Stuff I Learned Yesterday

I’ve been called a lot of things in my life: liar, trickster, talented, mean, ornery, arrogant, funny, rude, wise. I’ve also had many titles: manager, director, owner, father, husband, friend, worship leader, student, podcaster. However, over the last few months I’ve been called a couple of things that I didn’t necessarily expect: teacher and storyteller.

Teacher is not necessarily a word that has never been associated to my name before. I’ve done things like Bible classes at church, teach podcasting courses, and when I was in high school, I even had thoughts of becoming a teacher one day. However, teacher is not a word that would come to mind immediately if I were asked to describe myself.

The word storyteller is a word that I would never have associated with my name. In fact, it never had been associated with me until I started this podcast. Since I began this podcast on March 17, I’ve been called a storyteller at least a dozen times, if not twice that.

A few weeks ago we were having dinner with Clint my partner in crime for The Fringe Podcast and Almost Human Podcast, and his wife Mandy, who will soon be hosting this podcast alongside me and Derek. One of the many things we talked about that night was this podcast.

I mentioned that the word storyteller was starting to be applied to me and this podcast and that I thought it was odd. I mean, I very purposefully set out to teach lessons through stories with this podcast, so it does seem fitting, but still, odd. Why does it seem odd? Because I never really considered myself a storyteller, that’s why. Sure, I could define a storyteller by simply applying the term to anyone who tells stories. And suppose that if I did that, it wouldn’t be inaccurate. But I think of a storyteller as something greater than that. I think a storyteller is someone who has the ability to capture the attention of an audience and take them on a lyrical journey. I definitely don’t put myself in that category.

Still, I’ve been pondering these words and what they mean to me and how they manifest themselves in my life. I love these words, and I love that some think they are appropriate words to describe me. Read More...

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We eat a Taco Bell a lot. It’s not my favorite place to eat by a long shot, but the rest of my family really loves it. It’s also cheap. A few weeks ago my son and I were out running some errands and we decided to stop in to Taco Bell for lunch. We went inside and there was only one person in line ahead of us.

Instead of the line advancing quickly, it. was. slow. The problem was with the cashier. It was clear that she was new. Maybe it was even her first day. The guy in front of me ordered something, and she couldn’t figure out how to put it into the register. She called the manager. The manager came right away and helped her put in the item to the register. She thanked the manager and he walked back to the kitchen area. The customer then ordered something else, and once again, she needed help. She once again called for the manager.

The manager came up right away and helped her. She fumbled around with all the buttons on the register but the manager very patiently helped guide her to the right sequence of buttons. She thanked him and he stepped back. This time he didn’t go back to the kitchen, he simply stepped back a few feet. It was far enough to make her feel like she was running the register on her own, but not so far that the customers didn’t feel like he was abandoning them. Read More...

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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, my favorite number is 38, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I’m pleased to bring you another installment of the Friday Forum.

Today’s featured client is Jim Cumbee. Jim has over 25 years of experience buying and selling small business and uses that experience along with the knowledge he gained while getting his MBA from Harvard to each episode of his weekly podcast, Entrepreneur’s M & A Journal. Each week Jim interviews entrepreneur’s who have built their business up and sold it to a third party. They discuss the challenges and rewards of selling a business, provide unique insight to the listeners, and help educate those who are looking at a merger or acquisition. You can check out Entrepreneur’s M & A Journal at www.tnvalleygroup.com.

Friday Forum

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There is so much happening all around us every day. I regularly receive comments like, “I could never do that show because I don’t really learn that much.” Or, “I don’t know how you come up with so much stuff to talk about.” Honestly, it is a real challenge on some days, and other days, it just flows out and I’ll have ideas for 2 or 3 episodes all at once.

If you’re someone that thinks they aren’t learning anything, I’d like to challenge that. Maybe you aren’t the type to be able to put your life lessons into a story like I do. Maybe the stuff you’re learning doesn’t seem as inspiring, or important, or life changing as my stuff. I don’t know about that. Don’t sell yourself short.

What I’ve learned is that because I have put myself in a situation where I MUST come up with stuff to share with you, I’m a lot more aware of stuff around me. Literally everywhere I go, every conversation I have is now viewed through the lens of “what am I learning from this.” That’s not a bad thing.

Because I’m more focused on what I’m learning, I’m growing more and noticing more things that need attention in my life. I’m noticing others more. I mean, I’m seeing the needs of others, learning more by observation, and listening more.

So that’s my challenge to you. Maybe blogging is not your thing. Maybe podcasting is not your thing. That’s okay. Have you ever considered journaling? Grab a cheap notebook the next time you’re at the store and take a few minutes at the start or end of your day to reflect, meditate, and write down your thoughts. You’ll start noticing stuff you never realized that you noticed. You’ll grow at a faster pace because you’re more aware of stuff. And over time, you’ll see the growth rings of your life imprinted on those pages. Read More...

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When I was in college I wanted to be a rock star. I was in a band and we were good. We toured around Oklahoma and Texas sometimes playing five shows a week. We had t-shirts, stickers, and two full length CDs. It was a lot of fun, even more work and yes, it got crazy every now and then.

I would do it all over again given the chance. Well, I wouldn’t do it again now, but if I had to re-live my younger years I totally would. Read More...

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