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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, one summer my brother and I listened to our music via a knockoff version of Teddy Ruxpin because it was the only cassette player at my mom’s house, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I take a moment to give some credit where credit is due.
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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 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 my website, GoldenSpiralMedia.com.
What I Learned Yesterday:
Remember back in episode 38 when I talked about Kevin Durant’s MVP acceptance speech? While there are countless examples I could point to for today’s episode, I’d like to use that one again. Since it’s still so fresh in our minds and we know about it, it will serve as a great example to bring us all on the same page here today.
As a refresher, Kevin thanked EVERYONE in his speech. He thanked his teammates one by one, his coaches, trainers, and the team owner. He thanked his brothers, father, and his mother. He did the whole thing unscripted and without notes. He spoke from his heart and it was awesome. It was also awesome to hear him acknowledge that he didn’t get to that spot on his own.
Today I want to consider just how important it is to remember that we don’t go anywhere or accomplish anything on our own. Even “self made” people got to where they are with the assistance of someone. Take a moment and think about where you are today. Maybe you’re a high school student, a recent college graduate or a young married person. Maybe you’re an empty nester, or a retired person. It doesn’t matter where you are on the road of life or how far you climbed up the proverbial ladder, you’re not where you’re at because of your efforts alone.
Maybe you had a teacher that showed you something that you connected with or set you on a path of your passion. Perhaps your parents taught you the value of working hard, conducting yourself with integrity, or the benefit of giving a firm handshake. I had some of those influences in my life and I’m extremely grateful for them.
Today I want to take a few minutes and thank some of the people who have had a positive influence in my life since I’ve been an adult.
One of the people that had the most impact on me is a man named Sammy Rhodes. Sammy was the man who was responsible for training me to manage my own bookstore. I didn’t know him before I moved to Lubbock. I knew who he was and that he had a great reputation, but that was all.
Sammy taught me a lot of things. He taught me that there was no job, big or small, that was below that of the store manager. Sometimes that meant cleaning toilets or cleaning up the puke of some kid. Sometimes that meant making difficult decisions about hiring or firing someone. But he taught me that no matter the job, do it to the best of my ability because I should work in a way that honors God.
Sammy also had a phrase that he used a lot. That phrase was, “wherever you are, be there.” It’s a phrase that I still tell myself quite frequently. It helps me remember to focus on the task and the people that are with me. If I’m at home with my kids, be there and be a dad. If I’m working on projects for my clients, focus on that and be there in that moment. It’s too easy for us to let our minds wander and focus on other things and in the process, neglect the things right in front of us.
Another person that really impacted me is a man named Jerry Dingmore. Jerry was my pastor while I lived in Wichita Falls, Texas. After we joined the church there I almost immediately joined the choir. One day Jerry approached me about taking on a new responsibility. The church was going to be adding an additional service and it would feature less traditional music and more contemporary music. Jerry wanted me to be the worship leader for this service. Even though it would only be a temporary assignment for me, the thought of it freaked me out. I had never done that sort of thing before.
Jerry has an amazing amount of energy and excitement. He used those traits to come along beside me and give me the confidence I needed. He encouraged me, met with me every week, and before long, I was stepping out in front of hundreds of people leading them in worship. Of course, I wasn’t alone. I had a stage full of talented musicians and singers helping me every step of the way. Jerry’s patience and unending belief that I could step out and do something that seemed overwhelming is a lesson that I still tap into today. I now have the confidence to believe that scary and seemingly impossible things are, in fact, possible.
The last person I want to thank today, is a friend of mine named Cliff Ravenscraft. Like many others, I wouldn’t be podcasting today if not for him. His LOST podcast is what got me hooked on listening to podcasts and it’s what motivated me to start my own podcast. Most of the techie stuff of podcasting I’ve been able to figure out on my own, but Cliff has been there for me any time I’ve needed him.
He’s helped me with audio quality questions, managing my RSS feed, and choosing the right equipment. He’s given me the opportunity to speak at New Media Expo the last 3 years, and he’s introduced me to other podcasters.
There have been a few times over the last year that I needed advice about my business, and Cliff has always been there with an answer full of insight. He even recently reached out to me and told me that I was charging too little for the quality of work that I was doing and that I was doing myself a disservice by not charging more.
Cliff is a valued friend and mentor and I’m better for having known him.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
I may be self employed and Golden Spiral Media may only have one employee, but I am not alone. This last year has been so incredibly rewarding. The men and women I worked with for 19 years helped me learn about business practices, working with the public, and having a servant attitude. Not only that, but they helped me learn about myself.
When I left that career a little over a year ago to follow my dream, I had 2 clients. I now have about a dozen clients. Some of them I do work for nearly every day and others I do work for only on occasion. When I started a year ago, I had one person in my network that did custom music and one person that did custom artwork. I had no one besides myself that did voiceover work. Now I am privileged to have over 10 people in my network and it’s growing all the time.
Golden Spiral Media is growing and I could not be more excited. I’m producing and consulting for more podcasts than ever before, AND, Golden Spiral Media is publishing more of our own content than ever before. This simply would not be possible without a great team helping me.
The truth is, I am not a self made anything, and I could not be more proud of that.
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
If you’ve enjoyed this episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, I would be grateful if you’d leave a review in iTunes.
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