Wisdom - The Ultimate Christmas Gift

I recently finished writing my second book. This one is about Wisdom. Not the kind of wisdom that seeks to answer mankind’s biggest questions, but the kind of wisdom that helps each of us make the best use of our time and energy on a daily basis.

Wisdom, I discovered, is a step by step process for making the best choices based on the information we have at hand.

Wisdom is the antidote for the vast majority of the negative emotions that cause us most of our problems. Wisdom is the cure for stress, anxiety, depression, and anger.  Why? Because when we are thinking wisely we are focused on the facts of a situation and not on the emotions of our story about the situation.  Facts don’t have feelings and emotions rarely have facts.

Wisdom is more important now than ever.  If we look at every aspect of our culture, we must admit that things are really a mess.

Wisdom can fix all those things, but where is wisdom needed the most? It is needed the most at the level of the individual because that is where we live and raise our children. If the next generation of leaders turn out to be no wiser than we have been, to put it bluntly, we are all screwed.

It is obvious that the people we have asked to lead us are dedicated to making selfish, short-sighted, and unwise decisions. It is obvious that our trust has been misplaced.

We must return to the ethos that made our culture the envy of the world; the ethos of self-reliance. Self reliance is the highest form of trust. We can trust ourselves to make the kinds of choices that evolve our own lives rather than depending on our environment to take care of us.

Wisdom is the key to self reliance because it requires us to focus on the things that are really important.

What difference does it make what is on the TV if our children are not being educated?
What difference does my address make if my children are not mentally and physically healthy?
What difference does the label on my shirt make if I cannot find a moments peace from my worries?
What difference does our income make if our children are destined to live in a third world country?

We cannot rely on anyone other than ourselves to make sure the distress in our lives is minimal, that our relationships are loving and respectful, and that our children are healthy and well educated.

Practicing wisdom will do that. Think about the impact that making the best decisions would have on your life.
1.    More Time
2.    Less Distress
3.    More Energy
4.    Better Relationships

That’s a real Christmas gift, to yourself and to your family.