Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 331 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

You Always Have  Choice #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 331 of our trek. Yesterday we reflected back on life a bit and shared advice for a younger generation. Today and tomorrow we will travel on a trail that presents us with many choices as we consider the topic of why you always have a choice.

Thank you so much for coming along with me on our daily trek through life as we choose to grow in our 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, 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. This past weekend was filled with activities both enjoyable and sad. On Saturday, I was able to get some work completed on the woodwork in the parlor as I am preparing it for polyurethane. The afternoon and evening we invested our time celebrating our oldest grandchild Paul’s eighth birthday party. It was a blessed time with two of our kids, their spouses, and five of our six grandchildren. On Sunday morning, we worshiped at church with Elizabeth, Nat, and their four children. In the afternoon, I was able to mow the entire lawn for the first time this season. In the evening, we attended the viewing of our Aunt Mary, who died this past Thursday.

It was good to see my cousin Rick and Uncle Bill. We are praying for their loss. My sister Rebecca and one of her sons Adam came up for the funeral, and it was nice to be able to invest Sunday evening visiting with them and my brother Jack and his wife Ann. Times of bereavement are usually times of reflection about the choices that we have made in life. On our hike today and tomorrow, let us reflect on the subject of choices as we consider the topic…

You Always Have a Choice #1

Have you ever looked at a difficult and unfavorable life situation and thought you are undergoing this because you “don’t have a choice”?

Have you ever said, “I have to do this,” or “I need to do that,” or “I have no other option,” or “I have no choice.” This can apply to anything in life, from your reactions to being in a predicament and solutions to small problems. The most common context I hear this phrase being used in is when people are doing work they dislike. As an example, they remain in the job because they need the stable income to support their expenditures and their family.

While you may think you have “no choice,” I think we would be wise to rethink this phrase when we are prone to use it. All of us always have choices, and we are making them every day, every minute, and every second.

1. You Always Have A Choice

I agree that you no longer have any choice or influence over what has already happened in the past. Those choices have already been made. However, you always have a choice in how you think, what you say, and what you do from this point forward. To use a gaming analogy, you can’t change the cards you are dealt with, but you can change how you play them. Some of the cards that we currently have in our hand may also be the results of how we played them in the past.

Let’s look at an example. Say, you are in an accounting job you dislike. You want to pursue your passion in starting your own business. However, you have financial needs and responsibilities to fulfill to your family, which makes your source of income from your accounting job very important. You are in your current situation, based on your previous choices, so in order to pursue your passion, you must make the choices that will set you on the path that will eventually allow you to achieve that passion.

You may think, “How can there even be a choice? I have to remain in the company. If I don’t continue working here, I wouldn’t have the finances to support my family and pay my bills. Any other options are just not practical.”

Of course, you have a choice, but all choices have consequences. You could quit your job today and pursue your passion. That choice may be irresponsible if your family is dependent on that income. You could choose to stay on for now because you feel the benefits of staying on the job outweigh the benefits of quitting. The choices that you could make in this situation is to downsize your lifestyle for a period of time so you can live on less. You can also choose to start putting money aside now and prepare for a time when you can make the change while still being responsible. This choice may have to be a long-term plan. If it is truly your passion, then it will be worth the wait.

· You Make Choices All the Time

We make many choices every day of our life that will impact us.  Some choices have become routines or habits, and we do not give them much thought.  To change your life, it starts with the small choices that we make each day.  Since I know my morning routine better than I know yours, let’s break down the various choices I make in a regular work day. It actually starts the night before.

• Choice #1 – Before bed, I always lay out my exercise clothes so I am not stumbling around in the dark the next morning trying to find them. This sets the stage for me to keep my commitment.
• Choice # 2 – I wake up at 5:30 am. I usually feel really tired but choose to get up. The snooze button is not an option for me.
• Choice # 3 – I go to the bathroom and get dressed for exercise.
• Choice # 4 – I exercise for about 75 minutes which includes 15 minutes of various types of muscle building exercises and 60 minutes of cardio running on a treadmill.
• Choice #5 – I listen to scripture reading, devotional materials, and inspirational podcasts while on the treadmill. (Smartphones are great.)
• Choice # 6 – I shower and get dressed for the day.
• Choice #7 – I eat a healthy breakfast, which usually consists of a nutritional protein drink and a handful of baby carrots.
• Choice #8 – I am at my standing desk at 8 am ready for the day’s activities.

Although it has become my morning routine and habit, do you see that everything I do each morning is actually a choice? Actions, whether they are benign or life changing in nature, are all choices we make. When you undertake a certain path in life, it is a choice you make.

Tomorrow we will look at the impact and potential consequences of a scenario if I make a different choice #2 and not get up at 5:30 am. Through this you will see that there really are no small choices because the accumulation of small choices adds up to very big consequences, both good and bad.

As Proverbs 2:11 tells us, “Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”

Ecclesiastes 10:2 says, “A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.”

We are continually making choices every moment of every day. Some choices may seem small and insignificant, but the accumulation of those choices may have a great impact on our life and legacy.

Tomorrow we will continue on our trail of choices as we begin the day looking at how the impact of one small choice change in my morning routine could have a major impact on my entire life. 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:

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!