Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 193 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Collecting and Connecting the Dots

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 193 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked the “Ink It” Trail where we learned how to “Ink it when we think it.” Today we are going to collect the dots on our trail so that we can connect the dots as we move forward on our trek of life. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I got up this morning at [5:30] as I usually do, I was really tired after a couple of nights of sleep that were way too short and a very busy workday yesterday.  I was dragging a bit and not real enthused about a fast run on the treadmill…but I did push through and started on the first of two 5k maps that were next on my list of pre-programmed runs. As a side note, having Google Maps built into the treadmill through a wireless internet connection is really neat. I went ahead and set out at a fast pace. The front room where the treadmill is located in Home2 faces east, and as I looked out the window, I saw a sliver of moon and to the right of it, the bright and morning star. It was a beautiful picture. (Yes, I do realize that is actually the planet of Venus).

Seeing this was encouraging as I thought of how Christ is referred to as the morning star in 2 Peter 2:19, “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” It certainly made running the remainder of the 10k easier and more enjoyable. I want to encourage you to look for those special moments that are part of each day.  Those moments are happening all around us, so make it a habit to collect them as we see how they connect to our lives.

On today’s Trek, we want to make a habit of collecting the dots in life so that we can connect them to see how God is working through us each day. It is then that we will achieve true success and live the rich and satisfying life that we should. We will call our trek today…

Connecting the Dots

In 2011, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar gave a commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University. He talked about creating passion, life, and death, and “connecting the dots.”  The dots were events in his life, many challenging and many positive, which led to his many successes. He shared with the audience that being fired from Apple Computer, the computer company he founded, he was able to step back and develop the idea for Pixar Animation Studios. By achieving the great success at Pixar, he was eventually asked to come back to lead Apple Computer. This eventually led him to spearhead the launching of one of the most revolutionary products of the 21st century…the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He explained that he felt that he would never have achieved his successes without his failures and setbacks. He was able to connect the dots to see how it all added up.

Here are five reasons why taking the time to connect the dots will give you a roadmap for success in your life.

1. All dots are good.

Many times we face challenges in our lives that when we are in the middle of them they seem difficult, and making us look like and feel like failures.  This is because we are focused on the imagined “downside” of the challenge. We lose focus on the good that can come out of the situation. Even in difficult times, always be looking for something that you can learn from them. A lesson learned is never negative if we apply what we learn to improve ourselves. So remember, all dots are good. It’s the way we look at them that determines whether they will show us a better way or just be black dots in our life with no discernable purpose.

2. Be willing to go to the next dot.

Due to past “negative” experiences, many times we avoid new challenges because we want to feel “safe.”  How many times have you heard the following?

• “I’m never dating again because of my past experiences with…”
• “I don’t want to take on the new project because it is too high profile, and I might fail.”
• “I don’t want the promotion because of what happened the last time…”

If we learn from our past experiences in life, it will make us even better prepared for new opportunities. On our trek of life, if we want to dig for the nuggets of wisdom as if they were gold, then we have to dig through a whole lot of mud to find them. In other words, we all need to experience the dirt under our fingernails and the sweat rolling down our face and back in life to know and appreciate the real opportunities that will help us daily to be creating our living legacy.

3. Accelerate the dots in your life.

It is so easy to trudge along in life making very little progress, but that is not what we were destined for. You can speed the amount of success by continuously learning. Continuously work on improving yourself in every area of your life. Focus on certain areas, and as you start to master those, then move to other areas of your life. As you practice what the Japanese refer to as Kaizen, which is the process of continuous improvement, then you will be prepared to open the windows of opportunity as you come to them.

One of the best ways to learn is by volunteering or being an apprentice to a skilled master. This may not provide immediate monetary gain, but the skills learned will be invaluable. As you learn you are collecting and then connecting the dots of life, and you will accelerate your progress.

4. Collect multiple dots with wisdom.

There are no real shortcuts in life, but we can speed the process of dot collection and connection by gaining wisdom. It is my hope that by listening and learning from the Wisdom-Trek episodes, your progress will speed up. We have heard about people who have “instant” success and then lose it all almost as fast. This happens when those people never acquired the wisdom needed to maintain their success. Take the time necessary to learn from the events in your life, but keep in mind the saying, “Smart people learn from their mistakes; truly wise people learn from other people’s mistakes.”

5. Go forward and connect the dots.

Take time to plan your future events and goals based on your past events. Analyze the positive outcomes from those events and use them to plan for the future. That is the secret to true success. So go forward, motivate yourself, connect the dots, and realize your roadmap to success.

So on our Trek today, we collected and then connected the dots for success. Keep in mind that the quickest way to gain the additional wisdom needed to speed this process can be found in God’s Word in verses like Psalms 119:105,“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” As you continue through each day collecting and connecting your dots, please share  Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we hike Rationalize Mountain.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom 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.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update and special publications from Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

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!