A Story About My Relationship With Wisdom

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• Tags: Adventure, business, Continual Learning, family, health, love, money, story, student, wisdom

I met a man named Wisdom and he shared his story with me, so I thought I’d pass it along to you.

Wisdom was up there in his years when I met with him.  Yes, he’d definitely been around the block a time or two, but he didn’t seem old.

In fact, it didn’t appear that he’d aged a bit since the last time that I visited him many moons ago.

His eyes were bright and clear.  They were captivating when I looked into them. 

They say that our eyes are a window into our soul.  Wisdom’s eyes were calm, inquisitive and welcoming.

When he spoke, it was with authority, but not the pushy kind.  You just knew that he was right and you wanted to listen.

I listened to Wisdom a good long time.  How long I’m not really sure.  I lost track of time.

His words seemed to feed my soul.  Have you ever read or heard something so meaningful that it actually felt nourishing?  That’s exactly the way it was as I listened to Wisdom.

Wisdom told me how he led his life.  He shared how he lived, where he’d been and what he’d seen.  His words opened my mind to things that I had rarely, if ever, considered.

Wisdom began as a student of everything

Wisdom started as a student.  He was an eager, curious learner drinking deeply from the well of education.  He never crammed or took other shortcuts to learning.  Instead, he was disciplined and passionate about his studies.  He had a deep desire to soak up as much information as possible.

He not only grew in knowledge, but he also developed practical skills.  Wisdom often conducted experiments to see how what he learned could be applied in the real world to solve problems or unlock mysteries.

Wisdom stumbled onto entrepreneurship

From time-to-time, one of Wisdom’s experiments proved useful to others.  They would take what Wisdom had assembled and find that it simplified their work or otherwise met a need they had.  This thrilled Wisdom!

Occasionally, people would be so delighted with Wisdom’s ingenuity that they would reward him.  At first, he was shy about taking their money.  He had simply been experimenting and trying to learn.  However, he was happy to know that his thirst for knowledge benefited others.

Initially, Wisdom decided the best thing to do with the money was to use it to conduct bigger, more elaborate experiments.  These experiments led to discoveries that profited many.

Soon, people from all over sought out Wisdom to solve their problems.  They offered him large sums of money to examine their situation and develop a solution to their needs.

Wisdom became a busy man, but he loved helping others so much that he didn’t mind a bit.  He worked hard and served the needs of people far and wide over many years.  He was passionate about his work and never found it dull or boring.

Wisdom saved a fortune from his earnings

Wisdom earned a lot of money helping others.  Though it wasn’t his original intention, he did find satisfaction knowing that his work was so appreciated.

One day early in his life, as Wisdom was pondering the small pile of cash a grateful business friend had left him, it occurred to him that money was just another tool he could use to do good things for his family and for others.

This energized his thinking about money.  He began aggressively saving what people gave him.  Wisdom quickly saw the power of compound interest.  He placed his money in investments that had long track records of good returns.  His money grew.

In addition, Wisdom was a smart consumer.  He only bought what he really needed and he always paid cash.  In his mind, debt was just too risky.

Soon he found that he had enough money to help build his community.  Wisdom gave generously.  He contributed to building schools, hospitals and libraries.  This further developed Wisdom’s reputation and earned him even more business and respect.

Wisdom was a faithful family man

Wisdom not only succeeded in business and with money, but he also was a good husband and father.  He realized that his life was one whole and not compartmentalized.  Whatever good or bad that happened in one area of his life affected the other areas.

He was sensitive to the needs of his wife and always treated her with respect.  His marriage was a true partnership.  He valued his wife’s intelligence and intuition.  As a result, she honored him as her husband.

Wisdom also devoted himself to fatherhood.  He understood that a father plays a vital role in raising children.  He was a wonderful role model.  He knew that his children learned more from observing his behavior than from lectures.  Therefore, Wisdom tried to live an honorable and upright life.  His children looked up to their father and loved him dearly.

Wisdom took care of his health

As Wisdom aged, he realized just how precious his health was to his quality of life.  He ate right and exercised regularly.  He never ignored signs from his body that it needed attention.  Wisdom went for regular check-ups and followed his doctor’s advice.

As a result, Wisdom enjoyed great health.  He was able to remain mentally sharp and physically active throughout his life.  He knew that without his health that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy all he had worked to achieve.

Wisdom sought to always broaden his perspective

Wisdom told me that he felt one of the keys to his success was that he never let life grow stale.  He always maintained his curious and inquisitive mindset.  Instead of feeling threatened by change or new environments, Wisdom felt invigorated.  He loved the challenge and opportunity to learn.

Therefore, Wisdom made it a point to travel to new cultures.  He loved observing the differences in other countries.  He strived to learn some of the language and customs of every place he visited.  His efforts won him many friends around the world.

Wisdom tried new things whenever he could.  The adventure fueled his enthusiasm for life and kept things interesting for him.  Life with Wisdom was never boring.  He constantly inspired those around him to live life to the fullest in every way.

A life with Wisdom was a life well-lived

I count my relationship with Wisdom as one of the most important of my life.  He has always been there for me and has never let me down.  It has always been great knowing that I had a friend I could count on regardless of the circumstances.

Lately, for whatever reason, some of lost track of Wisdom.  They’ve let their relationship with him fade.  Have you met him?  If not, I hope you’ll stick around.  I’d love to introduce you to my friend.  Wisdom would also love to meet you.  Just a warning, he always seems to have a gift to offer new friends, so don’t be surprised.  I always tell people, but they still seem a little shocked when they realize what Wisdom has given them.

I hope I never lose or let my relationship with Wisdom fade.  I learn from him everyday.  I suppose that will never change.

How’s your relationship with Wisdom doing?

Photo by zedzap