Precious Gems For Your Mind

Precious

Gems

For Your Mind

Wisdom, Tips, and Quotes for

Experiencing an Amazing Life

Also by Chris Warnky

Heart of a Ninja Series

The Heart of a Ninja: Stretch Your Boundaries

What Just Happened?: The Line

What Just Happened?: The Run

The Heart of a Ninja for Kids: It's Play Time!

Twelve Traits of a Ninja: Live Like a Ninja

Four Traits of a Ninja: Experience the Ninja Fun

Well Done Life Series

How to Refocus Your Life: See beyond the Urgent to the

Big Picture through Personal Retreats

Turning Gray: A Spiritual Shift – Leading to Greater

Awe of God and Creation

The Coach Approach: A Unique and Supportive Way to Give and Get Help

Precious

Gems

For Your Mind

Wisdom, Tips, and Quotes for

Experiencing an Amazing Life

Chris Warnky

Well Done Life LLC

Columbus, Ohio

2024

Copyright © 2024 by Chris Warnky

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024909974

Ebook ISBN: 979-8-3302-9251-6

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-3302-9250-9

Hardback ISBN: 979-8-3302-9253-0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Chris Warnky/Well Done Life LLC

1440 Mentor Drive

Westerville, Ohio 43081

Dedication

I dedicate Gems to my nieces, Delaney and Sarah, who recently graduated from college, and to my nephew, Dalton, who I had the opportunity to visit with during a trip in 2023, and to my other nephews, David and Jonathan, and to my three grandchildren, Hannah, Lydia, and Grace. Also, for those who at times, have voiced frustration to me about where they are in life and how life seems to be going.

I dearly want to provide all of you with love, support, help, and some concepts, tips, and tools to help you enjoy your life even more. The concepts in Gems can and will change your life, and your many years ahead, making them greater than you ever imagined by planting these concepts in your mind, meditating on them, then making wise choices and applying them on a daily basis.

Contents

Introduction

The Value of These Gems

Chapter 1: Big Picture

Chapter 2: Spirituality

Chapter 3:  Feelings

Chapter 4:  Thinking

Chapter 5:  Adversity

Chapter 6:  Priorities

Chapter 7:  Planning

Chapter 8:  Doing

Chapter 9:  Personal Growth

Chapter 10:  Relationships

Chapter 11:  Employment

Chapter 12:  Money

Conclusion

More about Well Done Life Services

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Introduction

How often do you wonder what you should do in a situation or wish you knew more about a topic so you could make a better llife decision or feel reactive to life, feeling like things keep happening to you more than you would like, or wish you could be more proactive, more in control of your real-world experiences? If you can relate to any of these situations, then help is on the way. A different form of education is literally in your hands, education that is focused on how to better live and experience life in your day-to-day world.

What if you could go to college and get a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and maybe even a doctorate for free? It wouldn’t cost you hardly any money, time, or effort to get that education, and you wouldn’t even have to learn the lessons the hard way, through making mistakes. Wouldn't that be amazing? That’s exactly what I hope Gems will do for you, provide you with practical knowledge and wisdom, an education about how to live this life well without having to spend the money, and four to eight years in school to learn it. How to daily live isn’t taught much in schools. In Gems, I share over 150 life concepts and quotes that I've learned during my sixty-seven-plus years of life. Most are quite short and simple, but they can make a tremendous impact on enhancing your life experience and future. I hope they do, and I hope you're attracted to these ideas and concepts and that you're continually drawn back to them, over and over, just like they've done for me, molding me and shaping me into the person I am today.

I wish I had had a resource like this when I was younger. I could have eliminated many mistakes that, to some degree, have limited my success and health. I'm quite thankful for all I have at this age, and it could have been even easier and better had I known these things much earlier in life. I hope this is a tremendous benefit to you at a much earlier age.

You might already have your high school diploma and maybe even your college degree, or more, but reading and applying these concepts will be like getting your degree, your education, and your university credentials, not for study in a particular field, but for living life.

I’ve Been So Blessed

I've lived a blessed life and have been retired now for over 11 years. This has occurred due to God's provision and blessing, a tremendous number of repeated wise choices, and the learning and insights I've gained from my personal experiences, as well as what I've learned from others from their experiences. Writing and publishing Gems is a way to share many of the factors that have influenced me and had a tremendous impact on my life. I hope that many others can also be positively influenced by these ideas that can dramatically help improve life.

I get so pumped each time I come up with another way to make a positive impact on others by improving their thinking, which can lead to an even better life for them. I dream of providing them with a broader perspective, new ideas, and deeper thoughts than they've ever had, with an ability to see longer range than they previously have, to better understand the impacts of their thinking and actions, so they experience many fewer surprises and achieve many of the things that they truly desire. I hope Gems is another way to make a difference in this world, to create an even greater legacy, hopefully making an impact in a positive way on many others.

How Gems started

The idea for writing Gems came during a drive to and from Arkansas from Ohio. I was looking forward to visiting with family members during some key family events that were occurring on the upcoming weekend, including a funeral home visitation for my sister-in-law's mother, who had recently passed away within the week. The next day, my niece, Delaney, was going to be graduating from Arkansas on Saturday night. And Mother's Day was that Sunday. It had been years since all three of Mom's kids had been together with her on Mother’s Day. It was going to be a special day.

During the drive, I was reflecting on life relative to the loss of a loved one, the major accomplishment of college graduation, and the celebration of a mom who had raised three kids who were now in their 60s. It made me think about my life and the many things I've learned and would have loved to have learned even earlier in life. As I thought about what I've learned by age 67, it occurred to me that I could pass some, or maybe even many of them down to others younger than me if I simply documented them and provided a short description of how they've positively influenced my life. My first thought was to convey the content and insights by producing short YouTube videos. My idea was to produce one and share it each week, revealing many of the things that have shaped and changed my life. Someday, I might still do that.

As I started to list my key thoughts, which kept coming and coming to mind, I began to think also in terms of publishing another book that could be a quick read for family members and others, a reference that hopefully could be thought-provoking for potential readers. I believe we all want to make a positive impact on this earth, especially with others. This was yet another way to potentially enhance my legacy, making a difference for others in the form of another book.

As each concept came to mind, using a lap desk, scrap paper, and a pen, I jotted down keywords to remember each of my thoughts while my eyes remained focused on the road. I was doing my best to write without looking down at the piece of paper. Many of my notes were legible, some not so much.

Each day, after my long drive, I documented each of my notes in a spreadsheet. In addition to focusing on the road and traffic, these thoughts kept my mind extremely active during much of my two-day, 12-hour drive to Arkansas and also on the return trip home as the ideas continued to pour from my mind onto small pieces of notepaper. I documented well over 150 concepts, ideas, or tips that have improved my life. Once documented in the spreadsheet, I was able to categorize each of the points and I began to group and organize them for the structure of a book. It was not an all-inclusive list of everything that has influenced me, but it contains so many of the thoughts that now direct my life and have for years. These concepts might not all work for each person, but they sure have for me.

Functional Life Focus

These concepts are daily living tips related, not theology-based. They come from a functional, operational, and practical perspective. This isn’t a religious or spiritual-focused book. That is another important aspect of my life, and I address it in Turning Gray. In Gems, I include a few scriptures that are functional-based.

These are General Concepts

Each of these points is a general concept, not an absolute statement that will apply in every situation. There are one-off exceptions to most things and yet I've found these concepts to be consistently helpful.

Not all these entries will be embraced by everyone. Each of us thinks differently, and we each come from different perspectives. Each one of these has resonated so well within me, and they have each made a huge positive difference, so hopefully, many of them will for you as well.

With each entry, I share a key point that has been helpful to me. It might be quick and simple for you to comprehend by simply reading the short, bold font statement. I then provide a short commentary about how I relate to the point. I often provide the source of the quotes or points so you can dive deeper if needed or if you are interested in more. The original source will provide you with additional background and context.

They are Simple and Practical

It's amazing how so many of these concepts are simple and practical, and yet I wasn't aware of them earlier in life. They are all doable over time, and most importantly, they are fully within your control. They can each help you as you slowly and methodically learn and then apply them, leading to building a new and better future. Through my having shared these concepts, I hope to be a significant contributor to your better future. Please let me know if certain of these thoughts and concepts resonate well with you and how applying them has improved your life. I would love to celebrate with you.

Many Popular Quotes and Concepts are Not Included

I've heard many other quotes and concepts during my life, things like Better safe than Sorry, which is often true, and Better to ask forgiveness than permission, which I might agree with in limited situations, or Better Late than Never, which I'm not sure I agree with. Examples like these haven’t resonated strongly with me, so they've not been included in my list.

Some Have Experienced Negative Comments

Some people have grown up with horrible feedback and discouragement from family members and/or friends, living amidst a culture of criticism, frequently hearing comments like: "You idiot! You're stupid. Dumb kid. You jerk. You're