Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 335 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Living an Ordinary Life in an Extraordinary Way
Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 335 of our trek. Yesterday we explored how important it is to be living life with purpose. Today we will hike the trail of how to live an ordinary life in an extraordinary way.
Thank you so much for coming along with me on our daily trek through life where we weave the everyday occurrences of life and use it to grow in 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, iHeart Radio, 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 Thursday, we were onsite with one of our local clients assisting with monthly billing. Although we do like the structure and freedom of working primarily with our clients remotely, it is nice to be on site occasionally as it helps to keep the relationship strong. As it is with most relationships that we foster, it is about living everyday life together. It is the routines of life that foster the trust that is so important. Within the routines of our ordinary lives it is sometimes difficult to see how we impact others.
It is important that we do not minimize that impact as all of us have the capacity to be…
Living an Ordinary Life in an Extraordinary Way
There are so many extraordinary stories out there about people who have overcome incredible and unimaginable odds to go on to do something even more extraordinary. I love these stories and am inspired every time I read another one.
Stories like Bethany Hamilton who had her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing is one. She went on to not only heal but to win several world titles as a professional surfboard athlete. She is referred to as the “Soul Surfer” for her strong faith commitment to God through her seeming tragedy. Another story is of Amy Purdy, who lost both her legs below the knee and a couple of internal organs due to bacterial meningitis. She too healed and went on to be a professional athlete as a pro snowboarder. Business Insider lists 15 corporate CEOs who have learning disabilities and overcame them to be successful in the corporate world.
It almost makes you feel like only the people with the really big, grand, unbelievable obstacles are the ones who can do anything extraordinary. For the rest of us, some days it feels like the biggest obstacles in life are just the mix of the daily grind. Whether that is your routine job, laundry, lawn work, dirty dishes, or playing referee between unruly kids, the mundane nature of it all is almost maddening. But, in the middle of this ordinary life, there are many extraordinary lessons of wisdom to be learned.
1. Extraordinary moments happen in ordinary times.
As we raised our five children to adulthood, our lives were a blur while we started our computer business, homeschooled the kids through high school, and were very active in our local church. Although we were very busy, probably too much so, our lives certainly created a hectic routine to our days and weeks. They grew up so fast, but within the ordinary course of our daily lives, we taught them to love God, love each other, work hard, and enjoy life. So, the moments that we shared working and traveling through life are absolutely valuable. Don’t miss the ordinary routines of life striving for something more exciting or extraordinary. Even if you can’t afford to travel much or buy things for your family, the times you invest enjoying life together will make your ordinary life extraordinary.
2. Staying the course isn’t for the faint of heart.
Just doing what you need to do day in and day out is sometimes hard. It’s faithfulness in the little things and those decisions and choices that accumulate into a life of integrity. It’s not exciting, and no one is watching to applaud your efforts. But there is a prize at the end – the prize of a good name and a life well lived. Rich relationships and meaningful moments all accumulate from staying the course, even when it’s boring, exhausting, and uninspiring, and you feel like throwing in the towel. Instead of throwing in the towel, pick it up, wipe the sweat off your face, dry your tears, and then stay the course and finish well.
3. Ordinary people are the ones who change the world the most.
When we think of world changers, we typically think of people who have discovered or created something that changes the way we live forever. – scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, or cures for diseases. I would like to ask you though, who has had the biggest impact on your life personally? Most people would say it was a family member or someone close to them, someone who was in their world and took the time to know, encourage, and love them. For me, it would be my Granny and my parents. They taught me to love, to laugh, to work hard, and to enjoy life. The people who change the world are the people who change the world one person at a time.
4. Experiences are better than possessions.
As a family, we love to get together and do things together. When we were raising our kids, we invested most of life together through home-schooling, working together, and being involved in church activities. Even as our children are adults, we still love to get together and invest time with our children and our grandchildren. We love to experience life together. We always have a story of the experiences that we have had. And since it’s a shared experience, retelling and thereby reliving it, is rich. As I have grown older, I care less and less about having things. I care more and more about accumulating experiences. Experiences are life changing. Conversely, the shiny new things grow dull and lose their luster over time. Life is not about the stuff that we accumulate, but the riches of sharing life together. Scientific studies show that experiences will make you happier than any possessions, and they last longer. Within the course of your ordinary lives, create opportunities for shared experiences with the people you love. Then, talk about them long after they happened to continue to bask in the afterglow of wonderful connectedness. It is then you will realize that your lives are truly extraordinary.
Remember that the greatest things in life are not things, but the impact that we can have on the lives of others as we live our legacy each day. We have everything else that we need. As Peter wrote in his 2nd letter 2 Peter 1:3-4, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
On today’s trek, we reflected on four ways to make our ordinary life extraordinary. Life is not always easy for us though, so tomorrow we will hike a tough trail and learn 8 important life lessons along the way. 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:
- 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!