Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1188 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Passing on a Positive Legacy – Ask Gramps

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1188 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, you are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask Dad or Gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but we will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable. If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.

So the question for this week is…

“Hey, Gramps, you often speak about leaving a living legacy each day. What are some practical steps I can incorporate into my life that will help me to live and leave a legacy throughout my life?” 

Passing on a Positive Legacy

Let me start out with a quote from John Wooden, “There is a choice you make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”

A legacy is something over which we have control, unlike the shadow that follows us down the sidewalk on a sunny day. Rather, we can choose the way in which our influence impacts others each day and long into the future once we’re gone. Here are a few suggestions for how you can purposefully pass-on a positive legacy daily.

1. Integrate a daily focus with a long-term perspective.

People who have an enduring influence keep one eye on the compass and the other eye on the clock. That is, they look ahead without losing sight of what needs to happen each day. They give their best to activities and appointments, or the daily living of life, while not forgetting their orienting vision and values.

2. Establish a direction that is clearly observable.

When your time on this earth draws to a close, people will describe your life in a single sentence. What would that sentence be right now? Be intentional about the sort of influence and impact you have on the world around you each day. I strive to live each day with my legacy statement at the forefront of my mind: “I positively impact the lives of everyone I interact with so that their lives will impact others for the building of God’s kingdom.” Being aware of how I want to be thought of today and remembered gives me perspective on what’s truly important.

3. Develop a network of meaningful relationships.

Legacy is influence, and relationships are the foundation of creating a legacy. Throughout life, I try to be intentional with those I have the opportunity to impact most. Those closest to me determine the level of my success in creating a living legacy. Perhaps nothing is more predictive of your legacy than the quality of people surrounding you.

4. Commit to a positive learning attitude that guarantees growth.

Personal growth is linked to a teachable disposition. Again to quote John Wooden, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” I credit my growth as a person to a set of learning attitudes that I developed early in life.

• a) Every day, I will learn as much as I can.
• b) Every person I interact with and situation that I am in will be my teacher.
• c) Every experience will be a lab for learning.
• d) Every time I have the opportunity, I will ask questions.
• e) Every day I will apply what I’ve learned.

5. Continually experience inner renewal.

Since the cares of life easily crowd out space for reflection, it’s essential to schedule time to think. By itself, experience doesn’t teach us anything; it has to be evaluated and the lessons applied. Learning to pause allows growth to catch up with you. A quote that I like is, “You cannot travel without until you’ve traveled within.” In other words, you won’t have a transformative impact on your world until you’ve been transformed yourself.

For some final thoughts, each of us, on a daily basis, receives many blessings from God that we did nothing to earn. Being a legacy-minded person is an intentional way to pass on the legacy that we have been given.

1 Corinthians 15:3

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.

I hope these tips will help you to be more effective. That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us again next Friday for another question on our “Ask Gramps” episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday, where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1187 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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.

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

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!