Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 143 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Shaped by the Language We Use 

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 143 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. Today we will explore the subtlety of language, or in other words, being careful of the words that we use when we speak. 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. We are headlong into our workweek with much to do before returning to Marietta on Friday in preparation for a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85^th birthday on Sunday. We will be in Marietta for about a week and then will head south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as Paula and I are going on a business cruise the first week of November. I will need to create and record our daily Wisdom-Trek episodes ahead of time since I won’t have the opportunity to do so while on the cruise, so I have a challenging few days ahead of me.

Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we will discuss how what we say and how we say it can have a major impact on our lives. Our time of discovery for today will focus on:

The Subtlety Of Language

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course makes a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference is even in how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don’t want and to start saying what you do want. In some aspects, I call that faith or confidence – believing the best, hoping for the best, and moving toward the best.

A few examples could be instead of saying “What if somebody doesn’t respond to me?” start saying, “What if they do respond?”

Instead of saying “What if someone says no?” say, “What if they say yes?” Instead of “What if they start and quit?” say, “What if they start and stay?” Or instead of “What if it doesn’t work out?” you say, “What if it does work out?” And the list goes on and on.

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want, then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And, sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.

Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. As an example, a teenager says to a parent, “I need $50.” And if the parent learns to say, “No comprende. That kind of language doesn’t work here. We have the money to give, but that’s not how you get $50,” then he teaches the teenager to ask, “How can I earn $50?”

That is the magic of words. There is money available here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. If you just learn the philosophy of asking “How can I earn $50?” you can get everything you’d possibly want.

You can’t go to the soil and say, “Give me a harvest.”  You know the soil smiles and says, “Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed?” Instead if you said to the soil, “I’ve got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?” Then the soil says, “No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep, and I’ll be working while you’re sleeping.”

If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It’s like an investment account instead of a savings account. It’s simple language, but it’s so important. It is easy to stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. If you don’t learn them, though, then you have to put up with the lack and the challenges that don’t work out simply from not reading the proper books, not listening to the proper training like this podcast, not sitting in the class, and not studying the principles that will change your life. Does your language limit you so that you are not willing to search for the information and find the resources you require?

In order to obtain resources, information, or relationships, you must take continual action. You cannot obtain without putting forth the effort. It is the principle of planting and harvesting. A farmer cannot go to the land and say, “I planted last year, so produce for me a crop again this year.” That is not how life works.  Luke 11:9-10 gives us the pattern, ⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Results follow actions.

If you don’t like where you are in life today or if you desire changes in your life, here is the great news. You can start this change process anytime. For me, I started to put the principles for success into practice early in my adult life. We have had our share of steep uphill climbs, times of trials where we lost nearly everything, as well as times of bounty as we continued to apply the principles for success.

If you don't like where you are today, you can start the change process anytime.

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In my experience, it takes about seven years to go from a place of desperation to complete freedom. I call this my “Seven-Year Price.” It may be a different timeline for you, but it will take time.  There is no elevator to the top. It is one step at a time, and the stairs are usually very steep.

You might say, “What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind of magic had to happen? Was it you?” And I say, “No. Any person of any age and any status in life has the capability to succeed. Any seven years – 25 to 32, 50 to 57 – work. The starting point is not the issue if you truly desire to change in your life.  Whether it is seven years, a few more, or a few less, the number of years depends on you. You must be willing and embark on an intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, and application curve to learn the disciplines and principles.

Now, it might not take the same amount of time, but the changes and the rewards in some fashion are available for those who are willing to pay that “Seven-Year Price.”  You will find in addition to the time and effort that you invest, your language can have a great impact on your attitude, actions and results. The subtlety of language is so crucial. Self-talk will program your brain to achieve what you tell yourself you are capable of.  That can be very little, or it can be much. The choice is yours.

Self-talk will program your brain to achieve what you tell yourself you are capable of.

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On our Trek today, we considered that making subtle changes in how we talk and think can have a major impact on the outcomes of our lives. We have so much to learn and apply yet, so join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will explore nine nuggets that are more valuable than money.

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:

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!