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Life Is Like Eating Humble Pie

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The adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in my blood, and two topics I am passionate about are success and failure, more specifically gaining the proper wisdom from both. In this Wisdom Note, we want to discover and understand that every trail, whether it is success or failure, will always come to an end. It is up to us to be prepared for both trails.

Whether it is an entrepreneur who thinks he is his own boss, a person who works for someone else, or one of the highest callings of all, a mom or dad who has the privilege of staying at home focused on their children, the outcome of their stories is all too common…After years of hard work pouring their lives into their calling, the trail of life takes an unexpected and seemingly disastrous turn.

So often when we experience success in any area of life, we start taking credit for it and feel our success was based solely on what we did. We push aside colleagues who’ve helped us achieve success. We abandon the values and principles that have made us successful. We start making decisions and choices that are unwise.

We may also start believing that because we are successful in one area of life, we become experts in everything. It is true that not everyone treats success the same. Some people who achieve success remain humble, never forgetting who they are and from whence they came. Many, though, don’t remain humble. On this trek, let us learn how to stay off the trail of pride and ego and eat these 12 tiny pieces of humble pie.

1. Success is temporary, but so is failure.

Success is a journey, not a destination. When you become successful, don’t rest on your laurels. As soon as you take your eye off the ball, you risk losing your edge.

2. Stop feeding your ego, and it will die.

Don’t isolate yourself from reality by building relationships with people who stroke your ego. Surrounding yourself with “yes people” is just like talking to yourself.

3. Compete against yourself, not others.

When you compete against others, it’s easy to emphasize winning over self-improvement. However, when you compete against yourself, you both win. Become a better you, not a replica of someone else.

4. Even experts have room to learn.

Never stop growing. Never stop learning. Know your limitations and admit when you don’t know something. It’ll help keep you grounded.

5. Listen intentionally.

Discover what others have to offer and ask for their opinions before opening your mouth. This act shows that you value their opinions as well as their insight.

6. No one’s perfect, especially you.

Don’t let success go to your head. Be quick to apologize for your mistakes. You’ll never learn anything or impress anyone by making excuses and diverting blame. And, a little humility will remind you that you’re human.

7. Share your success, and it will multiply.

You may be successful, but there’s a good chance others helped you along the way. Find creative ways to share the credit and pull people up the ladder of success along with you.

8. Remember your roots. That is where nutrients come from.

Remember where you came from and what you’ve learned along the way. Help others by mentoring them.

9. Get off your high horse.

Treat everyone with dignity and respect. You may be successful, but that doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

10. Bragging makes you ugly.

There’s a difference between excitement and bragging. We know you’re thrilled about your new “toy,” but others may be cutting back on their basic needs — be sensitive. As John Wooden said, “Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

11. Be worthy of trust.

Money and success can’t buy a person’s trust or guarantee a good reputation. You earn these through your words AND actions. There’s nothing more valuable in life than integrity. Trust me.

12. Stay humble.

Many of us come from humble beginnings. We make something of ourselves through the pursuit of knowledge, integrity, hard work, and a bit of good fortune. By God’s grace you can enjoy the fruit of your success, but just like actual fruit, if you have more than you can consume, share it with others before it spoils you.

As is written in the letter from James 4:5-7, “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

So, don’t let success go to your head. Be humble. Humility is a sign of strength, not weakness. People with humility possess an inner peace. They’re modest about their achievements, grounded in their values, and have nothing to prove to others. They’re down to earth, comfortable in their own skin, and quietly satisfied with their life. As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

In this note, we have learned how life is like eating humble pie. Use it to become a more excellent individual.

Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee

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As we start on our trek today, picture with me sitting around a campfire sipping on a large mug of coffee. We hear the crackling of the firewood and watch the smoke wisp into the air until is no longer visible. The flames mesmerize us as they continually dance, reaching for the sky. As I sip another drink from my coffee it brings to mind how life is like brewing a good pot of coffee.

Each day of your life is part of your story. Just like the coffee we are drinking, life is fluid with people and events moving around us, much like the coffee swirls around in our mugs. You don’t know with certainty how your story will end, but the choices that you make each day and the attitude that you keep will certainly impact the outcome of your story. Today let us learn how to both create a great pot of coffee and how to create a great life story.

1. Buy fresh beans.

Always fill your life with fresh, pertinent learning and information. Don’t allow your knowledge and significance to become stale and outdated. You need to invest in yourself by improving your body, mind, and soul.

2. Keep coffee beans fresh.

Keep yourself relevant. Once you invest in self-improvement in any or all areas of life, continue using this information. Don’t stop improving. If it is knowledge, continue to stay fresh by updating yourself as it changes. If it is eating wholesome foods, don’t fall back into unhealthy habits. If it is exercise, continue to exercise regularly. If it is spiritual study and mediation, continue to learn. Stay fresh.

3. Choose good coffee.

Invest in good books and audio study programs, wholesome foods, good exercise equipment, and sound meditation and Bible study materials from wise individuals that live by what they teach. Choose quality over quantity.

4. Grind your own coffee.

Think and do for yourself. Don’t take shortcuts just for the sake of convenience. Don’t just take someone else’s conclusion as always right and true. Always compare it to what you know to be right and wise. Especially compare what you are learning with what the Bible says is correct. Using mentors is wise, but make sure you are using wise mentors. In eating and exercising, take the time to prepare properly for the maximum benefit. The church in Berea was commended for this in Acts 17:11, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”

5. Use good water.

Even with good coffee beans, the flavor is best when it is brewed with filtered, purified water. Make sure that in all areas of life you are supplementing with pure thoughts and motives. As Zig Ziglar would say, “We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’ which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.” Always purify your thoughts for maximum benefit.

6. Avoid cheap filters.

Related to Rule #5, make sure you are using good filters in your life to avoid hampering your progress. I am not a proponent of watching or listening to most media outlets today. Regardless if they are conservative or liberal, they primarily spew sensational vomit at you to get you wound up and coming back for more. It is so easy to get worked up about those issues we have little or no control over. It will warp your mind, and take your focus off what is really important in life. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi Chapter 4 verses 8-9, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

7. Don’t skimp on the coffee.

When you are consuming what is good for you in body, mind, and soul, don’t skimp by thinking that there won’t be enough to last. Have an abundance mindset, not a scarcity mindset. I am not referring to money here but true wealth in all areas of life. Enjoy that which is good. In Jesus’s parable about the seed and various types of soil, He tells us about the good soil in Luke 8:15 saying, “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Be good soil, so you will produce a huge harvest.

8. Beware of the heat.

To brew an excellent cup of coffee, the water cannot be too cool nor should it be too hot. The ideal temperature for good coffee is 190°- 200°. In the same way, we will be at our best when we have some “heat and pressure” on us to succeed, but too much becomes detrimental and can damage us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Make sure that you keep in the correct heat zone for you, which may vary for different people.

9. Keep your equipment clean.

Stay pure and full of integrity. Don’t allow the temptations for shortcuts in life to damage you. You will only perform at your peak when you don’t have any baggage that is dragging you down, as it indicates in these verses.

Psalms 119:1, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”

Proverbs 2:7, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

In this note, we have learned the best way to brew an excellent pot of coffee and also learned how to become a more excellent individual. Use these tips to move forward into confidence and success in your life.

Life Is Like Hiking in the Woods

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As we start this Wisdom Note, let us think about some of the small blessings that we experience when we are able to be outdoors hiking and allow that to remind us to be thankful for the small blessings that we experience each day on our trek of life. As we hike through the woods today, visualize and enjoy feeling the soft earth on the path, the crackling of dry twigs under your feet, having your mind blown by the perfect sunset, and feeling the humbling exhaustion of a day’s hike as you finally approach a long-awaited summit.

Hiking on a trail is a powerful, active force that teaches important life lessons. The trails, like life, have an undeniable ability to drive home simple but often overlooked truths as you trek into wild forests, persevere through mountains and rocky coastal paths, and venture out of your comfort zone.

Here are 10 truths I have come across for how life is like hiking through the woods.

1. Slowing down is important.

As you travel through life, you need to experience what it means to follow a path for the love of the journey and not in a mad rush to get to the destination, or you will miss out on life’s simple pleasures.

Hiking teaches you to slow down, observe the world around you, and listen to your body. When your feet can no longer trudge the path ahead, you learn the power of slowing down and gain a new appreciation by realizing that not every path will take you where you intended.

2. Perseverance pays.

Life is like a long hiking trail in various ways. Far too often, we give up on our hopes and dreams, overcome by dejection or disappointment. On the trail, you learn that as long as you put one foot in front of the other, you’re getting somewhere. “Keep moving forward” is a simple lesson, and when it’s applied to other aspects of life, it can produce major results. That crazy dream of yours that no one else believes in can come true if you just persevere and keep walking toward it.

3. Nature is powerful and teaches humility.

If you’re suffering from an inflated ego or far too much vanity in your life, take a long hike. God’s creation is a raw force, unfettered and unforgiving, that can take your breath away with the magnificence of a landscape or bring you to your knees with the ruthlessness of a freak storm. In the mountains, where the weather changes without warning and the vistas of river valleys get more rewarding the higher you get, a hike is a thorough lesson in humility and respect for those situations that are outside of your control.

4. Solitude can be inspiring.

On the trail and in the midst of nature, you get a chance to filter through all the noise of people, social media updates, and smartphone notifications. You are able to just be yourself in your simplest form. You’re no longer the sum of a bunch of expectations. Instead, you’re free to choose your path and follow it. A hike gives you the rare opportunity to clear your head of all the clutter. It gives you a blank slate for your creativity to doodle genius ideas on. A lot of hikers say trekking feels therapeutic, leaving you inspired and replenished with the energies to cope with life’s challenges.

5. You’ll cross that bridge when you come to it.

You go through life spending so much time worrying about the known and the unknown, letting your enthusiasm and passions fade away. You focus on things you have zero control over, and sometimes this frantic life-planning stops you from taking the next step in the direction of your dreams. On a forest trail, it’s not uncommon to come across a river you didn’t know about, a rickety wooden bridge or a line of stones across a gushing stream you didn’t expect. You wade through it, or you nimbly cross over to the other side because going back to where you started is not an option. It never is, even in life. If you begin each day with this attitude, you’ll never stop yourself from taking risks by worrying about the consequences.

6. To truly appreciate life, you must pay attention.

The true satisfaction of a beautiful hike lies in the journey itself. It’s in the burnt oranges of fire lilies along the trail, the white foam that hugs the sand on the side of a river, the birdsong that’s way sweeter than the voices in your head, and the colorful leaves of a crisp fall morning. You will miss these precious details if you aren’t paying attention. Hiking teaches you to look at the world and life itself with the curious and observant eyes of a child so you don’t miss the little joys.

7. Home is a feeling, not a place.

Serious hikers are most at home on the trail and in the tranquil refuge of the woods, moving toward the next milestone, river crossing, or glen. The feeling of home comes from the ability to be yourself: focused, attentive, content, and completely alive in the moment. This kind of contentment is what defines home and is not necessarily available to everyone who is stagnant.

8. Unexpected turns can lead to life-changing moments.

You’re hiking along the marked trail, and you see a narrow path shooting off to the side. It’s the less trodden path that stirs up your curiosity, and before you know it, you’ve ventured onto it. These unexpected detours can bring some of the most wonderful blessings into our lives. The point is you’re more likely to experience life-changing moments and epiphanies if you’re open to taking risks and venturing off the beaten path, which is something you do naturally as a hiker.

9. Kindness and gratitude are powerful.

Even the most experienced and prepared hikers can get lost or caught up in a sudden shower. They discover the true meaning of gratitude when they encounter the warm kindness of a total stranger. From a hand-drawn map or a warm meal to a roof over their head for the night, there’s no scarcity of kindness in the world. Kindness and gratitude go hand in hand, and appreciating their value makes life’s journey more beautiful.

10. In the end, it’s always worth it.

You’ll never get to see the awe-inspiring view from the top if you don’t walk the many difficult miles to get there. This includes taking the wrong turn, running out of water, sleeping under the stars, or pushing past your fear of heights. We are the sum of our life choices, dreams, aspirations, mistakes, and the risks we take to get where we want to be. We might not always make the best decisions, and things won’t always go as we plan. But in the end, it’s all worth it. If it doesn’t feel like that, it probably isn’t the end.

Let us give thanks to God for his wonders that we experience each day, as is written in Psalm 40:5, “O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”

Until our next trek, think about how life is like hiking in the woods, so many wonders along our journey. Let us take time to enjoy life each day, and not miss those unexpected blessings.

Life Is Like a River

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I have often stated that I will live to 125, and I am not sure that is even enough time to get everything done I would like to do in life. While I do have many hectic and stressful days, I am grateful to be busy. Even during our hectic lives, we need to set time aside to meditate and refocus on what is most important in life. We need to stop and rest. We need to invest the time to nourish our souls, minds, and bodies. We need to sit beside the streams of life before they become raging rivers. In this Wisdom Note, let us consider how life is like a river.

All rivers start as a few drops of rain. In comparison, our birth is like the formation of a spring on a hillside, which has gathered its water from the rain or snow-melt trickling off the mountain slopes.

As a child grows from an infant to toddler and begins to jabber, so is the babbling of a brook as it gains both volume and intensity. Before long, the child is growing and gaining traits that he will carry throughout his life. The brook expands into a creek with more of a defined course that it follows, leaving its mark everywhere it flows.

As our children grow into their teen years they begin to show their independence from their youth, and they seem to be always on the go. In the same way, the creeks come together to form the rivers that cascade over rocks and trees, forming rushing waters and rapids that are difficult to navigate. Like these streams and rivers, they encounter obstacles and challenges but learn to overcome these obstacles by wearing them down or finding a path around or through them.

Even as we grow into adults, at times there are massive floods, huge waterfalls, and raging rapids. We also learn that there are the periods of smooth and peaceful flow. The observation to be made is that the flow never stops but continues on.

Our lives flow from bend to bend. We do not always know what we will find around the next curve. Some tumbles may result as the water crashes against obstacles. As with our lives, the river changes its course but continues on. Some of the blockages with which we meet hold us back until we build up enough force behind ourselves to break through and continue on.

At times our lives even include sudden let downs and seeming tragedies, but even in those times, we have the opportunity to create impressive waterfalls as we cascade over a cliff. Maybe you have already had a Niagara of an experience. I know in our lives we have experienced the falls. If you have also, then you know firsthand that the life of a river does not end at the bottom of the fall. The river instead swirls itself together again and continues on—now on a different level than before, a level even closer to sea level, which has been its goal all along.

You are closer to your destination after having had a spill, so count those times as blessings and move on. The falls will remain there, in your past, ceaselessly active, but you will have flowed downstream, out of sight and hearing of it. Knowing that you can’t go back to it, you are wise enough to leave it behind you as you flow onward toward your destiny.

Eventually, we, as rivers, carve wide valleys of maturity in our senior years after which may come meanders that sometimes run back upon themselves nearly full circle. In those meandering times, we may wonder why our lives have to double back to learn lessons again, but learn we do, allowing us to flow onward. Just as the rivers deepen and become still, we know that as we gain deep wisdom in our lives, our spirits become peaceful and still within us.

Then, we become mellow in anticipation of our approach to the delta to greet the waters of the sea. There, the fresh and salty blend as the original snow-melt melds into the sea. Is this where the river ends? No, it does not. The droplets of an impact that you have made on your journey are transported back to the formation of the initial spring as the journey begins anew through the lives of future generations. Our lives are like a river that flows through us, not a reservoir accumulating life for ourselves. The living legacy that we create each day should flow into others so that their journeys through life will be rich and satisfying because of what flows through us.

From the creation of humans in the Garden of Eden, rivers were the source of nourishment and life, as is described in Genesis 2:10, “A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.” In the same way, we should desire God as David wrote in Psalms 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

Now, think about how many parallels you can find between a river and your life. And let us be mindful to invest our time wisely on our trek of life and keep moving forward each day.

Life Is Like a Clock

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In this Wisdom Note, we want to consider the concept of time. Before setting out on a long hike or trip of any kind, you will usually calculate how far you will be able to travel each day if everything goes according to plan. So much of what we do in our lives is controlled by time. In fact, life is like a clock in so many ways.

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

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

Life Is Measured in Quarters

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

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

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

The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the church in Ephesus Chapter 5 verses 15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

Life Is Broken Into Seconds, Minutes, and Hours

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

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

As Jesus’s half-brother James wrote in his letter to the dispersed Hebrew nation in James 4:13-17, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog — it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise, you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

And for further inspiration, consider this poem about the clock of life.

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one’s health is more,
To lose one’s soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.
The present only is our own,
So live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in “Tomorrow,”
For the Clock may then be still.”
― Robert H. Smith

This week we are reminded that life is like a clock. Let us be mindful to invest our time wisely on our trek of life and keep moving forward each day.