Wisdom-Trek ©

Creating a Legacy ™

Study to Show Yourself Approved

by Leave a Comment

There are so many benefits to our lives if we are willing to invest time into ourselves and the studies it requires for improving in all areas of life. It is unfortunate that a high percentage of people  never read or study a book the remainder of their lives upon graduation from high school or college. With the rapid changes in technology and global growth, if you are not willing to invest in yourself, you will soon be left behind with limited skills and abilities. In this Wisdom Note, let us explore the many benefits of continual study and improvement.

When I refer to books in today’s notes I am referring to physical, electronic, and audiobooks as well as any other types of online or offline articles and courses. All of the books that you will ever need to make you as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated, and as successful as you want to be have already been written. They will provide you with the rich and satisfying life that is written of in John 10:10. Always keep in mind that when Scripture refers to a rich and satisfying life, it has little to do with material wealth although that could be a facet of it if we keep it in proper perspective.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, and people who have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that you might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered their wisdom and experience so that you can be inspired and instructed by it and allow it to amend your philosophy. Their contributions enable you to change the trails of life that you hike based upon their experiences. They have handed you the gift of their insights so that you can change your plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. You can rearrange your lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that you might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change your lives, your fortunes, your relationships, your health, your children, and your careers for the better, how many books have you read? With a plethora of information at your finger tips at little or no cost, there are no excuses.

Why do we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but nourish the cause? How do we explain the fact that only a small percent of our entire world population that have access to libraries or the internet actually spend the time improving themselves through self-study? The opportunity is there for us to access all of the answers to success, happiness, and knowledge we could ever want. Those who wish for a better life cannot permit themselves to miss the books and other materials that could have a major impact on how their lives turn out. The books you don’t study will not help you!

The issue is not that books and study materials are too expensive! If you conclude that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until you must pay the price for not buying it. Wait until you receive the bill for continued and prolonged ignorance.

There is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed limitations they have placed on their reading/studying skills and their reading/studying habits. There is a multitude of offline and online classes being taught continually on many topics, including how to be a good reader. There are thousands of books online or on the shelves of the public libraries just waiting to be read. Most will not cost you anything, except an investment of time. Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. You must not permit anything to stand between you and the books and study materials that could change your life.

A little reading or studying each day will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period of time. But if you fail to set aside the time, if you fail to read or listen to the books, if you fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly move in to fill the void. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is just ignorant. There is an enormous cost in remaining ignorant – a cost much higher than we will ever pay for wisdom and knowledge. There are no excuses.

If you seek a better life, you must first become a better person. You must continually seek after self-mastery for the purpose of developing a balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the dictates of that philosophy. The habit of reading/studying is a major stepping-stone in the development of a sound spiritual, emotional, physical, and philosophical foundation. And in my opinion, it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of success and happiness.

As a Christ follower, I firmly believe that the foundation of wisdom and knowledge comes from the Bible, and it will serve you very well to include it in your study time. As is written in Joshua 1:8, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

How to Achieve Greater Results

by Leave a Comment

In today’s Wisdom Note, I will ask you, “Why do some people seem to have the ability to get things done — to get results — while others seem to continually spin their wheels?” This is an interesting point to ponder. Clearly, we all have the same amount of time each day. We all have skills and abilities in certain areas. We all have the potential to achieve in our lives in some area.

As we study individuals who seem to achieve more than an average person, there are some common traits that reveal themselves. So, the question arises, “How can you become a high-achiever?” If we desire to be high-achievers, then we need to emulate, not duplicate, those individuals who are. The result-getters have three common qualities or traits: great self-talk, great alliances, and great ability. The complexity of these three traits is part of the mix.

1. Great Self-Talk

Great self-talk is driven by a number of factors including:

  • Your personal experiences – positive and negative
  • Your environment
  • Your personal goals
  • The price that you are willing to pay for your success
  • Your personal desire to continually improve
  • Your minimal concern for what others say about you
  • The love that you have for yourself

Together these factors will create in you something that most of us would identify as passion.

The question is, though, “Can passion or drive be taught or acquired, or does it have to be innate?” Many believe that you have to be born with passion. I, on the contrary, do not believe this. There are too many examples today of people who are fanatical and passionate after they have become involved in an organization or movement.

Even the conversion experience within a religious organization shows that one can become passionate about his or her cause. This is proof to me that passion can be taught or learned. If you are not enjoying the results you need or desire, positive self-talk is the first step toward results. What the mind dwells on, the body acts on. Positive self-talk will lead to positivity in your life. Negative self-talk will lead to negativity. Keep in mind, what the mind dwells on, the body acts on.

2. Great Alliances

Great alliances appear in many forms: camaraderie, friendship, partnership, networks, collaborative activities, mastermind groups, and mentorships, depending on the situation. The relationships you enjoy will affect your self-talk and also your abilities. Great alliance relationships are the glue between the first and third steps to results.

Building great relationships comes naturally to some people; however, it is a skill that can also be taught and learned. Some individuals are more naturally shy, so building great relationships may be more difficult, but not impossible. In fact, if you are shy, you will probably build stronger relationships, but maybe with fewer people. You must develop the skills to seek out and establish positive, mutually beneficial relationships.

3. Great Ability

Great ability is more than the sum of one’s God-given talents. Ability is the collective body of your knowledge, skills, experiences, and talent synthesized through your self-talk. The relationships you build greatly affect your ability.

Your abilities come from your practical knowledge and experiences. No one ever knew how to drive a car upon leaving the womb. Similarly, few people knew how to effectively achieve abundant and positive results when they were in third grade. These skills were taught to them. Ability comes from gained knowledge, and skills are achieved as you teach yourself, talk positively to yourself, and form positive relationships with others — paid or reciprocal or through trial and error. Trial and error is costly and time-consuming. It is better to prepare ahead of time.

You can be a person of influence, a person of results. As a Christ follower, I know that if I do what I am capable of, then God will provide me with what I am not capable of.

Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Now that we have briefly looked at some common traits of individuals that consistently achieve high-performance results, let’s look at five practical tips that will have positive results instead of excuses for our daily trek.

· Right Things

Be accountable for doing the right things. This means the ethical execution of the activities that will actually support the goals you have chosen for yourself. For instance, if you are managing a team or leading a group or your family, you must model this skill by doing the right things yourself. You must then empower each person you are impacting to identify his or her own right things, and you must be willing to communicate about what’s working and what isn’t in an open, transparent way at all times.

· New Opportunities

Be accountable for managing your new opportunities. This means being willing to step away from things that are comfortable for you to make room for something that may be better. Yes, this is a risk, but it’s one that successful, results-driven people take because the return can be positive overall. Managing your opportunities takes time and practice. Sticking with old habits causes you to repeat many behaviors and initiatives that aren’t what you really want.

· Process

Be accountable for yourself when you hit an obstacle. It is inevitable that you will encounter adversity and setbacks when you pursue your goals. The question is “How will the adversities and setbacks affect you?” Will they keep you from making creative new approaches to attain your goal?

· Expectations

Be accountable for establishing the right expectations. The targets you set for yourself will have a huge impact on your actual achievement. How will you set the targets for yourself and those you impact? Will you set them based on old habits or what is possible? Will you set them too high, too low, or in the ideal zone where the goal is a healthy stretch?

· Relationships

Be accountable for your relationships and your contributions to them. The human touch in any relationship is the “lubricant” that makes communication possible and empowers individuals, groups, and organizations to accomplish great things. Without accountability for supporting and contributing to the relationship, there can be no true leadership, no effective implementation, and no result unless you are accountable for results.

So you need to “keep on keeping on,” as is referred to in Hebrews 10:35-36, “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”