Welcome to the Happiness podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff. There's a lot of things that we can

achieve in life, success, fame, wealth. But I think if we're honest, most of us would agree that

the greatest thing we can achieve is wisdom. Throughout human history, we've really valued the wise. In China, they have

Confucius. And for several millennia, China has looked to Confucius for their wisdom and how to

live their lives well. And throughout Southeast Asia, they have the Buddha, who we've all seen in statues, sitting,

serenely, being wise, sharing his wisdom through the sutras to people around the world.

And then we have Jesus here in the West, who is known for his parables and whose sermon on the

Mount.

If you can deny, are some of the most wise words ever shared.

And then in our own lives, don't we know someone who we see is wise, who we look up to,

perhaps a grandparent, perhaps a teacher, perhaps someone who's a spiritual leader that we look up to, perhaps a grandparent, perhaps a teacher, perhaps someone who's a spiritual

leader that we look to for the wisdom because they have so much to share. And we respect,

we honor, and we often learn so much from their wisdom. And if we are blessed to live long enough, wouldn't one of the greatest

titles that we could be given towards the end of our lives, from our family and from our

friends, that we are a wise person? Perhaps not for everyone listening to this podcast, but I think

most people would agree that wisdom is a beautiful

goal to strive for and perhaps even achieve during our lifetime. But how do we, or how do others,

become wise? I want to explore with you the three paths to wisdom. The hard way, the smart way, and no way.

The hard way is when we learn from our own mistakes. When I was three years old, it's the first time I remember learning the hard way.

Being a young boy, I was fascinated by fire. My parents had warned me

not to ever play with fire or touch things that were hot because I could get burnt, but up to

that point in life I had never been burnt before. One day when my mother was cooking in the kitchen,

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