Stuff I Learned Yesterday

For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired the way my dad has the ability to create with his hands. Some of my earliest memories involve interacting with his creations. My dad was a carpet layer, and a good one at that. He drove a full-size fan, and it only had seating of the two front captain’s chairs. The rear cargo area of the van was completely covered in carpet that dad installed himself. On the driver’s side of the cargo area was a large tool chest made of plywood and covered in carpet. It housed the tools of the trade when they weren’t in use. Our house featured other handy works of his including a locking gun cabinet and a cedar chest. Even the paddle he spanked us with when we got in trouble was something he’d hand-made. Read More... The post 580- Challenge Accepted appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Walking home from school discussing the flagpole moment that would live in infamy, Ralphie, Flick and Schwartz relived the triple dog dare moment as Randy toddled behind them. And then, they heard the laugh of Scut Farkus. Scut and his toad henchman, Grover Dill, yelled at, intimidated, and twisted the arms of the boys until the boys ran away, screaming for their lives. I’m sure most, if not all of you have seen this scene from the movie, “A Christmas Story.” Later in the movie a dejected Ralphie has enough when Scut blindsides him with a snowball to the face. Ralphie transfers all his pent up disappointment and frustration into his fists, and Scut’s face becomes the recipient of all that fury. Scut had it coming, and you can’t help but smile at the bully getting what he deserved. Read More... The post 579- Snowball to the Face appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

A curious boy once asked a wise owl how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. The owl opted to conduct an experiment to determine the number. One…Two…Three…crunch! Three, the owl declared. In the longer version of this famous commercial, the cow, fox, and turtle all confessed they’d never been able to make it to the center without biting it, and clearly the owl had no more patience than the other animals when it came to enjoying the sweet taste of a Tootsie Roll Pop. Unfortunately for me, purchasing a car from Georgia and having it shipped to Oklahoma is a process that cannot be sped up by biting. That beautiful flame red classic would eventually find its way to my garage, and regardless of my level of patience, I had no choice but to wait. Read More... The post 578- When Goals Fall Short appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

I could feel the wind jostling my hair. It wasn’t the kind of wind that knocks you back, but it was there letting me know that at that height, there was nothing to obstruct it. Behind me I heard the words of my friends Charles and James cheering me on. When I took the first step that would eventually lead me to this place, my heart was full of courage and confidence. The obstacle seemed small, the danger non-existent. But now I’d come to the end of my journey. My perspective had changed. I’d signed the waiver, strapped on the harness, climbed the seemingly endless flights of stairs, and fastened myself to an umbilical cord of rubber bands. Staring down at the parking lot below, the airbag that would break my fall in case of failure now seemed a lot smaller. For that matter, the trees, cars, buildings, people...everything seemed smaller. There was nothing left to do but trust all the processes and people who’d helped me get to this point, to lean on the experience of those who’d walked this path befo

When I was 5 years old my parents bought me a Mighty Tonka Off Road Adventure Buggy. The Tonka Adventure buggy looked something like a Ford Bronco of the era. It was about 14 inches long and about 8 inches high with large wheels. It was great for playing in the dirt, and turned my backyard into an off road race track. I’d stand behind the Tonka, lean down and put my hands on top of it, and push it while running laps around the yard. In my mind I was at the wheel of a life-sized 4x4. It’s my first memory of loving a car. Read More... The post 576- Get to Work appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Tucked away at The Factory at Franklin sitting at the table farthest from the door, there I sat listening to Cliff talk about goals and limiting beliefs. After teaching on these topics for a while he instructed us to turn to a blank page in our workbook and number it 1 through 25 down the left hand side of the page. He then gave us 10 or 15 minutes to fill out all 25 places with things that we wanted in our life 5-10 years from now. Last week I asked you to perform this exercise, except I only asked you to come up with 20 things. How did it go? If you were like me, you came charging out of the gate like a racehorse at the Kentucky derby, only to run out of steam when I came to the back stretch. In this exercise, I only came up with 11 things. Here they are: Read More... The post 575- Objects Not to Scale appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

In March of this year I brought back Stuff I Learned yesterday after being on hiatus for over 4 years. I had a burning desire to share the story arc that comprised all of last season. For some of you that listened to the original run of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, several of the stories shared last season were familiar because I’d shared them in some capacity on previous episodes of SILY. I shared them again and in more detail because I felt it was important to tell the whole story as an arc. This season will be taking a similar approach in format. That is, the entire season is one continuous story, with each episode being a story within the larger story. Last season was titled, “The Dream,” and this season is called, “The Car.” Read More... The post 574- No Limits appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

When I first had the idea for what would eventually become last season’s episodes of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, it wasn’t so I could share the story on SILY. What is now collectively known as “The Dream” season of Stuff I Learned Yesterday started as a yearning to share my story from the stage. In the fall of 2018 I attended a conference called Free the Dream which you’ll hear more about starting with the new season next week. After that conference I felt compelled to share my story and inquired about the possibility of being a speaker at the next year’s conference. However, I was not approved to be a speaker for that conference.  Read More... The post 573- Community Feedback for “The Dream” appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

As I mentioned last week, I just started my ninth year as a full-time entrepreneur. I also said that it wasn’t my dream until it was my dream. We’ve spent this entire season looking at my dreams. We started when I was in high school and visited several dreams along the way. So how about you? What’s your dream? I’m serious I want to know. Not sure? Hit the pause button and give it some thought. If you can, close your eyes, clear your mind. Allow your mind to wander and think. Don’t restrict yourself. Don’t tell yourself anything is too silly or too big. Don’t say you’re not smart enough or you don’t have...whatever. Don’t shut yourself down. This is a judgement free exercise, and that means no judging yourself. I mean it. NO JUDGING! Now, hit that pause button and let your mind wander until you’re uncomfortable, and then wander some more. I’ll wait. When you’re ready, hit play. Read More... The post 572- Let’s Get Dangerous appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts,

Eight weeks have passed since we started this season. The name of that first episode was called Birth of a Dream. That dream was to one day be an animator for Warner Brothers. I then killed that dream and then had no dream for the next few years. Then, after working at the bookstore long enough to see all the opportunities, I dreamed of becoming a buyer within that company. A few years later, I achieved that dream, only to have it smashed when I was fired from it 18 months later. Read More... The post 571- Uncle Rico Doesn’t Live Here appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” Those are the words of the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, son of David, celebrated king of Israel. Once I started working with TV talk, it became clear pretty quickly that I was finally on the path of leaving the corporate world. In fact, just 6 months after I first started working with TV Talk, I turned in my resignation. That’s right, I got to leave on my terms. Handing my boss a resignation letter felt so good and so right. But that’s not the focus of today’s story. Read More... The post 570- Counsel of the Wise appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

When I started working at the bookstore as a part time cashier in the fall of 1994, I considered it to be a good job that would help me pay my way through college. After I dropped out of college, I put all my focus toward excelling at the bookstore so that I could get as much experience as possible until I figured out what I wanted to be now that I was growing up. At some point along the journey, I realized that the bookstore was a great place to make a career. Read More... The post 569- The Spark of a New Dream appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Internet Sales Manager. That was the title my boss gave me as I started this new adventure. Technically, he asked what title I wanted, and said that he was thinking about Internet Sales Manager. Since I really don’t care much about job titles as long as they don’t contain the word “waiting” in them, so it sounded good to me. This job turned out to be one of my best adventures so far. Looking back on it now, it prepared me for my current phase of life more than I ever could have imagined. But--spoiler alert-- I didn’t imagine then that I’d be doing what I’m doing now. Read More... The post 568- Forgiving the Unrepentant appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Last week I ended the episode with me FINALLY landing what was my dream job at that time: a buying position within the company I was working for. My first day on the job was preparing for a business trip to our industry’s annual conference taking place the following week. My new assistant got me up to speed, and out the door I went. The new team I was working with was enjoyable. My assistant was very knowledgeable and really delightful to work with. The other junior buyer in our department was amazing. I’d known him for a number of years and he was a rock star. In fact, he was the guy that got the buying position I mentioned last week. He was a couple of years younger than me, but had a reputation throughout the company for being smart, analytical, humble, and a hard worker. The senior buyer was...different. I was used to working for bosses that took the work seriously, aimed to perform at the highest level, but still had a way of being very personable. This new boss did not have any of that last at

So there I was, a 19 year old killer. The first sign of difficulty had crossed my path, and I had no Samwise Gamgee. Can we just pause here for a minute? I want to make sure you get that reference. I know most of you wonderful nerds got it. But for those who didn’t, go find a copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or go watch the movies. Samwise Gamgee might just be the true hero of that entire adventure. Frodo never would have finished his journey, he never would have survived, he never would have had the required resilience to throw...well, I’m tempted to say that the spoiler warning halo has lapsed since the book was first published nearly 70 years ago, but I did just encourage you to go experience it...so let’s just say that Samwise and his wonderful po-ta-toes that you can boil, mash, and stick in a pot, were important. Read More... The post 566 – I’m Going to Yemen appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

The year is now 1994. I was fresh out of high school and ready to head out into the world and conquer it. Warner Brothers, I’m coming at you! My plan was to enroll at the University of Central Oklahoma for two years, then transfer to the University of Oklahoma to finish up my final two years. My freshman year would be spent living in the dorm, and my roommate would be one of my close high school friends. It was going to be awesome!! Read More... The post 565 – Death of a Dream appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

In the fall of 1991 I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. I did well in school, but didn’t really take all my classes seriously. English was one of those classes that came naturally to me, and that year we had a brand new teacher for English by the name of Mr. Harrison. Mr. Harrison was different. He not only had an English degree, but he was fluent in French and Spanish, and knew a fair bit of Latin. He was well-read, articulate, quick-witted, and knew how to command a classroom. Before moving to Oklahoma, he’d lived in Michigan where he ran a photo studio and did substitute teaching.  Read More... The post 564 – The World is a Classroom appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Let's get dangerous! What comes to your mind when you hear those words? I was a child of the 80’s and entered high school in 1990. When I was in high school, my afternoons after I got out of school consisted of me coming home, turning on the TV, and for the next two to three hours, watching cartoons like Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Tailspin, Ducktails, Darkwing Duck, the Animaniacs, and Batman: The Animated Series. And I absolutely loved watching these cartoons.  Read More... The post 563 – Birth of a Dream appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Back on March 17, 2014 I launched Stuff I Learned Yesterday, a podcast to inspire, bring hope, and be a spark of light in the world.  After 562 episodes, the sun set on SILY on December 30, 2016.  A new day has dawned, and SILY is back, this time, the launch day is March 17, 2021.  I’m looking forward to sharing the new episodes with you.  Here’s a preview of the first two episodes.  Subscribe or follow the podcast, and enjoy new episodes each Wednesday starting March 17.  Read More... The post The Return of Stuff I Learned Yesterday appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

When I was in high school I would occasionally go camping with my friends Van and Jason. It was always a lot of fun just hanging out with my friends and goofing off. We'd find a good spot on one of the hundreds of acres owned by Van's parents, and make camp for the night. We'd build a campfire, stretch out our sleeping bags, and eventually we'd go to sleep right there under the stars. No RV. Not even a tent. Read More... The post 562- Backside of a Sunrise appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.