Use Wisdom

Use Wisdom Use wisdom to bend life to your will. This may sound like a Jedi power or some mystical thing. But actually it is very simple. Wisdom is your ability to understand yourself, others, and situations you are in. It is then your ability to make the choices necessary to create the most favorable outcomes in situations you are in. Wisdom is different than being smart, though being smart can help with being wise. The wisest person understands that the best choices are not always the easiest or most beneficial at the time.

I would like to talk about what wisdom is, situations where wisdom can be used, examples of wise people, and finally what you can have in your life by using wisdom.

What is Wisdom?

You can read Wikipedia's explanation of wisdom if you desire. But I would like to go beyond it just a bit. Yes wisdom is your understanding, what you are gaining and learning in life, your ability to understand, and your ability to apply intelligence. But beyond that, wisdom is the ability to perceive and understand yourself and others. It is the ability to enact precise decision making for the betterment of yourself and other people. True wisdom allows you to begin transcending this life.

With true wisdom, you should be able to do the following. These are just a few of the things wisdom can help you do. Take time and think carefully about making wise decisions. You will be amazed at what making a few wise choices will do to turn things around in your life. Remember, the wise decision is very often the most difficult and sometimes not beneficial upfront.

Using Wisdom in Situations

There are some major life decisions that using wisdom is very useful for. There are also many day to day and smaller scale situations where the use of wisdom will keep your life headed in a positive direction. Here are some of the major and not so major situations wisdom should be used in. I emplore you to use some wisdom and take the time to read what is before you. It is a long read, but I promise you there is insight and benefit to what I have to tell you.

Major Situations to Use Wisdom In

Wow, these are some mega things to deal with. But they are all life altering events that have a huge impact. I have dealt with every single one of these. I know I am not perfect, but I believe that I have used the best wisdom I have in making the decisions related to these. Let's go over each briefly.

Geting married

I married a terrific wife. She has a level head on her shoulders and seeks to better herself and others. I believe I made a good choice. That doesn't mean I couldn't have married someone else or that I am not compatible with another women. The wise person understands this and doesn't let it affect them when they see another person that they get along with or think, "Hey, I could have married her too". I am thankful for this knowledge and for the wonderful wife I have. I made a choice, and that choice was a wise one and the situation from that choice is favorable and I seek to strengthen the situation created by that choice :)

Getting an education

I went to school at UVSC and got an Information Technology degree. I've learned the ins and outs of online website and website application development. I grew up with technology. For me, it made sense to pursue this in my education because I was already interested in it and good at it. I love computers. I mean, I can type 130 wpm, just look at my Facebook profile. In all seriousness though, the wise person will get an education for something there is passion for. To me that makes the most sense. But don't get an education just for the sake of doing it. That is a bad idea.

Deciding which career to pursue

Because I am passionate and good at website development, and am just plain smart in general, I have had no trouble getting employment. This is not my ego strutting around saying I am all that and a bag of chips. This is just reality. I have no problem at all saying I am smart to people. I've chosen a career path for what I am interested in and good at. And now I am helping work for a company that I helped start during the day. That's where the opportunities have come. Because I am passionate about what I am doing, opportunities have presented themselves to me.

Deciding to have a family

When should you have a family? Well, I can tell you when you are happily married and have a steady and solid income. But you absolutely cannot hear this from me and just assume it. You must use your own wisdom and find out for yourself. I've got a family now and am thankful for the opportunities and challenges that presents. I like kids. It makes sense for me to have a family and pass my knowledge on to them. But for you it may not make sense. Just take a good hard look at yourself. If a family is not for you, you better believe you should not be putting yourself in a situation to have one - especially getting someone or becoming pregnant.

Deciding to begin your own company

This is a major decision requiring much wisdom to see if it is truly right for you. Deciding to begin your own company is much more than just having a bad day at work and saying, "that's it, I'm starting my own business". The wise person will know that starting a business is much more work than going to a day job and upfront will require much sacrifice. Down the road, the rewards will be worth it. I am starting this website and it is requiring an immense amount of work to organize and setup. At the time of writing this sentence, I've probably spent 60 hours now on it. I've made probably 5 bucks from the site. But I know in the end, this website will be THE place to go for improving, becoming better, and overcoming fears.

The handling of the death of a loved one

Many years ago, one of my cousins was killed in a car crash and the other paralyzed from the waist down. I was fresh in high school at the time, so this was a very difficult experience for me to understand and get a grip on. Having people that you know die is difficult, let alone if this person is in your immediate family. The wise person will understand that life takes its course and unfortunate things happen. Events cannot always be explained or understood, but we can react to them with positivity and remain upbeat. It is difficult to do.

Talking to someone who has given up on life

There are likely many people on the earth today who feel hopeless. I have met several people who I can tell are just not very happy about being alive. Often times, these people will not tell you this is their current state. The wise person will look for signals in people to see where they are at. Is the person quiet, grumpy, irritiable, gives short one word answers, rarely smiles, is negative, speaks badly about themself? The main thing is does the person do this all the time? It is a delicate matter interacting with people in this state. I'm not sure I have all the answers, but perhaps a little encouragement goes a long ways.

Regular Situations to Use Wisdom In

These are just a few examples where wisdom allows you favorable circumstances. Real wisdom is understanding that more effort than the average person gives is required to really get ahead and gain success in life. It requires studying and trying. It does not even mean you succeed all the time. The wise person accepts failure and learns from it. For myself, I can't accept anything but giving my best shot. That means doing what I can to make this website a useful resource for people. There will be ups and downs as I make the website, but ultimately, my persistence and determination will pay off.

Examples of Wise People

Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. She was looked to as a symbol of the wise; someone who understands situations and was sought after as a counselor. She assisted mortals in their endeavors, one example being Ulysses (Odysseus). I recommend viewing the article on Wikipedia for more information on Athena.

Gandalf (Lord of the Rings). Gandalf is a wizard in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". Gandalf plays an important role. He is both powerful and wise. His wisdom allows him to hold back and allow those with lesser power to be successful and triumph. This is evident in his being a 'guide' for the fellowship and not blasting his spells all the time to just clear the way ahead. Gandalf's insight and guidance are a great example to look at if you are seeking to be wise.

Dumbledore (Harry Potter). Dumbledore is a wizard and from the Harry Potter Books, written by J.K. Rowling. Dumbledore is extremely wise. He remains calm, understands the intentions of others, and understands what must be done for the greater good. He is powerful, yet at the same time, allows for those he is involved with to make mistakes and also seeks to build them up. Look to him as an example of someone who seeks to build up others and also does what it takes to have events and situations be favorable.

Though these figures are fictional, the concept of wisdom that each applies in their respective stories is extremely useful to look at and use as help to see how to handle situations in your own life.

Enhance Your Life with Wisdom

Enhancing your life with wisdom is a life long process. Learn from every situation you are in. Take note on how people act and react. Look at those who are successful and find out what they are doing. Look at those making the unwise decisions and what is causing their situation. In the end, to truly become wise means to take the time studying how to be wise. I hope this page has given you an introduction to taking that path and that with my help on this website, that you will become wiser and gain more favorable circumstances in your life.

Thank you for reading about wisdom. Using wisdom in your life will give a better chance of favorable situations and influence with other people.