Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 654 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
When You Fall, Get Back Up – Mindshift Monday
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 654 of our trek, and it is time for our Mindshift Monday series.
Wisdom-Trek’s primary focus is to assist you in creating your living legacy. Creating your living legacy can only be accomplished by gaining wisdom in many areas of life. You can only gain wisdom by changing what you allow to go into your mind, which is a result of changing the way you think.
In other words, to create your living legacy you must choose to be in a continual mode of “mindshift,” or “changing the way you think.” It is easy to get stuck in a mindset that your current circumstances cannot be changed. This is not true, but you must understand this fundamental principle…In order to change your life, you must change how you think and what you think about. Our Mindshift Monday podcast and journal serves to provide you practical ways to make a mindshift to a rich and satisfying life.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am finally caught up and back on schedule with the Wisdom-Trek podcasts that were delayed due to my accident. I will be releasing a couple of more episodes this week covering my accident and recovery on Tuesday and Thursday.
Since I have always been a person who enjoys working long hours and am very active, this time of recovery has been a mindshift challenge for me. I know if I am to recover properly, then it cannot be business as usual for me. Paula has been assisting a lot, and we are adapting to this change in our normal schedule.
Even with an unexpected major life event, we continue to positively look toward the future and what we can learn. Our mindset is very important with every aspect of life. If your first inclination is to think negatively, then a mindshift is required. You cannot get trapped by your current situation and feel there is no way to change it.
Just as my literal fall and accident two weeks ago, we will have many times in our lives where we will fall. The key is that each time we need to get back up, recover as needed, and then keep moving forward. So on our trek today I desire you to have a mindshift that will allow you to realize…
When You Fall, Get Back Up
When you are teaching a child to walk, they will fall down, usually many times. They may also get bumped and cry. When they do, we don’t tell them to give up. No, we instead encourage them to get up and try again, as many times as necessary until they are able to walk, and then run.
Life is very much like a baby who is just learning to walk. There are days in which the going is smooth. Success is ours to enjoy. There are also many days of distress, hours of hindrances, minutes of misunderstandings, and seconds of stumbling falling flat on your face. Since the path of life’s trek is rocky, and the trail to the top has many unexpected turns, it is important for you to realize three things concerning the obstacles, and wash outs, on the trail to the top.
1. There will be times when you will fall.
Anyone who hikes down the trails of life not only has the privilege of enjoying all that is around them but also must take the risk of falling. When you rise to the occasion, you may fall prey to the enemy. Any person that is willing to stand for something may at times be knocked down. Just like a baby learning to walk, we become careless and get in a hurry. Many time this happens just before we reach our goal. It looks as though we’ve been successful. The obstacles have been overcome. The sweet smell of victory permeates the air. But then…we lose our footing, and down we go. Just as with my fall from the ladder, it was right after I made the final cut in the tree limb that the limb pushed back against the chainsaw, pushing it and me away from the ladder onto the cement below. The satisfaction of cutting the limb through was quickly replaced by the agony of a broken femur bone right below my hip.
Sometimes our inexperience causes us to fall. Sometimes lack of preparation is the problem. Maybe the problem is overconfidence. For me, it probably was all three. One thing is certain…Regardless of the reason for falling, we all at times trip on the trails of life and down we fall.
2. The more we attempt to do, the more likely that we will fall.
Those people who never attempt anything in life, may not fall as often, but their lives are so poor in experiences. It is much better to have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all. Every experience we have in life enriches us and helps us to create a living legacy that is rich and satisfying. You are the sum of all the experiences of your life. Good or bad, they make you who you are today. Never hesitate to live life fully.
3. The difference between success and failure is how we react after we fall.
If we become involved with life and become players instead of spectators, the obstacles of life will sometimes trip us and cause us to fall. The lives of many people have gone awry because of mistakes they made or bad experiences that came their way. They have allowed the bitter taste of defeat to remain in their mouths until only thoughts of negativism spew out. Their lives have been centered on the fall instead of the excitement of their journey.
The Bible gives a classic example of how reacting to a fall determines our outcome. King Saul and King David both sat on the throne of Israel. Both were chosen of God and had many talents. Both had massive falls. King Saul allowed his mistake to harden his heart, and he died a violent death. King David repented and asked God’s forgiveness and had many fruitful years of leadership after his fall.
Remember, failure is not the fall. The failure is in allowing our fall to keep us down and control our lives. Even after my recent accident, it will not stop me from climbing ladders or using the chainsaw. I have learned that I will never use them together again.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter Philippians 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
With these thoughts in mind, we will conclude our trek for today and as we do, make a mindshift in your life for every time you fall, which you will, that you are committed to getting back up and keep moving forward.
Next week we will continue our trek of Mindshift Monday. On tomorrow’s trek, we will continue with my journal of my recent accident and recovery. I appreciate you allowing me to share my story so that we can all grow from Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
If you would like to listen to any of our past treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe at iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.
Thank you so much 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 of life 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!