Stuff I Learned Yesterday

Remember way back in episode 3 when I told you about my proudest moment? That was the episode where I lost all of my friends because of my arrogance. That was a really hard but very important lesson for me to learn. I’m sorry that I had to learn it the hard way, but I’m glad I learned it at such a young age. Today I want to tell you another story about that time of my life. In fact, today’s story helped lead up to the lesson I learned in episode 3. So there I was, 19 or 20 years old, working part time at the bookstore, and really enjoying it. I was looking for an opportunity to take on more responsibility. I knew that the best way to be given more responsibility was to do a good job with the responsibilities that I already had. Whether it was sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, putting up merchandise, or working the cash register, my goal was to do them all to the best of my ability. My hard work paid off. One day an opportunity opened up as the department head of Bibles and church supplies. T

A while back I went to an event at my church. There were several people there that I was excited to see because I don’t get to see them very much. You know how you have those people in your life that you don’t see very often but you still think of them as good friends. I love having those people in my life. Well anyway, the night moved forward and a few of those people said hi to me and I was glad to get a chance to chat and catch up with them. But a few of those people never did say hi to me. I was happy to chat with the friends that I did talk to, but I was also a little disappointed that I never did talk to a few of the others who were there. Later in the evening after we got home, I told my wife Carrie how I had the chance to talk with some people, but there were a few that I didn’t talk to. I went on to tell her that they never came over to say hi to me. Carrie asked if I had approached them to say hello. I thought about it for a second and said, “No, no I didn’t”. All of a sudden it hit me. Read More..

8th grade. Isn’t that one life’s greatest times? Here’s what I remember about 8th grade. Tommy Connor and Jamie Freeman got into a fist fight in the middle of class and I had a front row seat. Russell Menefee was the star running back of the 8th grade football team. In fact, that fight took place in Mrs. Iscimenler’s class. Russell had accepted the challenge to score a touchdown for every letter in Mrs. Iscimenler’s last name. Interestingly enough, Mrs. Iscimenler told me that I should write stories that had the same style as The Wonder Years. At the time I thought she was crazy. I was in 8th grade. What that even look like. I guess she was a few years ahead of her time. This podcast definitely has a Wonder Years vibe to it, and today’s episode definitely will. You see, there’s one other thing I remember about 8th grade. The girl I liked in 8th grade wasn’t named Winnie; her name was Ruth. Ruth sat in front of me in Mrs. Iscimenler’s class. She had poofy hair and tall bangs like all the cute g

I don’t know how long my vision has been bad. I’m sure it’s been bad pretty much all of my life, but I was in the 6th grade when my teacher contacted my parents to tell them that I should have my eyes tested. I’ll never forget my first eye exam. My dad took me to an eye doctor in the city. We went back to the office area and they blew air into my eyes. I had no idea at the time what glaucoma was or why they would test for it. They also dilated my pupils. I then went into a room and sat in a big chair with strange contraptions all around it. The doctor put various lenses in front of my eyes and eventually arrived at the obvious conclusion: I had very poor eyesight. I was very nearsighted and had astigmatism in both eyes. I then got to hang out with my dad for the rest of the day. It was terrible. No, really, it was. They had dilated my eyes and my dad had to drive around and pick up supplies for a carpet laying job he was working on. Even though the doctor had given me a pair of the dorkiest lo

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a Forum contribution from Mark in Canada. Mark shares a story about tipping your waitress and a recent trip to Boston Pizza. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on the right side of this page. Read More... The post 65- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Today’s episode is another one of those episodes that has taken me a few days to put together. I wasn’t sure how to word everything and I wanted to be really careful with the words that I chose so that I didn’t come across as being arrogant. What I want to share today are stories about some encouraging things that have happened to me in the last two weeks. And then I want to end the episode by talking about why each of these stories are really important to me. The first story occurred between myself, my wife, and our tax accountant. First let me say that if you have not experienced the joy of paying quarterly self-employment taxes then you have not experienced one of life’s truest joys. We’ve been using this tax accountant for several years now primarily for my wife’s Mary Kay business. As Golden Spiral Media has grown, then we’ve used her more and more. Shortly after I left my career last year we met with her to talk about how we needed to handle taxes and get advice on certain financial procedures. Sh

In this episode Derek Olsen share a communication lesson he learned when a prom invitation was misunderstood. Check out Derek and Carrie's budget resources, blog, and podcast at www.derekandcarrie.com. Read More... The post 63- The Prom Invitation Mystery appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Remember episode 23? That’s the episode where I snuck home after school to get some Halloween candy and ended up playing around with a lighter and toilet paper while I was there. In that episode I mentioned that there was a story about a lamp that I would tell you one day. Today is that day. Now before I get into the story of the lamp, let me preface this story by telling you that my version of this story does not match my brother’s version. After my brother heard the Halloween candy story he and I compared memories. They were mostly the same, but there were a few differences. We also talked about the story I’m telling you today. He remembered some things that I do not. He remembers that we had friends over during the time the lamp event happened. I remember it being just me and my brother. I don’t think that our differences in the story will matter. I think what matters most is how I remember the events of that day and the way it affected me both as a child and as an adult. So, disclaimer comple

Do you recognize the name Roger Bannister? Roger is a famous track athlete. He was born March 23, 1929 in Harrow, England. His first love was science, specifically, medicine. More specifically, neurology. His family was poor and could not afford to send him to Oxford, so he earned his way to Oxford the best way he knew how. He earned a track scholarship. He started running for Oxford in 1946 and he probably had no idea that his love for running would change the landscape of the sport. For many years before Roger ever enrolled at Oxford, runners around the world had been obsessed with breaking a barrier: they wanted to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. The 4:30 mile had been broken in 1861. It would take many more years to bring the record down below 4:10. In 1933 an Englishman named Sydney Wooderson ran the mile in just over 4:06. Sydney’s achievement served as a great inspiration to Roger. In 1944 a Swede named Arne Andersson brought the record down to 4:01.06 and a year later another Swede,

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a great story shared by Coop that is filled with several great lessons. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on the right side of this page. Read More... The post 60- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

You know what I’ve discovered? Life almost never works out exactly like we plan. I am a planning person. We decided last fall that we were going to Hawaii this September, and I immediately started planning. I shopped airline prices almost every day for 7 or 8 months so that I would know the moment I saw an exceptional deal. As a result, I saved over a thousand dollars on airfare. I’m not just that way about travel. Before I launch a podcast there are dozens of things that I do to prepare for it. I plan out various bits of music, I think about what the format of the show will be like, when the show will be recorded, what I want the artwork to include, and many other things. I’m currently going through the process of creating a dedicated portal for my clients that will improve communication, streamline file sharing, and allow me to include assistants and other staff members in the work flow. Before I ever started working on the website, I spent a lot of time thinking about what my needs were and plannin

I don’t know how it happened but I now have a middle schooler in my house. My daughter will be making the transition to 6th grade next year and it just doesn’t seem possible. If you have kids, you know exactly how I feel. Our daughter was a really good baby and we were perfectly content with just one child. However, nearly 2 years later, Colby entered our lives. I can not imagine life without him. Now he’s going into 5th grade. In case you’re wondering if my math is off or I have something mixed up, I don’t Colby skipped a grade so he’s just one year behind Addison even though he’s 2 years younger. My kids are pretty much like most kids. They wake up early on the weekends and sleep late on school days. They love playing Minecraft and having sleepovers with their friends. They hate cleaning their rooms. Bathing is an option. Part of me wishes that my kids could stay this way forever. They’re fun to be around, they still think I’m pretty cool, and I don’t have to worry about them driving or dating

You may remember that I first came up with the idea for Stuff I Learned yesterday 6 months ago at New Media Expo in Las Vegas. I mentioned that moment in episode 1 of Stuff I Learned Yesterday. It took me 3 more months before I finally launched the podcast on March 17, 2014. I had no idea what to expect. My vision for Stuff I Learned Yesterday was simple. I wanted it to be a short form daily podcast that you could listen to and find motivation, inspiration, and positivity. I really wasn’t sure if it would work. As I’ve mentioned several times, I began podcasting in 2008 about the TV show Fringe. I followed that up with a technology and entertainment podcast called Cutting the Cable Podcast. My podcast partner and I then formed Golden Spiral Media and we started another technology podcast and a film podcast. Additionally, we started a podcast for geeky dads. Unfortunately, life changed right after we started those last three podcasts and two of the three shows never even made it to episode five. Late

Well, I warned you. I told you there would be more episodes coming about my flower bed project. In case you don’t remember, both my wife and I are terrible at trying to keep plants alive. This year we recruited our green thumb neighbor, Mandy, to help us. I’ve been really working to stay on top of the flower beds and keep my plants thriving. I know absolutely nothing about gardening or flower bedding or whatever it’s called. I’ve looked it up a dozen times, but I’m still not sure if annuals or perennials are the ones that come back each year. I’m a total novice at this stuff. Fortunately, Mandy really digs it. (pun intended) I go out every single day to check on my plants. I usually go out 2 or 3 times each day and look at them. I love to go out there first thing in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy the cool of the morning with their splashes of color greeting me. The morning light and temperature has a very different effect on the plants than the midday sun and heat does. They look

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today's episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a very courageous and inspirational story shared by Rita. You can participate in a future Friday Forum episode by calling and leaving a message at 304-837-2278, emailing an audio file to feedback@goldenspiralmedia.com, or clicking on the Send Voicemail tab on the right side of this page. Read More... The post 55- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

In 2001 I took over as the store manager of a bookstore in Wichita Falls, Texas. Even though I was only 25 years old, I was confident in my abilities to manage over $1 million in inventory and a staff of 30 people. Of course, I had no idea just how much I didn’t know and the best way to learn is by doing. So I dove in head first. The store had a really good staff. Unfortunately, the previous two managers had made some very poor decisions and the store was in rough shape. The store was dirty, poorly stocked, and morale among the staff was low. To be honest and completely truthful, just the simple act of changing the manager was enough to bolster morale. It could have been Mr. Peanut that stepped to the helm, but it was me. Even though they would have reacted positively to Mr. Peanut, their enthusiasm would not have lasted long with him or me if they didn’t see positive things happening soon. I had every intention of taking the support and confidence they had offered me and making it count. I felt lik

Ready for another Chicago story? I have a lot of Chicago stories because I’ve traveled there more than any other city. I love Chicago, but it hasn’t always been that way. The first time I traveled to Chicago I went there for a work related conference. I was there for 4 days. The conference was about internet technology and lasted all day each day I was there. I was the only person from my company to attend the first year it was in Chicago but there were 4 or 5 people that were attending the conference that worked for a sister company of the one I worked for. I had met one or two of them before, but didn’t really know them that well. The first night there was a travel night so we all just grabbed some food and crashed at the hotel. On the second night we all had a dinner schedule with one of our mutual vendors. The dinner lasted quite a while so once it was over, we went back to the hotel and called it a day. The next night I asked a couple of the people that I knew if they were doing anything outside

Now that the calendar has passed Memorial Day, it seems that summertime is upon us. My kids are out of school until August so forget that summer solstice stuff, summer is here. Believe it or not, when my daughter arrived home from school last Friday and my wife asked her if she was excited to have the next 3 months off from school, my daughter complained that she only had 3 months off! I took that opportunity to let her know that as an adult she can expect to work through the summer months and maybe get a few weeks off from work each year. For some reason those words did not bring her great joy and anticipation of being an adult. I know that when I was her age, I didn’t look forward to the days when I’d be an adult and have to work year round. I doubt there is a kid in the world that feels that way. Summers for me were always fun. Sure, there were always chores to do. Cleaning up the kitchen, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning my room, and so forth. We had to mow the lawn, help my dad lay carpet on the wee

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States.  It’s a day we set aside each May and remember those who have served our country as a member of the armed forces, and we especially take time to remember those who gave their lives or have passed on.  We want to remember them and the service that they provided. To be honest, Memorial Day didn’t really mean a whole lot to me growing up.  To me it was just a day to eat some burgers and hang out with my family.  Sometimes it might also include going to a car show and I’d see people displaying their flags, but that was about it. You might think that I was not brought up in a family that served in the military, but that’s not the case.  My grandpa, Roy Wolf, served our country as a member of the United States Army and fought in the Korean War.  My dad, Larry Darnell, and uncle, Johnny Darnell, both served in the U.S. Navy and were aboard the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War. Maybe it was because each of these men had come home safely that I really didn’t think

Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday.  My name is Darrell Darnell, my favorite subject in school was English, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.  In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I’m happy to share another installment of the Friday Forum Teacher's Edition. Golden Spiral Media now has a Patreon page!  Patreon provides a way for you to financially support Golden Spiral Media for as little as $1 a month.  In return, we’ll be able to do some cool things and improve some of the things that we do.  Additionally, you’ll get some cool stuff in return for your support.  Head over to www.goldenspiralmedia.com/patreon for more info. Friday Forum Today is the Friday Forum!! Friday Forum is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU.  It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long.  It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others.  You can participate in Friday Forum by calli