Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 419 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

10 Practical Lessons for Life

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 419 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate you to live a rich and satisfying life this week. Today we will explore the 10 Practical Lessons for Life on our trek and how to apply them.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The weekend was full of activities and very fulfilling. On Friday evening we attended an open house at the small private school where our two oldest grandsons, Paul and Gideon will be attending this year. It is great to see and learn about the school and know that they will receive good instruction from a Christian worldview.

On Saturday, I was able to get the lawns mowed around The Big House and the two other homes my brother Jack owns on the property. I was also able to finish up painting a bit of exterior trim outside of the dining room. Saturday evening we attended our local volunteer fireman’s ice cream social in Devola. We like to support those who invest their time to provide us with fire and emergency services. It’s always a good time to catch up with some friends in the neighborhood. On Sunday we drove north to Cambridge to attend church with Dad and have lunch with him at The Cracker Barrel, which is always a blessed time.

The day this episode airs will be my 60th birthday. This is a milestone, not that I feel, look, or act my age, but because it is a time of reflection on where my journey has brought me to this point in life. I reflect on the impact that I have had on the lives of others. Looking forward, I am very excited to see how much greater of an impact I can have during my next 60+ years based on the experience, knowledge, and wisdom that God has granted me so far.

God willing and with the rapid improvement in healthcare technologies, it is very possible that I could live another 60+ years. With this thought in mind, although my occupation and duties may change through the years, the potential to continue impacting my world is virtually unlimited. Most of all, I want to enjoy the journey, wherever that takes us, as we keep moving forward. These thoughts motivate and encourage me and bring to mind some lessons to motivate you. As we break camp and head out on today’s trek, let’s look at…

10 Practical Lessons for Life

As I reflect back on the past 60 years, I don’t dwell on the past or think about what might have been. I do use the experiences and lessons learned to help make wiser and more knowledgeable choices as I move forward. I cannot change anything in the past, but I can change how the future turns out by the choices that I make each day.  The ability to think through a situation and make wise choices is imperative to living a rich and satisfying life. It would have served me well if I had learned some of life’s lessons earlier, but since that was not the case, it is vital that we take what we have learned and proactively seek wisdom, insight, and understanding each day.

One concept where we can assist our children, grandchildren, family, and others that we impact is to teach them the importance of learning how to think, not necessarily what to think. Critical thinking skills are so much more important than the memorization of content or concepts. As a Christ follower, I feel that it is very important to have morals and values as our foundation based on God’s Word because this will shape our critical thinking skills. With that said, here are 10 practical lessons for life.

1. Begin with the end in mind

When you use critical thinking skills, it allows you to think forward to the end outcome of any situation. If you are able to visualize the outcome of the choices that you are making when making choices in life, then it allows you to determine if the result of that choice is what you desire.

2. Live today as if it were your last

How would your decisions change if you knew today would be your last? None of us know for sure when God has determined our last breath. Would you live for yourself, or would you strive to make the biggest positive impact on the lives of those that you love? Yes, you do need to make long-term plans, but realize that you need to do what is important for today. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

3. Leave no regrets behind

Every decision and choice is important. Make decisions and choices each day that leave no room for regrets. Even if you live well over 100, live in such a way each day that you leave no regrets behind.

4. Think for yourself

This is the key element to obtaining and using critical thinking skills. Yes, you can learn a lot from others who have experience, knowledge, and wisdom, but your life is unique, and God made you for His special purpose. Do not become a lemming, instead learn how to think for yourself. It is okay to ask why and to question the premise of others. You alone are responsible for the decisions that you make.

5. Use the “Acid-Test”

Too many people are at a loss when it comes to making decisions, especially important ones. You may say, there is just too much stuff to consider. You may be thinking about all the “what-ifs,” worrying about the possible implications of your decision, scared to death because of the fear of failure. These factors influence your decision making. When making crucial decisions, honestly ask yourself, “What is the worst-case scenario that could result from this decision?” Next ask yourself, “What the best case scenario is?” Then determine whether you are willing to accept the risk of the worst-case scenario and if that risk is worth the potential benefit of the best case scenario. I like to look at it this way. If it does not result in the loss of life or limb, then you can recover from all other scenarioss.

6. Make the best choice based on your current knowledge

You can second guess yourself on all decisions and choices that you make large or small. Make your best choice based on your current knowledge considering the potential outcomes, and then go for it. In most decisions we make, the final outcome is not all that earth shattering. Learn to enjoy the journey while on route to whatever destination that you choose. Remember also, there may be many different routes to the same destination. If one is blocked, choose another.

7. Don’t be a perfectionist

Perfectionism will lead to procrastination or paralysis. If you have perfectionist tendencies, you have to realize that done is better than perfect. While I am not advocating doing less than you are capable of, you have to realize that no one is perfect, so instead strive for excellence. It is much better to complete a task, even if it is not perfect than delay even starting for fear that it will not be perfect.

8. Manage your expectations

Many of our disappointments in life are because we have not properly managed our expectations of people or situations. You have to realize that it is difficult to control and manage ourselves. It is impossible to control others and many situations on a long-term basis. We should set expectations of ourselves high enough to stretch us but realistically enough so that we can achieve them. When dealing with others, it is fine to set expectations, but realize that you cannot control them and manage your response.

9. Life is short so make it count

Regardless whether you live to be 20 or 120 life is relatively short, especially in light of eternity. Live each day as fully as possible so that you can have maximum impact on the lives of others. That is why it is so important to LIVE your legacy today! Don’t ignore death, but don’t be afraid of it either. Be afraid of a life you never lived because you were too afraid to take action. Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside you while you’re still alive.  Be bold.  Be courageous.  Be scared to death of taking the next step, and then take the next step anyway. You need to make the most of today because in light of eternity, your life is but a mist. In a letter that Jesus’s half-brother James wrote he said in 4:14, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” 

10. Take care of yourself

You will be no good to anyone if you don’t first take care of yourself. By this I mean physically, mentally, and spiritually. Take time each day to renew your mind with God’s Word and other good and wholesome information. Invest time each day in prayer and meditation. Invest time each day eating right and exercising. No one can take your place in this world. We all have 168 hours each week, no more, no less. You are never too busy to take care of yourself. If you think you think you are, then you are too busy with tasks that are not as important. It then boils down to priorities, so change the way you think. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Today on our trek we explored 10 Practical Lessons for Life, based on my first 60 years on this earth. Take time to apply them to your life, as I will as I look forward to the next 60 years. Feel free to share your comments or questions by emailing me at [email protected], and I will get back to you.

Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are 2-3 minute wisdom supplements will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise throughout the entire week. 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 and inviting them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically. I would also appreciate it if you would rate and review us on iTunes or Google Play so that others will find out about Wisdom-Trek and join us.

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

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you on Monday!