Wisdom Nuggets: For Success in Life and Love

By Tony Bushman

Wisdom Nuggets gives guidance about:

         Friendship: have fun playing together, being together.

         Intimacy: learn to get through the barriers to intimacy, live with feeling

         Self-esteem: honor your personhood and value its importance, fight self-limiting beliefs.

         Growth: learn to move forward, heal your wounds, find soul and feel whole.

        Maturity: celebrate your ability to master your destiny

        Practicality: be confident about selected practical life issues

        Daily living:  anger, conflict, fulfilling partnerships, value the gifts we have.

        Planning for the future: handling difficult events e.g., death and sickness

 

        This book is for those who want to know more about how to be in charge of their own life; how to live their life with more wisdom, meaningfulness, joy, love, compassion, serenity, career success, and balance.  The 30 chapters include advise in Part I on Creating and Maintaining Thriving Relationships, in Part II on Creating and Managing Business Thriving Skills, and in Part III on Creating and Managing Personal Thriving Skills.

       The book can be a life coach. It distills hundreds of years of collective solutions and wisdom to help you like an owner's manual for driving through life, so you experience things with more joy, love, and clarity, and have fewer accidents.

 

      Tony Bushman has been many things: Professor, Lay Minister, Workshop Designer, International Speaker, Business Consultant, Mentor, Gardener, Traveler, Writer, Photographer, Musician, Landscaper, Professional Squash Instructor, Whitewater Kayaker, and Life Coach. He is a leader in covenant groups, which enhance friendship, intimacy, self-esteem, personal growth, maturity and help empower you in your planning of your life.  He has written Wisdom Nuggets based on his experience and observations over several decades in these different roles in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angels Inspired
• Release date: Feb 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215994177

Book preview

WISDOM NUGGETS

For Success in Life and Love

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TONY BUSHMAN

WISDOM NUGGETS FOR SUCCESS IN LIFE AND LOVE

Copyright © 2023 by Tony Bushman

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Tony Bushman

Angels Inspired

3060 El Cerrito Plaza 221

El Cerrito, CA 94530

[e-mail]

510-621-9101

TESTIMONIALS FOR WISDOM NUGGETS

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It’s full of ideas, techniques, encouragement, solid advice, and inspiration. I loved it.

Lonnie Moseley

I was totally able to relate it to my own experiences and growth in life.  —I believe it is very practical and useful. I wish there had been a book like this available in my 20’s and 30’s. I think it would have helped me achieve more early on.

Joan Lovejoy

"This is great!  Very well put together and has a nice blend of humor, science, facts, and how to be a good human partner.

John Phelps

The culmination of a lifetime of thought, work, and reflection.

Carol Bohl, Executive Director

Missouri Historical Society

"Your Wisdom Nuggets are much needed nourishment for the sou, especially during these stressful times."

John and Nancy Woo

OTHER BOOKS BY TONY BUSHMAN

Creating a Fulfilled Life

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PRAISE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Powerful, helped me change my life for the better...a must read for me—helped me get unstuck in forgiving my ex.

This book helps me every day when I think about how to deal with my husband’s anger.

Some of Dr. Bushman’s personal reflections remind me of my journey. It helps me see how he created his fulfilled life... I have already seen some positive changes in my life. I converted my inner critic to be a positive coach more often.

I wondered why my friendships were so shallow. Then I did the friendship exercise and saw I needed to change my approach if I were to have stronger friendships. Dr. Bushman showed me how.

I have had a hard time being with my mother, you know the mother–daughter thing. I was finally able to forgive my mother for being so stifling and talk with her about changing the way we were together. I feel so much better now.

I am a psychotherapist and am impressed with all the self-help approaches Dr. Bushman brings to bear on improving interpersonal relationships. I recommend this book to people who want to improve their life.

Gatherings:  Small Group Ministry Gatherings

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https://www.uuabookstore.org/Gatherings-P16648.aspx

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Contents

Gathering One  Getting to Know One Another

Gathering Two What It Means to Be Male

Gathering Three Friendship, Partnership, and Competition

Gathering Four Getting Centered and Balanced

Gathering Five Making Amends

Gathering Six  Family and Work

Gathering Seven Passion

Gathering Eight Loving Relationships

Suggestions for Leaders

Invitation Letter

Creating Strong Covenant Groups

https://www.amazon.com.br/Creating-Strong-Covenant-Groups-English-ebook/dp/B0053007NW

Contents

Preface

Getting Started with Covenant Groups

Defining Covenant Groups

Forming a Covenant Group

Leading a Self-Directed Group

Preparing to Create a Covenant Group

Organizing Your Covenant Growth Group: The First Meeting

Organizing Your Covenant Growth Group: The Second Meeting 

Selecting Discussion Topics and Exercises

Designing Experiential Exercises for Personal Growth

An Example of an Exercise Session

Keeping Groups Energized

Saying Good-bye to a Group Member: Honorable Closure

Closing Comments and My Charge to You

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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I am indebted to hundreds of people who have been my teachers, students, mentors, and friends. I have learned from many men’s groups I have led and workshops and retreats I have given and feel blessed that I have been able to share my life with them and value their sharing with me. There are too many to enumerate here. 

DEDICATION

This is dedicated to my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

How to Use This Book

Nature of Wisdom

PART 1: CREATING AND MAINTAINING THRIVING RELATIONSHIPS

CHAPTER 1: KNOWING AND ACCEPTING YOURELF

What Can You Do to Develop Self-Knowledge and Use Your Intuition?

How Can You Discover Who You Really Are?

Why Is It important to Live Your Values?

How Can You Accept Who You Are?

CHAPTER 2: EXPERIENCING MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

How Does Your Attitude Affect Your Thoughts and Feelings?

What is the Importance of Meaning and Purpose to your Life?

Why Is It Important to Think Positively?

How Can You Improve Your Emotional Health?

How Can You Connect with Others Emotionally?

How Can You Deal with Grief, Failure, and Other Negative Emotions?

How Can You Improve Your Spiritual Health?

What Is the Role of Religion in Promoting Spiritual Health?

How Can You Have Good Physical Health?

How Can You Sleep Better?

How Can You Prepare for Aging?

CHAPTER 3: BALANCE, CONTENTMENT, AND ABUNDANCE

What Can You Do to Have More Balance in the Roles of Your Life?

How Can You Get Centered?

How Can You Be Contented and Free from Anxiety?

How Can You Get Abundance Rather than Live in Scarcity?

What Is the Proper Way of Giving and Receiving Gifts?

How Can You Help Others?

CHAPTER 4: IMPROVING YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Why Do You Choose Particular Relationships?

What Can You Learn from a Relationship?

How Can You Nurture Relationships?

What Can You Learn from Experiencing Rejection in a Relationship?

How Can You Take Charge of Your Part of Relationships?

How Can You Improve Your Communication in Relationships?

How Can You Have Closer Relationships with Partners, Family Members, and Close Friends?

How Do You Discover How to Show Appreciation, Respect, and Acceptance?

What Mistakes Have You Made and How Can You Correct Them?

Why Are Good Relationships Important and Beneficial?

How Can You Find Joy and Balance in Your Relationships?

CHAPTER 5: RESPECTING AND HONORING OTHERS AND YOURSELF

Why Is It Important to Show Respect?

What Problems Are You Creating when Disrespecting Others?

CHAPTER 6: HAVING GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Why Is It Important to Have Good Communication Skills?

What Are the Different Methods of Communication?

What Are the Principles of Good Communication?

What Is the Power of Personal Communication?

How Can You Take into Considerations Others’ Culture and Communication Styles?

How Can You Avoid Conversation Spoilers?

How Can You Practice Compassionate Communication?

How Does the Way You Speak Matter?

How Can You Be Authentic?

What Are the Major Disagreements and Difficulties in Communication?

What Are the Different Types of Communication?

CHAPTER 7: HAVING A SUCCESSFUL LOVE RELATIONSHIP

How Do You Decide the Kind of Relationship You Want?

Why Does Learning What You Like Create More Fulfillment?

What Are Some Problems in Managing Your Image?

In What Ways Do the Differences Between Men and Women Get Expressed?

Why Is Sharing What You Like with Your Partner Important?

How Can You Have a Thriving Love Relationship?

What Do You Need to Learn from a Love Relationship?

How Do You Nurture a Love Relationship?

Why Is It important to Accept Who Your Partner Is?

Why Is It Important to Speak Up to Get What You Want and Need?

What Can You Learn from a Break-Up?

CHAPTER 8: WHAT MAKES A LOVE RELATIONSHIP WORK: INTIMACY, ROMANCING, PASSION, CARING, AND VULNERABILITY

What Is the Power of Love?

How Can You Feel More Worthy of Love?

What Are the Qualities Needed for a Loving Relationship?

How Can You Use Dates to Start a Relationship?

How Can You Express Your Love?

What Are Some Difficulties in a Love Relationship?

Why Is It important to Be Open to Love?

How Can You Distinguish Romantic Love from Lust and Attachment?

What Are Your Values about Sensuality and Sex?

How Do You Learn about Sex and Sensuality?

What Is the Difference Between Good Sex and Bad Sex?

What Is the Destructiveness of Anger, Hate, Distrust, and Fear?

When the Need for Attention and Love Isn’t Met, Then What?

What Is the Importance of Forgiveness?

How Do You Deal with Change and Changing Attitudes in a Relationship?

Why Is It Important to Be Yourself?

How Can You Deal with Loss in Your Relationships and Your Life?

What Are Things to Avoid?

CHAPTER 9: PRAISING AND THANKING OTHERS

How Can You Effectively Show Appreciation and Gratitude?

What Are Different Ways of Showing Gratitude and Praise?

How Can You Remember and Celebrate Important Occasions?

CHAPTER 10: FORGIVING, APOLOGIZING, AND MAKING AMENDS

Why Is It Important to Forgive Yourself and Others?

How Do You Forgive Mistakes?

How Does Resentment and Anger Interfere with Forgiveness?

What Are the Barriers to True Forgiveness?

What Makes a Good Apology?

What Should You Not to Apologize For?

How Do You Determine If Someone Needs an Apology?

When Should Someone Apologize to You?

How Do You Make Amends Well?

Why Is It Important to Make Amends Quickly?

What Are the Different Ways of Making Amends?

What If Someone Doesn’t Accept Your Efforts to Make Amends?

What If Someone Has Harmed You?

CHAPTER 11: BEING IN A MARRIAGE OR COMMITTED PARTNERSHIP

What Are the Key Challenges in a Committed Relationship?

How Do You Determine If Marriage Is Right for You?

What Are Some Tests to Take Before You Decide to Marry?

How Can You Best Communicate with Your Partner?

What Are Some Key Factors that Make a Good Marriage?

What Are the Major Factors that May Lead to Divorce?

CHAPTER 12: LIVING A HAPPY MEANINGFUL LIFE

What Makes You Happy?

How Important is Passion?

What Are the Effects of Testosterone and Estrogen on Passion?

What Are Some of the Factors that Contribute to Happiness?

What Are Some of the Factors that Work Against Joyful Sharing?

How Can You be Happier by Sharing your Joy with Others?

What Can You Do to Have a Meaningful Life?

What Are the Critical Factors to Having Meaning in One’s Life?

PART 2: CREATING AND MANAGING BUSINESS THRIVING SKILLS

CHAPTER 13: STAYING ALERT AND AWARE

How Can You Learn to Pay Attention?

What Do You Need to Pay Attention?

How Can You Avoid Boredom and Distractions?

CHAPTER 14: GETTING WHAT YOU WANT

How Can You Create Winning Solutions?

How Can You Negotiate to Get What You Want?

How Can You Increase Your Chances for Success?

Why is Gaining Assistance and Inputs from Others Important?

What Are Some Additional Strategies for Gaining Success?

How Can Focusing Help?

What Do Successful Leaders Do?

CHAPTER 15: SETTING AND ACHIEVING GOALS

How Do You Set the Right Goals for Yourself?

What Is Important about Dreams, Desires, and Compelling Goals?

How Can You Gain Clarity About What You Want?

Why Is It important to Have a Can Do Affirming Attitude?

What Can You Do to Make Good Decisions?

Why Is It Important to Write Down Your Goals?

How Can You Set Good Goals and Objectives?

Why Is It Important to Plan?

Why Is It Important to Set Your Priorities?

How Do You Deal with Procrastination and Adversity?

How Can You Be Smart in Taking Risks to Achieve Your Goals?

CHAPTER 16: MAKING CHOICES ABOUT YOUR WORK AND CAREER

Why Are Many Workers Unhappy in Their Work?

How Can You Choose Your Work Wisely?

How Can You Discover Your Major Interests?

How Can You Better Manage Your Career?

How Can You Determine the Education and Skills You Need?

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Getting Hired?

How Can You Have a Good Relationship with Your Boss and Co-Workers?

How Can You Deal with Difficulties in the Workplace?

How and Why Will You Change Jobs?

How Can You Maintain Balance in Your Nonwork Responsibilities?

What Can You Do to Be Employed?

How Can You Increase Your Value in the Workplace?

How Can You Effectively Work in Groups and With Teams?

What Are Some Ways to Lead a Team?

CHAPTER 17: USING YOUR CREATIVITY

How Can You Use Your Creativity Powers More Productively?

In What Ways Can You Become More Creative?

How Does Listening to Happy Music Stimulate Creativity?

How Can You Get Unstuck?

Why Keep Track of Your Creative Ideas?

How Can You Put Your Creative Ideas into Action?

CHAPTER 18: DEVELOPING CHARISMA AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS

How Can You Create Charisma?

How Can You Practice Exercising Leadership?

How Can You Learn How to Become a Leader?

How Can You Avoid Bad Power Seekers?

CHAPTER 19: GETTING THE HELP YOU NEED

How Can You Get Support from Others and Be Supportable?

How Can You Ask for the Help You Need?

What Are Some Useful Sources of Help?

How Can You Offer Help to Others Effectively?

CHAPTER 20: DEALING WITH POWER

How Can You Gain Personal Power?

How Can You Use Power Well?

Why Is It Important to Empower Others?

What Are Some Dangers of Having Power?

What Are the Effects of Losing Power?

CHAPTER 21: DEALING WITH YOUR FINANCIAL CONCERNS

How Can You Achieve Financial Success?

How Can You Make Wise Investments?

What Are Some Ways to Manage Your Assets?

PART 3: CREATING AND MANAGING PERSONAL THRIVING SKILLS

CHAPTER 22: STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF

Why Show Up?

Why Is It Necessary to Be Assertive and Persuasive?

CHAPTER 23: DEALING WITH YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND DISAGREEMENTS

How Can You Deal with Anger?

How Can You Deal with Disagreements and Conflict?

How Can You Deal with Conflicts with Family Members and Friends?

How Can You Resolve Conflicts and Disagreements in a Love Relationship?

CHAPTER 24: SOLVING PROBLEMS AND FIXING MISTAKES

How Can You Define a Problem Correctly?

How Can You Determine the Core Issue and Where to Start?

What Must You Do to Define a Problem Well?

How Can You Learn from Your Mistakes and Deal with Adversity?

How Can You Complain Effectively to Others?

How Can You Use Complaints to Create Change?

CHAPTER 25: BEING COMMITTED AND RESPONSIBLE

Why Is Taking Responsibility for Your Choices Important?

How Do You Know Whom to Trust and Commit to in a Loving Relationship?

How Do You Know If a Person Is Right for You?

How Do You Know What the Right Thing to Do Is?

What Are Some Guidelines for Making and Keeping Commitments?

What Are Some Difficulties in Keeping Promises?

CHAPTER 26: GAINING THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED

Where Can You Find Reliable Information?

How Can You Ask Good Questions?

Why Is It Important to Keep Learning?

Why Is Learning from Mistakes Important?

When Is It Important to Get Input from Others?

What Is Important in Understanding and Defining the Situation?

How Much Information Do You Need and What Is the Cost of Getting It?

CHAPTER 27: ESTABLISHING YOUR BOUNDARIES AND LIMITATIONS

How Do You Protect Yourself by Setting Boundaries?

How Do You Know Your Limitations?

CHAPTER 28: TRUSTING YOURSELF AND YOUR JOURNEY IN LIFE

How Can You Develop Trust in Yourself?

What Do You Need to Master to Guide Others?

What Do You Do to Be Open to Change?

CHAPTER 29: BEING AUTHENTIC

What Must I Do to Be Authentic?

How Do You Know When a Person Is Lying to You?

How Can You Recognize the Truthfulness of Others?

How Can You Discover When Someone Is Lying?

What Should You Look for to See If Someone Is an Authentic Person?

CHAPTER 30: FREEDOM

When Are You Experiencing True Freedom?

How Can You Protect Your Freedom?

Why Is It Important to Participate in Politics?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

I have been collecting pieces of wisdom for over 80 years and will continue until I die. It is an ongoing process where I question whether I am wise because I still make mistakes. Wisdom does not guarantee you will not make mistakes. In fact, mistakes are fertile ground for growing more wisdom. I make fewer mistakes as I get older and that is a blessing to me and my friends and children. I am sharing what I have learned over the years of growing through poverty to becoming wealthy in spirit and experience. You are also on a journey and may be able to learn from my experiences as you add your own wisdom. It has been a rewarding, joyful, meaningful journey of service and healing to all I have met.

INTRODUCTION

This book gives guidance about:

Friendship: have fun playing together, being together.

Intimacy: learn to get through the barriers to intimacy, live with feeling

Self-esteem: honor your personhood and value its importance, fight self-limiting beliefs.

Growth: learn to move forward, heal your wounds, find soul and feel whole.

Maturity: celebrate your ability to master your destiny

Practicality: be confident about selected practical life issues

Daily living:  anger, conflict, fulfilling partnerships, value the gifts we have.

Planning for the future: handling difficult events e.g., death and sickness

This book is for those who want to know more about how to be in charge of their own life; how to live their life with more wisdom, meaningfulness, joy, love, compassion, serenity, career success, and balance. Consider this book like a buffet where you can take what you want now, go back for more, and leave the rest for later meals or snacks as the spirit moves you. 

This book will help you know about the winning strategies of life, and how to apply them so you can have a better life.  This book helps solve problems when you are in personal relationships or are interacting with allies, collaborators, and colleagues.

The book can be a life coach. It distills hundreds of years of collective solutions and wisdom to help you like an owner’s manual for driving through life, so you experience things with more joy, love, and clarity, and have fewer accidents.

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This book is unique from other self-help and inspirational books and textbooks that use stories and discussion to highlight basic principles in that it features a series of wisdom nuggets that quickly get to the point without having to wade through pages of trivial dialogue.  This includes suggestions, insights, guidelines, and conclusions based on research and personal experience on how to become better and more productive. It helps you grow personally because it features key principles in different areas of life.  That’s why the book is called Wisdom Nuggets.

I have developed these ideas from the collected wisdom of thousands of sages I have encountered and from hundreds of lectures and workshops I have led and taken over many decades. I am still learning and am sharing what I have learned. The focus is on the most important nuggets of wisdom in each area.  Use what you find helpful and feel free to adjust these ideas for your own circumstances in life.  

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Many nuggets come from a graduate course I taught for many years called, The Wise Manager: Managing Yourself and Others Wisely, and from leading men’s personal growth and support groups for over 40 years. I have also gained from getting a master of divinity and taking courses at spiritual institutes and by being on the board of directors for a spiritual direction institute. I have been taking courses for over 50 years covering more than 50 disciplines and am still learning. The more I know, the more I learn that there is much more to learn. It is a never-ending humbling journey. You too have been on a journey and have learned many of the wisdom nuggets I have offered in this book. Note where you disagree and mull over the possible ways both interpretations are true.

This book gives you practical insights I have learned in working and consulting for Fortune 500 companies and being president of two professional associations. These experiences have led me to create practical approaches to everyday real-life issues. I have learned from others’ experiences and am sharing that in this book so you to help you in your own situation. 

You can apply most of the Wisdom Nuggets to family and community situations, including friends, co-workers, teachers, students, religious congregants, salespeople, police officers, politicians, and others. At the end of each chapter, you will find a guide to help you apply these principles to different situations. 

How to Use This Book

The best way to use the ideas in this book to solve problems and live a loving, joyful, meaningful life, you can:

Scan the book with curiosity quickly to note what speaks to you.

For each topic, think about how it applies to you. 

Read the nuggets that most apply to your present situation. Then meditate and reflect in your journal about how you might apply the information. Also, focus on the issues most relevant to you. Then add and apply your own insights to each topic.

Ask yourself what actions you might take to feel more complete. Then ask yourself how you can do that. Define some goals and make a plan. This is a book more about acting than about learning new ideas.

Discuss your plans with a friend and take small steps you can do to support each other in achieving wholeness.

Use mistakes you may have made to learn. In this way, failures become a positive part of your learning process.

Review the topics in this book every month and ask yourself: What did I do well? How could I have done better? Reviewing will remind you to re-apply what you learned. With each new step, you are becoming a better new self, one step at a time. When addressing questions that deal with Why , take what you learn and focus on the What and  How questions to apply what you have learned.

As you read the Wisdom Nuggets, do not be disappointed if you do not seem to understand the significance or application of a nugget. When you are ready, you will understand how to apply it. Learning and applying wisdom do not come all at once, since the wisdom path of truth takes time to walk. Many great sages, such as Confucius, Lau Tse, Socrates, and Gandhi, took a lifetime learning and sharing their wisdom on their path.

Nature of Wisdom

The wisdom presented in this book is based on the principle that wisdom is a way of knowing, being, and interacting with others with a feeling of effectiveness, centeredness, and flow. Those who embrace the wisdom express this in their whole multidimensional being in the way they speak and act with others in both close personal relationships and their larger community.  This approach in life includes problem-solving and knowing and doing the right thing in any situation.  It is most easily recognized by others who are also on the path to attaining wisdom. Consider the Wisdom Nuggets as a guide, rather than rigid rules for living a wise, productive, healthy, loving, meaningful, and happy life. Apply them thoughtfully and with flexibility in guiding your life.

While there is no particular path or recipe to wisdom, you can identify and learn to apply some fundamental principles, such as being centered and balanced with nature and with your environment, family, business, and societal demands. Another fundamental principle is that you should clearly perceive what is real and true and what is not. It is necessary to recognize that each situation you experience is unique to some extent. 

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Wisdom is based on well-digested experiences, combined with a strong sense of ethics, virtue, thoughtfulness, courage, love, compassion, kindness, and understanding human behavior. Wisdom also is based on having many ways of knowing and being adaptable to a particular situation. The Wisdom Quotient Test asks whether you already know and apply the Wisdom Nugget as you read each one. The more you have applied or adapted the nugget in your life, the further along you are on the path to wisdom.  Commonly, your path to gaining these insights will involve meditation, study, life experiences, living your values and ethics, knowing, introspection, and learning from past mistakes, rather than obtaining advanced credentials and mastering specific rigorous disciplines.

The most critical time to have wisdom is early in your adult life when making major life decisions. Most people have limited wisdom at this stage of life and may not value wisdom since they do not understand its relevance to them. Many people are too inexperienced, self-absorbed, busy building assets or too poorly experienced to understand wisdom’s value and nature. Often wisdom is gained after making some unfortunate, unnecessary mistakes, but that’s all part of the learning and growing process.

Importantly, as you review these wisdom nuggets, apply them in your life, since unapplied wisdom is useless. Wisdom only becomes useful through applying it to life’s issues and problems. Wisdom is especially useful when making difficult, essential decisions, since it reflects seeing the problem, assessing its character, and coming to suitable solutions. You will usually feel a sense of completion when you have reached a good place. 

Once you have gained wisdom, recognize this without bragging about it and feel humble about gaining this knowledge.  Also, recognize that you cannot force wisdom to happen. Rather, when you are ready, you will pay attention to the lessons leading to wisdom, so you need to approach this subject with an open beginner’s mind rather than a closed I already know this mind. If you do not understand how particular nuggets are useful to you, apply those that are useful now and store the others in your memory or return to this book and review the nuggets that you have not yet mastered.

Read the nuggets in the sections that are most important to you. Also, remember that this is not a manual for taking specific actions. While you may read Plato, Cicero, Aquinas, Kant, Locke Hegel, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Mill, Sartre, Heidegger, and countless others who may give you some insight on wisdom, the key factor is you and how you pay attention to these and life lessons and apply them to your life.

Commitments

Each chapter asks you to make a commitment to take some action based on your need related to the wisdom nugget you have selected to use. The wisdom nugget will do you no good unless you are motivated to apply it to a specific situation and have developed a plan you are determined to accomplish. It is a good idea to make this commitment out loud to someone who will hold you accountable.

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Affirmations

Each chapter asks you to create an affirmation (a positive claim) that blocks your self-limiting beliefs that may impede your efforts to successfully apply the wisdom nugget. You create this aphorism by stating your name and claiming you have the power to fulfill your plan. You repeat the affirmation until you no longer argue with yourself that you can do the commitment.

These are a set of thoughtful comments that should inform you about effective, wise action. Interpret the wisdom nuggets that apply to your present situation and apply them with a sense of balance. And so, bon voyage! Enjoy the journey this book guides you on your journey.

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PART 1: CREATING AND MAINTAINING THRIVING RELATIONSHIPS

CHAPTER 1: KNOWING AND ACCEPTING YOURELF

What Can You Do to Develop Self-Knowledge and Use Your Intuition?

Education is your way of preparing for an unknowable future. Whatever intention you have for using your knowledge, be aware that you cannot know what things will be like in 10 years. Life is full of uncertainties and unintended consequences. Knowledge both creates unstable change to improve the future and destroys your security that comes from stability. The search for knowledge is the road leading to the future and should be your primary focus in education. It is the most essential method for developing and maintaining your competitive edge. Countries, families, individuals, and cultures that know this become the best thrivers.

Know thyself. Brace yourself to search for and absorb the truth. Be aware, people will sometimes describe you in terms that fit their situation but not yours. They may project characterizations onto you that fit them better than you. Seek to know what others think of you but temper it with deep self-understanding. Get feedback from multiple sources who have known you over the years and in many situations so that you know your core identity well.

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You will often find you are better off following your intuition and curiosity than using linear logic. They create an internal compass that is highly motivational, and you will be more satisfied by doing things you like. This requires you be centered and have a great deal of experience and trust in yourself as you follow your passion. Do not lose faith in the value of