Stuff I Learned Yesterday

Doorbell, dorknell, Darlene, four-eyes, big ears, dumbo, are those your girlfriend’s glasses, hey Larry Darrell and Darrell, where’s your other brother. Those are just a few of the things kids said to me growing up. I’m sure you can make your own list too. This teasing reality is part of growing up for most kids. Just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sticks and stones do break bones and words hurt in deep ways too.

I’ve always been insecure. It has come a long way over the last 15 years, but it some situations, it’s still very real. As a teenager I struggled with the fact that I was so skinny. I wasn’t very muscular or athletic, I was scrawny. I remember someone once told me that fat would turn into muscle and peanut butter would make you fat. So one day I went to the store and bought a jar of peanut butter and ate on it all day just to try and put on some weight that would maybe turn to muscle.

Even throughout my college years I couldn’t seem to put on weight. At the age of 22 I weighed about 145 pounds. I ate whatever I wanted, which was great, but I hated being so skinny. I didn’t want to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I just wanted to be normal. I just wanted to gain about 15 or 20 pounds.

There’s no doubt that some of you have had issues that are opposite of that. Some of you are thinking that it would have been really nice to have been in my position. Funny how that works. We are a “grass is always greener” type of being, aren’t we?

The reality is that none of us are perfect and we are much better at noticing our flaws than anything else. We look at other people and wish that we had what they have and we have no idea that they might be looking at themselves and hating what they see or looking at something in us and wishing they had it. Read More...

The post 92- Sticks and Stones and Words and Worth appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

We went to church fairly regularly when I was a young kid. My parents divorced when I was 9, and we really didn’t go much at all after that. My grandparents went every time the doors were open, so if we stayed the weekend with them, we went to church. Their denomination was the Assemblies of God. The youth program at the Assemblies of God is called Royal Rangers, and it was awesome.

For the boys, it was a lot like Boy Scouts. The girls were called Missionettes. They may have been like Girl Scouts, but I really have no idea. As I said, I was pretty young, so I didn’t get to do as much as the older groups did, but we did get to go camping. It was awesome. We’d go out to a campground that was nothing but a blank canvas of earth. We’d set up tents, make a campfire, and cook our food over the fire. We all had mess kits to eat with and I felt like a kid from a century before while we were out there.

Partially because I enjoyed the Royal Rangers so much, I wanted to join the Boy Scouts. I wasn’t old enough for Boy Scouts so when I was 7 or 8, I joined the cub scouts. One year for Halloween, we had a Halloween party. I don’t really remember where it was for sure, but I think it was as an American Legion Hall or something like that.

Out in the main area of the room were a variety of activities for us to enjoy. I remember being really annoyed by how difficult it was to bob for apples. However, the thing that I remember most did not happen in the main room. I don’t know if it was set up in the kitchen or if there was a storage room, but whatever it was, it had two points of entry and it was walled off from the main room. They had set up a haunted house that took us in one door, through the series of haunts, and then out through the second door. Read More...

The post 91- Paralyzed By Fear appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I once had someone mistake me for her dead son, 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.

Are you a podcaster or have you ever thought about starting your own podcast? If so, I want to invite you to Podcast Movement. Taking place in Dallas on August 16 & 17, Podcast Movement will be an incredible opportunity for you to network with and learn from some of the best podcasters and teachers. There will be over 40 breakout sessions that will be broken down by beginner sessions and advanced sessions. Featured speakers included Chris Brogan, Cliff Ravenscraft, Jamie Tardie, Rob Cesternino, John Lee Dumas, Cynthia Sanchez, and MANY more. I will be there leading an advanced session on audio editing, and Derek will be there too. If you want to take advantage of early bird pricing, act right now as early bird pricing goes up after tomorrow, July 15. Visit www.goldenspiralmedia.com/podcastmovement and join the movement today!

Friday Forum

The post 90- Friday Forum appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

I’m really excited about Podcast Movement. As the days tick by and Podcast Movement draws closer, my excitement grows. I love the opportunity to learn from other people and this conference will have some amazing leaders and teachers. The thing I look forward to the most is meeting new people and reconnecting with others. I learned quite a while ago that the best moments from conferences are normally found in the hallways and the coffee lines. Those are the moments when one-on-one conversations and real connections are made.

I’m also looking forward to this conference because it will mark a milestone achievement for me. It will be the first time I have have led a solo session at a conference. Back in 2012 I had a goal to speak at a conference. That was really the entirety of my goal. It didn’t matter what context or conference. I simply wanted to be invited to be a speaker at a conference. I saw it as an opportunity to test the waters for the future career goals that I had and I saw it as a way to challenge myself and grow. In June of that year I was asked to organize and lead a podcasting panel at Blog World in New York City.

Since that time my goal has been to increase the number of speaking opportunities that I am given. I consider a speaking opportunity any appearance on someone else’s podcast, speaking locally, participating in a webinar, or speaking at a conference. These are all opportunities to share my knowledge, encourage others, challenge myself, and improve my communication skills. Read More...

The post 89- Remembering to Stay on Target appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.

Have you heard the philosophy that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react? I believe in this idea 100 percent. I’ve noticed that people who believe in this idea are happier, pleasant to be around, and even more successful in everything they do.

Sure, I’ve found that it’s easier to believe in this philosophy when things are good, and not as easy when life gets hard. But, in the good times and in the bad times, it’s my reaction that counts. My reaction is the only thing I have control over anyway, so, might as well start there.

Now I’d like to talk with you about a related idea that comes wrapped in a slightly different color paper. Read More...

The post 88- The Second Arrow appeared first on Golden Spiral Media- Entertainment Podcasts, Technology Podcasts & More.