Self Study

Constant reading and learning are only beneficial if you apply what you learn.  Otherwise, you get no where.

I just finished watching BBC's Masterpiece Classic Little Dorrit.  This is my second time to enjoy it (although I did watch some of the episodes twice when it originally aired in the spring). 

One thing that stood out to me this time was that, although William Dorrit had lost everything, and then saw his fortune restored, he didn't change the behaviors that caused him to be in the Marshalsea in the first place.  Careless handling of his personal life brought him to ruin not once, but twice.

As I watched the scene where Dorrit was riding to the bank in the carriage with Mr. Merdle, I thought about Dave Ramsey, and the story of him borrowing a car from a friend after his was repo-ed.  He was humiliated by the experience, but he LEARNED from it, changed his behaviors, and now can drive whatever he chooses.  It made me disgusted that William Dorrit didn't learn from the 20+ years he spent in a debtor's prison, and rise from that experience to make different decisions.  But, am I any different?

I'm being very introspective after this viewing of the mini-series, and asking myself tough questions:

Have I learned from the mistakes I've made, or am I just repeating them again and again?


What behaviors do I have that are causing me to continue in a cycle of debt or lack?  (Although we are not borrowing money, we are not yet debt free, and I am not satisfied with the rate of decline in our debt.)


What thought patterns need to change in my life, so that I can move forward from lack to prosperity?


If I were to inherit a great deal of wealth today, would I be willing to manage it or, like Dorrit, would it prove to be too much for my character, and end up being a curse instead of a blessing?

"Knowledge without wisdom is like a load of books on a donkeys back", author unknown.

I'm still thinking...