Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 142 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Life is About Gratitude and Giving
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 142 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nuggets of creating your opportunity and why success is everything. Today we will explore the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. 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 drove back late Sunday night and are in the middle of a busy week of client work before we head back to Marietta on Friday. Although our life is busy and involves a lot of activities, we do focus on the fact that we are to pursue the rich and satisfying life, or as in some translations say, the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John [10:10]. We are looking forward to next Sunday as we have a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85th birthday.
Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we are in search of nuggets of gratitude, and the gifts that we can provide to others. Regardless of how difficult our life trails may be at times, we have so much to be thankful for. Our first discovery for today is:
Learn to Be Thankful for What You Already Have
I want to start out today with a question. Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, “No, Guthrie, thankfulness is not key to survival,” and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that, and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.
Both the years and the experiences have brought me to where I am today, sharing with you daily on our Wisdom-Trek as we pursue creating a living legacy. We have not arrived to this place on our Trek together by accident. It was by divine design. It is the attribute of thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, blessings, and unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude started with my parents who raised me and gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years, and it continues with the mentors that I’ve met along the way who have absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my resources, and my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, the ideas, the chance to work and labor, and the opportunity to produce results that I have. All of that has brought me to this place on my trek of life. I’m grateful for it all.
What a unique opportunity each one of us has, with so many of us representing different countries, nations, and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here together each day as we gain new wisdom, insight, and understanding and also reinforce what we have learned in the past. We know that each day of our Trek represents countries all over the world, and we have the freedom and liberty to come together on this trek we call life.
These are extraordinary times. There is more freedom across the world than at any time in history. Although our modern news media on both the right and left would try to convince us otherwise, the facts tell a different story. We as a country and as a world have so much to be thankful for. Always start with thanksgiving. Be thankful for what you already have, and see the miracles that come from this one simple act.
Now thankfulness is just the beginning. Next, you’ve got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance. I think fruitfulness and abundance mean to go to work on producing more than you need for yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation, and blessing your own piece of the world that you have the privilege to impact.
Once abundance starts to come and once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the impact can be. But, to begin this incredible process of blessing, it often starts with the act of thanksgiving and gratitude – being thankful for what you already have and for what you’ve already done. Begin the act of thanksgiving today, and watch the miracles flow your way.
Thankfulness comes from your heart, which is controlled by what you allow into your mind. Nearly 50 times the Bible reminds us to give thanks such as in Ephesians 5:20, “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The second discovery of wisdom we want to explore today is:
The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others
I often hear the question, “How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend, etc. improve/change?” In fact the most frequent question that is asked by those that want to make an impact on the lives of others is “How can I help change someone else?”
My answer may come as a surprise…The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution you can make to someone else is your own personal development. If you become 10 times wiser or 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for your adventure as a parent, as a grandparent, or as a business colleague.
The best gift you can give to others, really, is your ongoing personal development – getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents, as grandparents, as friends, and as colleagues. This is the best gift you can give to anyone that you impact.
As we discussed on Day 108 of our Trek, if you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say “In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you secure their masks.” Take care of yourself first. Then assist your children or others that are dependent on you. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole lives, it would be so valuable.
If you learn to create happiness for yourself, your children, your grandchildren and everyone else in your world, they now have an excellent chance to be happy. If you create a unique lifestyle for yourself and your spouse, that will be a great example to serve your children, your grandchildren, and your world.
Self-development enables you to serve and to be more valuable to those around you – your child, your business, your colleague, your community, your church…
That’s why I explore these wisdom nuggets and share them with you. If you keep refining all the parts of yourself, your character, your health, etc. so that you become an attractive person to your world, you’ll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out. Your reputation will begin to precede you, and people will want to be with you and/or do business with you. All of that possibility is created by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development.
Even if you feel you know a great deal, there is always room for improvement. Proverbs 9:9 tells us, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”
The two wisdom nuggets that we explored on our Trek today were to be continually thankful for everything and to understand that the best way to help others is to continually improve and help yourself. As we digest these concepts and incorporate them into our lives, commit to join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will search for more of these precious wisdom nuggets that are more valuable gold and crystal.
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!