Stuff I Learned Yesterday
About Stuff I Learned Yesterday
Stuff I Learned Yesterday is a podcast that aims to encourage, inspire, challenge, motivate, and improve the lives of those who listen to it. Stuff I Learned Yesterday is released each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each episode ranges from 5-15 minutes long and contain short stories based on real events and lessons learned by the hosts. Friday episodes are called the Friday Forum and are filled with inspirational and motivational thoughts submitted by Stuff I Learned Yesterday listeners. Submit your story for a Friday Forum episode by calling 304-837-2278, visiting our feedback page, or click on the Send a Voice Message button on the left hand side of this page.
SILY 721- Quitting Halloween
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Confession time. When I was nine years old, I quit Halloween. Nobody talked me into it and it had nothing to do with religious reasons. I walked away from one of the best nights of the year as a kid because of shaving cream.
SILY 720- Dethroned by Design
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For a little while, I was a god, and I’m only exaggerating a little. I would argue that’s by design, the way it’s supposed to be. It’s also something that’s supposed to collapse from under you, to bring that false reality into proper perspective. Today’s inspiration comes from Adam Savage himself, and while he may be the mythbusting king, even he will tell you his proper place is not on a throne.
SILY 719- Pull Up a Chair
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Is it possible that one of the biggest threats to your family’s health isn’t in the pantry or the medicine cabinet, but in the way dinner gets served? During my lifetime, a shift has been happening in millions of kitchens, one that researchers have been tracking for decades, and the numbers are more dramatic than I thought.
SILY 718- Disneyland Jesus
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There’s a tiny hidden house tucked at the base of a tree in Disneyland, built for a leprechaun who was never real. There’s an empty enemy camp outside a starving city, packed with food nobody touched until four outcasts broke their silence. Today I’m talking about the danger of keeping good news to yourself, and why the best thing you can do with something good, is give it away.
SILY 717- The Scorecard Trap
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Years ago when I first started podcasting, I would constantly look at the download numbers and as I was pulling them up, I’d get butterflies in my stomach. Downloads up, good day. Downloads down, bad day. I’d refresh the analytics page like it was going to tell me something about my worth as a human being. I eventually saw past that trap and rarely gave my podcasts stats much thought or weight. But last year, I fell back into that trap again.
SILY 716- The Marketing Myth
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We all have a story we tell ourselves about who we are and what we’re capable of. Or what we’re NOT capable of. Mine started with a bad coworker and calcified over a decade into something I never questioned again, until I was faced with a situation that forced me to look at myself with fresh eyes. Today’s episode is about the slow, quiet way we talk ourselves out of skills we’re fully capable of learning, and what it finally took to prove myself wrong. If you’ve ever believed “that’s just not me,” you’re going to want to hear how this one turned out.
SILY 715- Climbing the Hill
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It’s been said that a manual transmission is basically an anti-theft device these days. And it turns out, learning to drive one taught me way more than just how to work a clutch. It took three different people, a driveway full of stalled engines, and one very specific hill in my hometown to teach me something about frustration, trust, and what it really looks like to help someone else find their way. Stick around, because today’s lesson might just change how you show up for the people you love.
SILY 714- Church of the Hygienist
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It’s funny how your mind wanders when you’re sitting in a reclined position with sharp instruments and hands cramped in your mouth, loading your taste buds with the flavor of latex. I was recently at the dentist for my regular cleaning, and that experience helped me process today’s story. What I have for you is most certainly more enjoyable than a trip to the dentist.
SILY 713- Monday Mailbag
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It’s the fifth Monday of August, and that means it’s Monday Mailbag day! We have one piece of mail in the bag this time and it comes in from Jeff.
SILY 712- A Noodle Story
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You never get a second chance to make a first impression, which means that we often put pressure on ourselves when we’re meeting someone for the first time that we consider important. And sometimes that person feels the exact same pressure about meeting you. Today’s story is about one of those encounters, and everything that’s happened since.