Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 70 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Affirmation without Discipline
Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 70 of our Trek, and now that we have gotten the pebbles out of our boots from yesterday, we are once again ready to make progress on our Trek.
We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are having a blessed time at the Jarvis family gathering. Celebrating life with family is really enjoyable as we are able to get together and share stories and good times together. Sharing faith and family ties is great, and I am blessed to be part of the Jarvis family also.
As we head out on our Trek today, we are facing the steepest trail yet. It is going to be a grueling experience. You try to remain positive as you face this trail and draw on your past affirmation training, saying to yourself, “I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!” and similar incantations to focus your thoughts towards success.
As you prepare to leave camp these affirmations are meant to create a mindset of accomplishment. Think about this for a moment, though. If you just chanted the affirmations but never left camp, how far up the trail would you get? The problem is when you have an affirmation followed by no action, you are only deluding yourself. You must resolve to do something and then follow it up with action.
Jim Rohn said it best in this quote, “Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.” He is saying you cannot just talk your way to success; you need to discipline yourself with action to make it happen.
Since we have Jim Rohn’s quote above, let’s add another of his statements along the same vein, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” Once you have your affirmations for success and discipline yourself to take action, it is then you have just made the connection between dreaming and reality.
Discipline takes you from wishing for success to achieving it. When you stay on track for a long period of time you can achieve any goal you set for yourself.
1. Action vs. Self Delusion – What’s the Difference?
Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action. Action is the ingredient that ensures results. The principle is for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The key is there must be action taken. Only action can cause reaction. Further, only positive action can cause positive reaction.
Action – The whole world loves to watch those who make things happen, and it rewards them for causing waves of productive enterprise.
I stress this because today I see many people who are really sold on affirmations, but don’t necessarily have the discipline to go along with the affirmation.
Let’s look at affirmations as our faith, and action as good deeds, which reminds me of the discourse Jesus’s half-brother James mentioned in his letter in James 2:18, “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’”
How true!
I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations can help create wonderful results.
But there is also a very thin line between faith and folly. You see, affirmations without action can be the beginnings of self-delusion. And, for your well-being there is little worse than self-delusion.
The man who dreams of wealth and yet walks daily toward certain financial disaster and the woman who wishes for happiness and yet thinks thoughts and commits acts that lead her toward certain despair are both victims of the false hope which affirmations without action can manufacture. Why? Because words soothe and, like a narcotic, they lull us into a state of complacency. Remember this, “To make progress you must actually get started!”
This reminds me of another passage in James [1:22]-24,
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”
The key is to take a step today. Whatever the project, start today. Start clearing out a drawer of your newly organized desk today. Start setting your first goal today. Start listening to motivational programs today. Start a sensible weight-reduction plan today. Start calling on one tough customer a day today. Start putting money in your new “investment for fortune” account today. Write a long-overdue letter or email today. Anyone can! Even an uninspired person can start reading inspiring books.
Get some momentum going on your new commitment for the rich and satisfying life. See how many activities you can pile on your new commitment to the better life. Go all out! Break away from the downward pull of gravity. Start your thrusters going. Prove to yourself that the waiting is over and the hoping is past—that faith and action have now taken charge.
It’s a new day, a new beginning for your new life. With discipline you will be amazed at how much progress you’ll be able to make. What have you got to lose except the guilt and fear of the past?
Now, I offer you this challenge. See how many things you can start and continue in this, the first day of your new beginning.
2. Action vs. Self Delusion – Which Are You?
Are you self-delusional – a person that thinks “If I think it, it will come”? Do you have faith, but no good deeds? ACTION is the key.
Don’t be a person that delays action because you want to know everything before you get started. No circumstance or conditions will ever be perfect.
If you wait to start something until you think you have all your ducks in a row. You’ll never start. In life, we’re forever learning. Therefore if you wait, you’ll never get to where you want to be. Take ACTION now!
You will learn that in the process of action, you fix your mistakes. And if you fix your mistakes early, success comes faster.
Will today be the first day of your new beginning?
Well, that will finish our podcast for today. If you missed any of our previous podcasts, please check out Wisdom-Trek on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud or Wisdom-Trek.com. Tomorrow we will review 10 ways to overcome negativity and become more optimistic.
So, please join us at our “camp” tomorrow for another day on our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
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Thank you!
The journal from this podcast can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com, where we also have pictures, tweetable quotes, wisdom nuggets, and free resources.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this 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 Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy the Journey, and Create a Great Day! See you tomorrow!