Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 137 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
The 7 Trails to Create Opportunities
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 137 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the six reflection points for life’s transitions. Today we are going to hike the 7 trails of creating opportunities. We cannot sit idly by and wait for opportunities to come to us. We must create opportunities for ourselves and others. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today is as busy as expected, but at least we are a bit more rested than we were yesterday. There are so many opportunities in life to grow and excel if we are looking for them. With today’s technology those opportunities are more prevalent than ever. It does require that we step outside of our comfort zone, but that is what makes life exciting and worth our trek. Unfortunately, I think Thomas Edison was correct when he said,
As we start on our Trek for today, we want to shift our mindset from looking for opportunities to creating opportunities. There may be a fine line here, but if you are looking for opportunities, you are assuming that they are already available. Creating opportunity requires that we assemble the puzzle pieces of our life in order to create the opportunities that we desire. As we create these opportunities, we want to look at the 7 trails that will make a significant impact on our world each day.
As we continue on the trail for today, we pass by a beautiful clear lake nestled in the mountains, and it provides us a time to consider our ability to impact everyone that we meet, either in person or online. In order to create those opportunities we desire, we must be seekers and have an unquenchable hunger to be difference makers. As I throw a huge rock into the lake, we see the ripples extending from it in ever-widening circles. In the same way, as we create opportunities, we will make an impact on our world that will send out never-ending ripples in our ever-widening circles of influence. This will allow us to “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” as Mahatma Gandhi shared.
Some of the points in today’s Wisdom-Trek come from a Ted talk by Kare Anderson who shared this insight,
Honing your greatest talents and skills through your authentic message is the key to successful contributions as an opportunity creator, which will lead you to survive and thrive in the fast-changing world. By making new opportunities through these 7 trails that we are hiking today, you have the capability of achieving immense accomplishments.
There is one caveat, though…To create real opportunities, you must focus on how others will also benefit from the opportunities that you create. None of us live in a vacuum. We must always be looking for ways to help others improve, and in doing so, we will also be creating positive opportunities for ourselves. As we explore these seven trails, I will first ask you a question, “What opportunities can we create together, and how can we accomplish this?”
1. Become an Opportunity Maker for Others
It is essential to become an opportunity maker for others first! Everything else will naturally flow and follow. Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
2. Collaborate & Provide Support
It is a true art to collaborate with people that act, think, and process information differently than we do! That is where true magic takes a place! The most beautifully sung songs are not when everyone is singing the same notes in unison but when each person is singing different notes in harmony. Paul wrote to the church in Romans 12:16, “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
3. Connect with Each Other
Truly and deeply connecting with another person is art. It can happen only when we are fully present, aware, and open, leaving any judgment aside. That is the moment when true greatness enters the room! Luke 6:37-38 puts it this way, 37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
4. Express Appreciation for Others
Appreciation is a simple yet profound concept that when only done genuinely can fully unfold. It will also allow others to appreciate you and all of your efforts more!
As Paul instructed Timothy in his second letter to him in Chapter 2 verse 24, “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.”
5. Share Your Story & Connect with Others
The power of storytelling and sharing will not only assist you in connecting with others but create the safe space for others to share their stories and deep desires and passions. This sharing allows opportunity-making to grow at the speed of light. Jesus was a master storyteller such as this example in Mark 4:1-3, “Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: 3 ‘Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.'”
6. Share Your Best Strengths & Talents
What are your best strengths and talents? This is an excellent starting point to discover and then hone those strengths and talents even further so that each one of us is fully ready to significantly contribute. In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth he describes, the gifts that are given to each of us in Chapter 12 verse 7, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
7. Think Big Ideas & Concepts
The world is indeed very hungry for people with big ideas, innovative minds, and new concepts that can make differences NOW! It is so powerful to observe the energy and synergy of a group of people in action while sharing their common interests and unique perspectives and opportunities. Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus described it in this way in Chapter 3 verses 14 through 16, “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.”
As we have briefly explored these 7 trails on how to create opportunities in our lives and the lives of others, let us journey on and create a legacy – a legacy that matters! Be a legend in your legendary way, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will begin to explore the 11 life changing lessons for life.
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.
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!