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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I only wear Converse Chuck Taylor shoes, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.
I gotta be honest with you. I originally had a different episode in mind for today. It’s an episode about a tip I received when I was bagging groceries as a teenager. But that story will have to wait for a different day.
I’ve mentioned before that I write each episode several weeks in advance. I first look at a spreadsheet to see if I’m writing about faith, family, career, or something else that week. After that, I scan through the list of ideas that I have for each category, and I make a decision on which episode I want to share. After that, I begin thinking through the events that led up to the story idea and I start pre-writing in my mind.
So by the time I actually sit down at the computer to write an episode, I have no idea when the episode will actually air. I start a new Word document, refer back to my spreadsheet, and at that point I look to see when the episode I’m about to write is scheduled to release. At least that’s how it works most of the time. Occasionally, such as the Lincoln episode I did in January, I’ll choose a specific date ahead of time that I want that episode to air. But that’s rare.
So when I sat down to write this episode about 5 weeks ago, it was then that I realized I was writing the episode for March 17. March 17 is a very special date in the history of SILY. This podcast first launched on March 17, 2014. When I brought SILY back the second time, it was the week of March 17 in 2021. And, of course, it was also the week of March 17 last year when I revived the podcast again.
So here we are again on March 17 and I think a little reflection on the podcast is in order. This version of SILY has been different from the previous two iterations primarily in two ways. One is that this version includes a video version on YouTube. The other is that I’ve chosen to sort the podcast into 4 categories. The first week of the month is a faith-based episode, the second week is a family-focused episode, the third week is centered on career, and the fourth week is a grab bag.
One of these choices I really like. That is, I really like that each week of the month is focused on a different category. This helps me tremendously in the planning and ideation aspects of the podcast. As far as the YouTube part of it goes, I don’t know. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either. By far, the majority of you are engaged with the audio version of the show. Doing the video triples or even quadruples the time I spend in post production. I don’t know if it’s worth it. For those of you who are regular viewers on YouTube, let me know your thoughts. Would you be just as happy with only having an audio version of the podcast, or should I keep doing video too?
I’m also a bit surprised by the demographic shift of the show. During the first run of the podcast, the listeners seemed to be much closer to being evenly split between men and women, with women being more common than men. Now, that does not seem to be the case. Based on the feedback I get, it seems like nearly everyone listening now is men. I’m cool with that, but I’m not sure why it shifted. Ladies, if you’re listening, I’d love to get your feedback to let me know you’re out there and any insight you have about why the show isn’t as appealing to you as it once was.
As far as the episode categories go, it seems to me that the family and faith episodes are the ones resonating most with you. These are the types of episodes that I get the most feedback on or you mention in your Monday Mailbag messages. I have enough episode ideas to go through another year with this format, but I am considering going all in on faith-based episodes next year. Let me know your thoughts on that idea as well. Do you want to keep it structured as it is now, or would you prefer the podcast move to be primarily focus on Christian faith based topics after this time next year?
Speaking of those Monday Mailbags, they are one of my favorite things about this podcast. The goal of SILY from day one has been to share lessons wrapped in stories that will benefit people in a personal way, and thereby make the world a better place. Your messages of encouragement keep me going. Some of you will send me private messages after an episode drops that you really liked, and those mean more to me than you realize. One of my high school friends, Van, even invited me to come speak at his church’s men’s breakfast because of SILY.
That was something I never expected would happen. Not only did I get to teach from the Bible to a live audience for the first time in over a decade, but my son got to hear me teach for the first time and my dad attended too. I don’t think my dad had heard me teach from the Bible since a trainwreck of a “sermon” I preached when I was 15. I worked very hard to give those guys some content that will help each of us be men who pursue God. But Van’s invite, which brought my family together in a way I’d never experienced, was something I will always treasure.
Van told me that day that he appreciated the way I’d mentored him when we were younger. Honestly, I was totally surprised by that comment because I don’t think I ever consciously made the decision to mentor him. To me, we were just authentic friends. But his comment reminded me that we never know the impact we’re having on someone and we never know how the small things we do can make a profound impact.
I have a story along these lines coming your way soon that happened recently. It came out of nowhere and was based on something I did over twenty years ago and completely 100% totally forgotten about.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
I love this podcast. In so many ways, I am the most boring guy in the world. I work from home. I don’t go out of the house much. I wear the same 6 or 7 shirts in the winter and another 6 or 7 shirts in the summer. Most of them are blue and some form of plaid. I like routine, sometimes to a fault. I have a spreadsheet for everything, and my life is pretty much consistent day in, day out.
Yet somehow, even in the midst of my vanilla world, there are things in it that I find profound. They fill me with wisdom, inspire me, teach me, and challenge me. In turn, I reflect and ponder on those things, distill them so that I can become better, and through that refinement process I find my cup full. From the fullness of my cup, I then pour out of my life to help fill your cup.
I mean, that’s the goal, anyway. And from what you guys are telling me, to some degree, that’s happening. Through my highs and lows, wins and failures, ebbs and flows, all of our worlds are made better. Crazy isn’t it?
Here’s what’s crazier. You can do it too. Okay, that’s not crazy at all, is it? But it’s true. Start your own podcast. Volunteer at church. Reach out to the boys and girls club. Start journaling. Spend time each week thinking about what happened and what it taught you. Face your fears. Embrace your faults. Understand that those things are what God has given you and equipped you with to help yourself, your family, and your community.
Ten years ago I wrote these words:
Each morning when I raise my head from my pillow, I will do so with the intention that when the night falls and the time comes to rest my head back down, I will do so with more wisdom than when the day began, and having done my part to share love, create hope, instill inspiration, and make the world a better place.
The only thing special about me is that I’ve chosen to take action by doing this podcast. Every single one of us has within us the ability to be world changers. Thank you for letting me be a part of your world. Now let’s all get out there and do great stuff!
I’m Darrell Darnell, and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.
I want you to be a part of the next Monday Mailbag coming up in two weeks on March 31st! The submission deadline is Wednesday, March 26th. Monday Mailbag 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 send in questions or responses to my SILY episodes, and I’ll respond to them via Monday Mailbag episodes. You can participate in Monday Mailbags by visiting the Golden Spiral Media listener feedback page.