandson Kip off at his parents in Charlotte and did our weekly grocery shopping before arriving home. We will be at Home2 for a little less than two weeks before heading back to Marietta in mid-April. There is a transition for us each time as we travel back and forth every month, but we realize that life is full of transitions. And, we are thankful for being able to do the type of work that is location independent.

Thinking about transitions, certain seasons of life brings with it major transitions, and today we will explore the…

5 Tips to Navigate Life’s Transitions

Change is inevitable and at times, those changes come in the form of major life transitions. Sometimes the transitions we face are welcome and joyous, such as graduating, getting married, having a new baby, starting a business, or moving to a new house. We feel excited about the possibilities ahead and look forward to the positive changes these events will bring to our lives.

However, transitions we don’t want or didn’t ask for often come our way as well. Divorce, losing a job, a business failure, sudden illness or injury, and the loss of a loved one are all examples of major transitions that do not initially appear favorable or desired. These changes can leave us feeling understandably angry, anxious, and depressed.

Regardless of the circumstances, navigating any kind of life transition often causes us to feel like a fish out of water. It leaves us in an awkward emotional place that demands us to respond in new ways and possibly even adapt to a different way of life. We often long for the way things used to be. Here are some tips for navigating these unfamiliar times and creating a new “normal.”

1. Acknowledge the Transition

Be honest with yourself about how the transition affects your daily life, old patterns, and routines. When we are unable to rely on our former expectations or daily routines, it can leave us feeling unstable and overwhelmed. Fighting the transitions that occur in our lives can cause greater frustration and keep us from adapting to its new aspects.

2. Expect to Feel

Any life transition, whether wanted or unwanted, leaves us with many conflicting emotions. A new baby is a joyful and exciting addition to life, but can also make new parents feel anxious and overwhelmed until settling into new routines and ways of life with the child.

Feelings of excitement, anxiety, depression, and anger are common when adapting to life transitions. Additionally, it is natural to have feelings of grief and loss as we move forward in life and leave things behind. It’s healthy to feel all of the feelings that occur with any of these transitions. Even so, it’s important to move through these emotions and not get “stuck” in the anger, anxiety, or depression for too long.

3. Listen toYour Body

Navigating any major transition can be stressful and impact us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Make sure to get proper devotional time, rest, nutrition, and exercise; this can be a great way to lay a healthy foundation.

Know when it’s time to take a break, do something fun, or go out with friends. Or, joining a small group Bible study can give us balance when stuck in a place of uncertainty. Having realistic expectations and timeframes for the transitions can serve as a reminder to take it one day at a time.

4. Look for New Opportunities

When it feels like life has been flipped upside down and is no longer recognizable, it is easy to look only at the loss or the negative aspects of the transition. However, these times of transition can also be great opportunities to explore new things in your life.

Times of change are a great chance to meet different people, try new things, use your skills in a unique way, or step back and re-prioritize your life. You may get a new and better job, start a business based on your experience and expertise, or form relationships with new friends. Whatever the case may be, looking for the new opportunities can help the makeover of your life be positive.

5. Get Support

It’s hard to do it all alone. Leaning on others and learning from others can give the moral support you need to feel more grounded and to move on from the transition. Friends, family, church, small group Bible studies, or a professional can help support you during this time of upheaval. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; be specific with what you need and how you can be best supported during this time. If you feel stuck in the loss, anger, anxiety or depression that comes with life transitions, find a pastor, counselor, or other professional who can help you with the emotional and spiritual stress of moving on.

Letting go of the old and embracing the new in life transitions can be hard. At times, it may feel like things will never be normal again. While the circumstances are often different, doing the hard work of letting go and moving on can bring about positive results with time.

Getting support and looking for opportunities in these times can provide us with the ability to grow in previously unimaginable ways. Finally, it’s important to be patient and remember this season of life will not last forever. The transitions we struggle with today eventually will become new routines that will lead to a new “normal.”

In addition to the 5 tips just mentioned, as a Christ follower I feel that ultimately the key to assisting us during the difficult times of transitions is the strength that we can gain from God through His Word, which is summed up in Romans 8:26-30, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

Along our trek for today, we reviewed the 5 tips to navigate life’s transitions. Tomorrow we will discover the 10 Secrets of Sustained Success. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

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 to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Day 308 – 6 Essential Waypoints to Live a Better Life

April 3, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 308 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

6 Essential Waypoints to Live a Better Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 308 of our trek, and yesterday we hiked steep terrain as we traversed the 7 steps to destroy bad habits. Today we will visit the 6 essential waypoints to live a better life.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We finished the week strong with work and projects. We didn’t accomplish all that we had hoped to, but we still accomplished a lot. It was great to be able to invest the additional time with our grandkids this week also. On Saturday, I was able to finish stripping several layers of old paint from a couple of old metal army beds that were Paula’s dad’s and Uncle Don’s when they were growing up. I painted them with a fresh coat of brown Rustoleum, and they will have a couple of weeks to dry while we are back in Charlotte. When we come back to The Big House in mid-April, we will move them into the upstairs back bedroom.

As we head out on our trek for today, we will be on the lookout for…

6 Essential Waypoints to Live a Better Life

I’m living a good life, but I can still do better. We all can. Every day is a series of choices. Today is the culmination of all the choices we’ve made up to this point. It is funny when we act surprised by how life has turned out when we ultimately made the choices that have led to this place. Like I heard an older person once say, “I would have made better choices if I had known I was going to live this long.” Here are the 6 essential waypoints that we can learn from to live a better life.

1. Rest

The Roman poet Ovid once said, “Take a rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

As a culture in the western world, we live at a break-neck speed. We’re going so fast we can’t stop until we crash. The statistical evidence of the negative impact stress is having on us is alarming. Stress is literally killing us:

Stress is the cause of 60% of all human illnesses and disease.
3 out of 4 doctor visits are for stress-related issues.
Stress increases the risk of heart disease (40%), heart attack (25%), and stroke (50%).
40% of stressed people overeat or eat unhealthy foods.
44% of stressed people lose sleep every night.

I could go on, but it’s too depressing. The reality is, none of this is new news. So why do we continue? We need to stop.

You absolutely must rest from your work. Schedule down time into your day where you completely unplug from electronics and all the inputs that bombard you every day. Take time to just be still.

Get enough sleep. Well rested people have better memories and learning ability, better metabolism and weight control, better moods and better cardiovascular systems just to name a few. Sleeping is like hitting the reset button each day. We start fresh every day after a good night sleep.

2. Reflect

Management Guru Peter Drucker said, “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come more effective action.”

Few of us know ourselves the way we should. We are with ourselves all day long, yet we often can’t answer the question of why we do what we do. Or other basic questions like our true purpose and passions in life. Many times we continue doing the same things day in and day out, not getting the results we want, but for the life of us can’t figure out why.

It’s only through reflection that you can ascribe meaning to your experiences. Through reflection, you can better predict what will make you successful in the future. Without it, you continue blindly on your way repeating mistakes, scratching your head, and asking why, yet not taking the time to give a real answer. You can’t live better if you don’t know yourself better.

3. Build stronger, deeper, richer relationships

As Mother Teresa said, “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”

We were created in God’s image to be relational people. Relationships are critical to our well-being. Relationships are the key to living longer, dealing with stress, being healthier, and feeling richer. They also help guard against decreased immune systems, depression, and high blood pressure. With all those advantages, why wouldn’t we want stronger, deeper, richer relationships?

Connect with others on a deeper, more meaningful level. It’s not without risk because to do so you must put yourself out there in an authentic way. However, authenticity breeds authenticity in relationships that are worth cultivating. To live better, invite someone to lunch, dinner, or coffee, somewhere, anywhere to connect. People are worth the investment of time and energy.

4. Forgive

Bernard Meltzer said, “When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future.”

This one can be hard to do. But you remain in a prison of your own making, drinking a poisoned cocktail of bitterness when you live in un-forgiveness. Forgiveness releases you to move on. It doesn’t make the other person right, it just sets you free. Choosing to continue on in un-forgiveness shortens your lifespan and limits your opportunities to have an abundant life.

1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.” So, choose forgiveness.

5. Gratitude

Henry Ward Beecher said, “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”

Do you know what all people have in common that are able to endure seemingly impossible hardships? They’re grateful. Not for their circumstances, but for the good in their lives that they see more clearly against the backdrop of tough times and less than ideal circumstances.

Gratitude is a character trait that must be developed, not just a temporary state of mind. It has many benefits including building your immune system and guarding against the ill-effects of stress. Other side benefits of a grateful attitude are increased happiness and life satisfaction. There really is no downside to it.

Build grateful habits into your life. Each day, begin or end your day writing what you’re thankful for. This sets the stage for a positive day.

6. Get outside of yourself to serve and give to others.

Matthew 6:3-4 tells us, “But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

When you serve and give generously, without expectation of return or profit, your world is enlarged. You become better, live better, and fulfill one of your purposes for being on this earth. Because this life isn’t about you. It’s about your impact on your people, your community, and the world. It is living your legacy daily.

Along our trek for today, we visited the 6 essential waypoints to live a better life. Tomorrow we will explore the 3 crucial trails to survive major transitions on life’s trek. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

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 to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

Day 307 – 7 Steps to Destroy Bad Habits

April 2, 2016 by H. Guthrie Chamberlain, III 1 Comment

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 307 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Steps to Destroy Bad Habits

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 307 of our trek, and yesterday headed to new heights and discovered what it takes to live your dreams. We discovered that we need to commit, plan, and act so that dreams will become reality as part of creating and living our legacy. Today we have some steep terrain to cover as we traverse the 7 steps to destroy bad habits.

Thank you so much for coming along with me each day as we explore and consume these “nuggets of wisdom.” These bits of wisdom help us to live a rich and satisfying life while creating a living legacy. While some of our daily treks are multi-part series, you can join us at any time and start along with us from that point on. If you would like to listen to any of the past episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. You can also subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and Google Play, so each day’s trek will be downloaded to you automatically.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Thursday evening of this week, we were blessed to be able to attend a retirement dinner for a long time employee of one of our clients. Paula made a quilt for him and his wife, which we were able to present to them at the dinner. This employee made it a habit of showing up each day and working hard, and now he can enjoy the fruits of his labor. We form a close relationship with our clients and employees, which is how we like to conduct business. We consider them friends, just as I consider you my friend as you come along on our Wisdom-Trek each day.

As we think about habits, I think we all understand that habits can be good or bad. In order to make room for good habits in our lives, we do need to rid ourselves of the bad habits, so let’ head out for today as we hike our own trail and discover the…

7 Steps to Destroy Bad Habits

Is it simple to destroy bad habits? Certainly not, sometimes it is very hard—but it’s far from impossible if you follow the right action plan.

Ok, let’s admit it, everybody has bad habits. Everybody. Now granted, some people have less than others and some people’s bad habits are more grating than those of others, but we all have them.

What is great is that we don’t have to continue in these habits. We’re all capable of change, so as Captain Picard of Star Trek would say, “Make it so.”

There are two kinds of bad habits: (1.) The ones you know you have but others may not notice and (2.) those you don’t know you have but everybody else is keenly aware of.

How do you get rid of a bad habit if you don’t know you have it? The answer is simple but hard…Ask somebody to be brutally honest with you. You might be afraid of being embarrassed, but would you rather everyone talk behind your back? Get up the courage and ask. Ask somebody who loves you and has your best interest in mind. Be gracious and don’t defend yourself. Just accept it and work on it.

What about the ones we know about? Those are the tough ones. Why? They must be tough if you know about them and yet you still have them. If they weren’t tough, they would be former bad habits.

How do you boot a bad habit out of your life? How can you destroy it and have victory over those bad habits? Here are 7 steps that must be a part of the plan:

1. You have to want them to go.

In truth, some people actually want their bad habits to stick around. So, the first thing is to go deep into the recesses of your heart and ask, “Do I really want to give this up?”

You do? Good. Then on to the next step…

2. Make up a list of all of the reasons you want to quit your bad habits.

Make them positive. Make the list long. Start with the really powerful and dramatic if you need to. Now, memorize the reasons. Put them in your mind.

You are making connections between stopping the bad behavior with what good things you will get from doing so. If you want to lose weight, then picture yourself slim with a lot more energy. If you want to stop smoking, picture your spouse actually kissing you rather than sending you to the bathroom to brush your teeth.

3. Choose to change.

Once you have the information, this comes down to one thing: an act of the will. Choose to destroy those habits that you have identified as bad. Say to yourself throughout the day, I am choosing to destroy ________ habit. Eisenhower rightly said, “The history of free men is written not by chance but by choice, their choice.” Your decision to destroy bad habits is your choice. You can write your own history.

4. Take action.

This is tricky because there are two philosophies about it. One theory is that you must take massive action—you must go all or nothing. Using the weight loss example, this person would go spend $500 to join a gym, rework their schedule, and hit the treadmill every day for a year. They will get rid of all fat in the house. They go all out, and that works for some.

Others would burn out on that, feel like failures, and be worse off than before. They should start out slow, taking baby steps but working diligently toward a planned goal. This person would decide to start walking three days a week. They would decide to limit dessert to two nights a week instead of seven.

Either way is okay as long as you get to the goal eventually. Which one are you?

5. Tell somebody.

This is your accountability partner. Tell them your goal and tell them your plan. Write it down for them, and have them ask you on regular intervals about your progress. This will prove invaluable.

6. Recover from failure.

Inevitably most people will have setbacks. The key is to have them be setbacks and not turn backs. Pick yourself up and get going again. Some people may want to lose 30 pounds and after losing 15, they eat a gallon of ice cream. Then they feel bad and give up. Don’t stop now! Reset your goal for another two weeks, and get going again. Chalk it up to experience! Say to yourself, “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.”

7. Reward yourself.

You should regularly congratulate yourself by rewarding yourself with a gift. Start small with small victories and plan a big one when you are finally and for sure over the habit.

Bad habits are those undesirable actions that we continue to repeat, let us not be foolish by continuing in those habits that are undesirable and harmful, or we will end up like what is described in Proverbs 26:11, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”

Is it that simple? Most of the time, no. Habits are hard to break. Your “why” for destroying that habit must be larger than your desire to keep it. There are so many intangibles that it would be hard to cover them all. But, this is a simple and workable plan that will help you make great strides if you just apply the principles.

Along our trek for today, we have navigated the 7 steps to destroy bad habits. Tomorrow we will explore the 6 essentials for a satisfying life. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

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 to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

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

November 2024
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Nov
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30