What does the word “wisdom” mean to you?
Perhaps it brings to mind a wise old friend. Or you may identify with the concept through your faith. You may be fortunate to have a mentor or coach from whom you seek wisdom and guidance.
Wisdom can be defined as:
the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
It is inclusive of intelligence, understanding and insight. Not to be confused with “knowledge”, which is simply knowing - gained through reading, research, memorization, and general learning.
The primary difference between the two words is that wisdom involves a good amount of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject. It is not just about knowing what’s good for you, but applying that knowledge to your everyday life.
I admit, I often get caught up in the day to day tasks of life and lose sight of the power of my own wisdom. I’m the type of person who has an idea, gets excited about it, learns what I need to know, and starts the work to make it happen. Then along the way I lose momentum and sometimes confidence that it’s even worth completing.
I find myself with many started projects that I have yet to finish. This has happened to me very recently. I came up with a business idea, started the work toward that, then after some time felt stuck and confused about where I was meant to go in my career and how to get there. I had lost sight of the why behind it.
So I had a conversation with a mentor to talk through my situation and how I was feeling. While we were talking, she asked me,
“What is your Oola Hub?”
The Oola Hub is at the centre of the Oola Wheel. It’s the foundation, the core from which everything else flows.
I paused, and realized I had hardly thought about my Hub since completing the Oola course months ago.
How will I go far in life if I don’t even know what anchors me, brings me peace, and makes all this worthwhile?
I realize now that during this struggle there was something I hadn’t fully tapped into: wisdom.
The experiences I’ve been through, knowledge I’ve gathered and insight gained throughout my life have led me here to where I am now. And it’s up to me to listen to the wisdom I have attained and go back to that hub to ensure it is solid. From there I will navigate my next milestones and in which direction I will take my next strides.
Whatever your Hub is, here are some ways to bring alignment with your inner wisdom:
Personal Reflection. Your thoughts and reactions are powerful. Ask yourself questions to get to the core of what they really mean. Write them down.
Seek guidance and knowledge from others. I’m sure you could name at least one person you know who meets the definition of a wise person. Make a commitment to spend more time with that person, ask questions and see how you grow.
Grow from your mistakes. Often we find ourselves wanting to forget a mistake that we’ve made and move on as quickly as possible. Instead, pause; identify why it happened and what you could have done differently. Make note of that for the future so that you don’t make the same mistake twice.
Practice humility. Having a big ego and pretending to know everything will only bring you further from your goal. Instead, admit to your imperfections and know that no one can ever know it all, so we are here to learn together and help each other.
Review past actions and outcomes. Do this every time you make an important decision.
Wisdom is an accelerator to get to your Oola life, in all seven areas. You can build a life of balance and peace. If you truly want to live an Oola life listen to wisdom.
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