Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 146 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
The Benefits of Study
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 146 of our Trek. Yesterday we learned how to become a miracle worker. Today we want to explore the value of study and the high cost for ignorance. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. But this episode will air on Saturday, and we will be back at The Big House by then, cleaning and getting ready for Dad’s birthday celebration on Sunday. One blessing that we experience driving between North Carolina and Ohio as much as we do is to see the mountains along our drive as the leaves in the fall are changing colors. It certainly makes the drive more enjoyable.
As we head out on our Trek today, it is important to understand and realize the importance of studying the trail guide and learning as much as possible before we begin our Trek each day. In the same way, we need to be continuously improving ourselves by reading books, listening to podcasts, and putting what we learn into practice. Regardless of your economic situation, if you have access to a library or the internet, there is no excuse to remain ignorant on any subject matter that may be important to you. Even if you do not have a particular interest in a subject, anything that you learn can bring value to your life. The more you learn the greater your net worth and self-worth will become. Knowledge does not equate directly to the wisdom that we pursue each day, but when kept in the proper perspective, the more knowledge that you gain should allow you to understand how valuable wisdom really is in your life.
Study To Show Yourself Approved
When I refer to books today, I am referring to physical or electronic books and 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 by it and instructed by it and so that you can amend your philosophy by it. 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 we read?
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 internet access 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 the 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 are 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 every 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.”
On our Trek today, we discovered the high cost of ignorance and the benefits of study. There is always more we can learn, so let’s get started today and then continue on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy when we will learn how to face the enemies within.
That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.
The journal for today’s Trek can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com. 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!