Stuff I Learned Yesterday

There are some aspects of starting my entrepreneurial journey that have been hard for me to figure out. For example, I’ve had a hard time mentally accepting the value that I provide my clients and believing that I am worth the amount of money that I charge them. I’ve also had a hard time selling myself to new clients because I’ve feel like I have to brag about myself to do that. Read More...

A couple of weeks ago I shared an episode titled, “Thankful for My Kids.” In that episode I told you a little about my daughter Addison and how I look forward to meeting her after school each day. Today I’d like to elaborate on that. My studio sits at the front part of our house so I can see and hear cars as they go by each day. Among the traffic that I hear each day is the sound of the diesel engine that powers the school bus. I hear the roar of the engine and immediately look at the clock. Nearly every day it’s the exact same time, 3:54pm. Read More...

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share contributions from Mary and Barb. You can participate in Friday Forum by visiting our Feedback PageRead More...

In November 2002, I was studying abroad in Sundsvall, Sweden. Sundsvall is located on the Gulf of Bothnia, part of the Baltic Sea and is 395 km or roughly 246 miles North of Stockholm, Sweden. As you can imagine, by November things are beginning to get chilly in Sundsvall. In November the average temperatures range from a high of 36 degrees to a low of 23 degrees Fahrenheit. They also have a lot of precipitation owing to their gulf climate, much of which is, of course, snow. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, the other foreign exchange students and I had been together for roughly 3 months, and begun to know each other quite well. We spent all of our free time together exploring our new home and taking day trips to exotic locations, like Ikea. Read More...

You don't need to be an expert to succeed. There are plenty of people out there with less knowledge than you that would be thrilled to learn from you. Yes, there are going to be people with better skills and qualifications, but they may not be giving back they way you can.

The word provision is a derivative of the word provide...or is it the other way around? In fact, as I did more searching I found Google suggestions for the phrase, “Jehovah Jireh.” Jehovah Jireh is a Biblical name from the Old Testament which translates to, “The Lord Provides.” More specifically, it originates from the Genesis story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, in obedience to the Lord. When God saw Abraham’s faith, he stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, and provided a ram as a sacrifice. That place on Mount Moriah was then called Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Provides. Read More...

I’ve never considered myself rich. I came from a middle class family, and I’m now part of the middle class. The town I live in is considered to be a higher income area, but not all who live here are upper middle class or above. Sure, there are some incredibly large and ornate homes near me, but not all of them are. There are some very small homes and many under privileged homes too. It’s easy to look around and see all that we don’t have, right? It’s easy to see the big house, fancy car, latest fashion trends, and gadgets in the hands of other people and wish that we were them. Of course, deep down, we all known that more stuff does not mean less problems. Read More...

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share contributions from Justina and Bill. You can participate in Friday Forum by visiting our Feedback Page or calling our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278. Read More...

About 9 years ago, Clint and I had just bought our first home. We were excited and anxious as we made changes to the paint, ripped off wallpaper, laid down tile and pulled out carpet. We also had to purchase new large appliances including a washer, dryer and refrigerator. As we selected paint chips and appliances, I remember feeling like we were spending more money than we had seen at that point. We made our big decisions based on functionality, product ratings, personal experience and our “wants”, knowing that we’d more than likely be living with these large purchases for quite a while. We opted with a traditional energy-saving washer and dryer combo, avoiding the beautiful, but more costly top loaders. When the time came to purchase the fridge, we were dazzled by the huge array of options, each adding extra dollars to the cost. We stood in the large appliances sections of Best Buy, Sears, Lowes, and Home Depot looking both stupefied and giddy at our potential prospects. Did we want Stainless steel or black? Did we want a side-by-side, or fridge-over-freezer drawer combo? Some fridges had panel inserts that could slide in to change the look of the refrigerator completely. Read More...

In 2005 when we build our new home on the outskirts of town an idea struck me that would push my kids to want to spend more time outside. My son was 9 years old and my daughter was 6. With so many trees in our yard wouldn't it be wonderful to build them a treehouse to play and have their own adventures in. Read More...

In September of 1994 I was hired as a part-time cashier for a local bookstore chain. Nineteen years later I left that chain having worn many hats along the way. I was a cashier, stocker, department head, key carrier, assistant manager, store manager, buyer, co-manager, internet sales coordinator, internet sales manager, and director of ecommerce. No matter what my title was, my job was essentially always the same. That is, my job was to serve others. I served customer, co-workers, bosses, suppliers, and vendors. I served those who worked above me, beside me, and below me. Despite what others may say, entrepreneurs do not work for themselves. Entrepreneurs, at least the successful one, work for others. Read More...

In the summer of 2008 a couple of co-workers and I decided to start a podcast about a new JJ Abrams show called Fringe. Fringe turned out to be an incredibly rewarding adventure that spanned 5 seasons. We had much more success than we ever imagined and it opened my eyes to see a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities. When those two co-workers decided to drop out of the podcast in the middle of the second season, I really wasn’t sure what to do. From nearly the very beginning of our podcast we had been a team of four. The fourth member was a sciency friend of mine named Clint. So Clint and I decided to keep moving forward and do the best we could with just the two of us. Read More...

Today is the Friday Forum!! In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share a contribution from Jill. You can participate in Friday Forum by visiting our Feedback Page or calling our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278. Read More...

Over the past couple of weeks I have become diligent about re-entering the habit of getting healthy. Temperatures have plummeted here, just as I know they have taken a nosedive in the rest of the Midwest recently. Two days ago we were enjoying sunshine at the zoo with temperatures in the mid-70’s, and today when I asked Siri about the temperature outside, first she shivered, then she informed me that it’s 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Read More...

At the ripe old age of 35 I think I know enough about life to know that I’m not fully in control. I am supposedly in control of my thoughts, actions, re-actions, and decisions. But the big question then becomes, why, when I look at my own life, could I not have accurately predicted any of it? Read more and listen to this episode...