Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 332 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

You Always Have Choice #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 332 of our trek. Yesterday and today we are traveling on a trail that presents us with many choices as we consider the topic of why you always have a choice.

Thank you so much for coming along with me on our daily trek through life as we choose to grow in our wisdom, insight, and understanding. 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 from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Monday, we were able to attend the funeral for my Aunt Mary. She was always special to us kids as she and Uncle Bill were at many of our recitals, birthdays, and graduations. They always made time for us and treated us special.  Aunt Mary continued to send us birthday cards every year, and with thirteen nieces, nephews, and spouses that was quite a feat. The choices that she made impacted our lives, and the choices that you make not only impact your own life, but also the lives of many others. If you desire to make an impact and live your legacy each day, it will be based on the choices that you make.

This is the 2^nd day of our hike. Let us reflect on the subject of choices as we consider the topic…

You Always Have a Choice #2

Let’s continue our narrative from yesterday’s hike. If you have not listened to day 331, I would encourage you to do so before continuing on today. At the end of yesterday, I went through the 8 choices that I make every morning before I arrive at my desk, ready to work each day. What if I change choice #2 from getting up at 5:30 am to start my morning routine, and instead, I choose to sleep in until 7:30 am? I would have to grab a quick shower, eat a donut or cereal for breakfast, and then still be at my desk at or around 8 am. But, how would that choice, made on a regular basis, impact my life?

• Physically, I would be less fit because I would not be getting a regular routine of exercise.
• Spiritually, I would be less fit because I would be missing my daily Bible readings and devotional materials.
• Mentally, I would be less fit because I would not be preparing my mind with new and wholesome information each day.
• Nutritionally, I would be less fit, and I would probably gain weight and become less healthy because I am not eating a wholesome breakfast.
• Emotionally, I would be less fit because my body, mind, and soul, which are all integrated, are not receiving their proper nutrients that are needed daily.

This one simple choice to get up at 5:30 am each day and follow through with my morning routine sets the entire day on a proper trail for me. It also allows all other choices, large or small, that I need to make for the day to be done with the proper mindset because I have taken care of myself physically, spiritually, mentally, nutritionally, and emotionally.

Through this simple exercise, you can see that there really are no small choices because the accumulation of small choices adds up to very big consequences, both good and bad.

· Taking Ownership of Your Actions

Sometimes, you may not recognize that you do have a choice because the circumstances are daunting. They overpower you to a state where life looks like it is just a series of constraints, and you don’t see yourself having any power or choice over what you are faced with. It is to be understood that the choices you have available to make today may be constricted because of the choices that you have made in the past. Even with this realization, you also need to understand that tomorrow’s choices will be based on the choices that you are making today. It may require that very difficult choices and sacrifices be made today so that you will have the freedom to make better choices in the future.

You can either react in a helpless manner, which is still your choice, or you can gather your resolve to take action to obtain the outcome you desire. The first scenario will lead you to become a bitter, disjointed, unhappy person who gets a limited experience of life. The second scenario will lead you to live life proactively, making things happen and creating results you want to see. As with all aspects of life, the choice is yours.

Sometimes I hear people complain about how they dislike what they are doing. It seems like a badge of honor with them. I am convinced that some people just enjoy complaining or playing the martyr. Yet when they are asked what choices they are making today so they can have a better tomorrow, they come up with a whole list of reasons to justify why they haven’t been doing anything about their situation. In their mind, they think, “I don’t have a choice.”

To obtain success in any or all areas of life requires that we make wise choices in all areas of life so that our life is in balance. The seven areas of life where we need to make wise choices are Spiritual, Family, Physical/Health, Mind/Intellect, Personal/Social, Financial, and Work/Career.

If you keep thinking you have no choice over your situation, that’s exactly how it’s going to remain. You will always remain powerless over your life circumstances. You will be powerless because you refuse to accept and take responsibility for what you are doing. Your life will not change unless you take ownership of what’s going on in your life through the choices that you make.

When you recognize that your life is your life and everything you do is inherently a choice you make, that’s when a shift will occur in how you behave in your life. Rather than blame the external environment for what you are facing, you take action and become proactive in getting what you want. Rather than feeling victimized by your situation, you will gain power over it, one by one. Things will start shaping themselves into what you want them to be because you are actively working on them.

As we reach our plateau for our two-day trek on choices, here are some questions for us to ponder:

• Is there anything you are doing today that you would like to change but you feel “there is no choice”?
• In these cases, what are the other options you could have taken in the past but didn’t for some reason?
• Do you see that whatever you are doing is actually a choice you made in the face of a previous circumstance?
• Moving forward, what is your proposed plan out of this difficulty?
• What are some immediate steps you can take to start moving toward more desirable choices?

No matter how things may seem, you always have a choice. Only through accepting responsibility for that can you finally progress toward what you want.

Here are a couple of examples of good choices that all of us can make taken from the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 8:10, “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.”

Proverbs 22:1, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.”

Choices, choices, choices – we make them every day.  Some are small choices, some are large choices.  All choices are important, so choose wisely. After stopping on our plateau for today, we will continue on our trek tomorrow and explore a topic closely related to the choices we make which is Why Moral Character Counts. 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 trek 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:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. 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!