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It only took one day. To dismantle the Yellow Studio.

It took a small generous community of podcast supporters. To help make it become a reality.

The donors are now on a special email list where I’ve been keeping them updated. This group will continue to remain special and enjoy some inside updates. It’s just one small way I can thank you for making the Rode Rodecaster Pro possible.

Now, let’s geek out just a little bit for those of you interested in the technicalities of podcasting. For the rest of you, bear with me.

Years ago when I built The Yellow Studio there were basically two methods or workflows used in podcasting. The first was by far the most popular because it was the least expensive route, RECORDING. To be fair, all podcasts are recorded. That became the very definition of the medium – serialized, subscribable audio content. People could listen at will. On their own timetable. It was all pretty slick and we were as excited to get an email as we were to get a new episode of our favorite podcast.

RECORDING methodology just required a microphone and some software (much of it free). To gussy up the sound you needed fancier software. This also meant you spent time editing. The first recording wouldn’t necessarily be the final version. This workflow demanded significant after-the-fact work.

BROADCASTING was the other methodology. This wasn’t nearly as popular because it required hardware. And hardware was (still is) expensive. The benefits are high. The minute you hit “record” the sound is recorded digitally exactly as it will sound when listeners hit “play.” Other than editing for content – not for sound quality – it’s more of a “what you hear is what you get” process.

I instantly wanted to go the BROADCAST route because I preferred to put my work in ahead of hitting the record button. It wasn’t about avoiding work. At least not for me. It was about when to do that work. I wanted to spend time doing the work ahead of recording, not afterward.

This meant investing in gear. Thankfully, I had the ability to make the investment. And I had some expert help in figuring out what I should get.

Click here for the episode I recorded in 2015 to answer the persistent question, “What does your studio look like?”

I embarked on finding and assembling equipment that was mostly broadcast quality. Built to withstand hours and hours of non-stop operating without any problems. In short, I was building a small 2-mic station with just about everything other than a transmitter. My transmitter was going to be the Internet.

The microphones came first. Two Heil Sound PR40 microphones. Others picked them because of longtime broadcaster/podcaster, Leo Laporte. Leo is a tech guy who has enjoyed radio and Internet success. He used the Heil PR40.

Well, I didn’t know of Leo when I got the PR40s. But I had heard of Bob Heil because I was very into music. I also had (still have it) a fondness for the sound of great condenser microphones, but I knew my space wouldn’t be ideal for a condenser mic because they pick up EVERYTHING. My space was going to be pretty solid for recording, but it wasn’t going to be like a professional voice booth (commonly used by voiceover artists) or like a professional recording studio with extensive sound isolation. Enter the PR40. Its large diaphragm has condenser mic qualities in a dynamic mic.

Two Heil PR40s, each on its own boom arm and mounted inside its own shock mount. Those were the first items purchased.

Next came the coveted Aphex 230 microphone preamps. Radio people and voiceover artists alike have run to the Aphex sound for years. Microphones have to be plugged into something that can provide enough gain so you get sound. Enter the preamps.

The Aphex 230s – one for each mic – came next. They were among the first items installed in the six-unit gear rack. These units included things like noise gates, compressors, limiters, deessers and all sorts of sonic goodies to make your voice sound outstanding.

The Aphex units were great for making me sound terrific, but what about people coming through on Skype or some other Internet service? I had a TC Electronic Finalizer Express which put a nice bit of compression over everything going through the system. More knobs, dials and light than you could shake a stick at, but it’s a terrific piece of gear.

Phone calls? What about taking phone calls? I wanted to do what radio stations do – patch phone calls directly into my recordings. Enter the staple piece in every radio station in the land (at the time), a Telos One. One button activates it, but the electronics inside the box provide telephonic magic. It was connected to my landline, but we went VOIP, then it was connected to that.

All of that went through a small broadcast quality mixer made by Broadcast Tools, a Promix 12. Built like a tank, the Promix had long-throw faders (that means they’re large and the sound range is more subtle than short-throw faders). The Promix12 is a 2 mic mixer, but has some cool broadcasting features like built-in mix/minus so I could patch my Telos One into channel 4 and not fret about the person on the phone hearing themselves echo. No special engineering skills required.

But my system was a fully balanced audio system. That meant, it was professional-grade and used only XLR or insert cables made with coax and professional connectors. What about connecting output from a laptop, or a phone, or an iPad? I had no way to do that until I invested in a Yamaha MG124c mixer, another 12 channel mixer that had RCA inputs (something the Promix12 lacked). Now I could take the output of the Yamaha and patch it into the Promix12 (using a single channel on the Promix12).

To route all that into my computer required an interface of some sort. I had two different versions of a firewire interface made by Presonus. Firewire was more commonplace when I began. It has since declined in popularity, but I went that route at first because the speed was much faster than USB.

For headphone management, I got an Aphex 454 Headpod. Sounded GREAT! It provided ample volume to 4 separate headphones, each with a dedicated volume control.

Cable management was a challenge right off the bat. And figuring out the cabling was a chore all its own.

I never did figure out the sheer footage of cables used to connect all this stuff, but it was RIDICULOUS. The number of connections was also ridiculous because the signal chain was anything, but straight, short and simple. Cables going into one thing, out of that thing and into some other thing.

I figured that’s how it would always be. There just wasn’t any other way to have the workflow I wanted. BROADCAST.

Heat.

Let’s not overlook the heat produced by a rack of gear like that. Temperatures here inside The Yellow Studio were likely 2-5 degrees hotter than any other room. Fine during the winter. Not so great during the summer.

Power.

We’re not talking BIG power suckage, but everytime there was a thunderstorm or risk of power going out…I’d scramble to unplug the rack (even though it was all going through good quality power management to protect it). I wasn’t going to risk a brown out or black out from wrecking any equipment.

Then things changed.

It was the summer of 2015. Rode, an Australian company, acquired Aphex, one of my favorite suppliers. I didn’t quite know what Rode might do with Aphex, but I loved Rode mics (I have a Rode NTG2 shotgun mic in my mic locker) and I loved Aphex stuff.

By the time 2019 rolled around Rode blew the lid off the podcasting world with a device that incorporated Aphex sound characteristics. Dubbed Rodecaster Pro it proposed to be a full podcasting studio based on 4 microphone channels. But wait. It would also have a channel built in to hardwire a smartphone, and if that weren’t cool enough…it’d have a Bluetooth channel, too. Additionally, it would have an 8-key sound cart pad (for sound effects; something I was doing through software on a laptop, phone or iPad). And it would have a 4-channel headphone amp, each channel with a dedicated volume control.

Suddenly, there was a device – a single device – that would do everything my studio would do. One piece of gear would replace all the stuff I’ve mentioned. No, I’d lose all the knobs, lights and some flexibility in the adjustments – but I’d lose all those cables and all the complexity. One cable going from one mic into the Rode and that’d be it. One cable from the iPhone to the Rode. One pair of headphones plugged into each channel. Simple. Straightforward.

But what about the sound? That had always been my preoccupation. I wanted the sound inside The Yellow Studio to be spectacular and thanks to my set up, it was.

I watched every YouTube review of the Rode Rodecaster Pro. I listened carefully. I knew the ease of operation of the product meant I would lose all the little fine nuances of sound adjustments, but this is podcasting I figured. This isn’t music recording. And this is spoken word, not singing. How nuanced does the sound really need to be? I concluded that any loss of adjustments I might forfeit in the Rode would be more than made up for in having everything I needed in a single piece of gear!

Then there were the firmware updates released by Rode. Rode was listening to customers. They had two major firmware updates before I pulled the trigger and bought mine. Multi-track recording. And a host of other improvements were pushed to the unit via these updates.

Not Looking Back

You don’t see or hear many people talk about it, but the Rodecaster Pro accomplished what I was able to with my rack. Livestreaming audio quality is identical to the recordings. I’m just now seeing livestreaming people pick up on the improvement capable via the Rodecaster Pro.

Get me on a Skype call, or a Zoom web conference and I’m going to sound just as good as my recordings. All thanks to the Rode Rodecaster Pro.

A single USB connection to my Apple iMac and I’m done.

Four mics. Four cables into the Rodecaster Pro.

Four headphones.

One cable to the iPhone.

That’s it. And I give up nothing in connectivity and flexibility.

I can take phone calls.

I can record by myself or with a few friends.

I can input sounds via the soundcart buttons, the computer or even my iPhone or iPad.

I’ve got volume knobs for each headphone as well as a master volume control.

If the unit isn’t perfect it’s awfully close! Just like you, the listeners of my podcast. You’re not the perfect podcast audience, but you’re awfully close.

Thank you!

Randy

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I pulled the trigger on the Rode Rodecaster Pro. You’re listening to it now. I’ll update you on what’s happening here inside The Yellow Studio at the end of the show.

Thanks to everybody who contributed. I’ll be reaching out in the next few weeks to get the Skype calls scheduled.

Randy

Some nights ago. I don’t remember what day. Or night. It’s 2:15 am and I’m wide awake. Not uncommon.

I fire up Apple iTunes, where all my music resides, including the thousands of CD’s I’ve burned. And the digital downloads I’ve purchased.

I slap on a pair of headphones, one of about four within arm’s reach. I turn up the headphone amp to about 10 o’clock, plenty loud for me at this hour.

Jamestown Revival album UTAH is calling out to me for some reason. Released in 2014 it’s been a month or more since I’ve given it a go…so why not. I’ve been practically living on their newer release, circa this year 2019, San Isabel. So it’s time to dive into my catalog a bit.

This all happens because revival is on my mind. Their band name sparks it, but my love of their music is the draw. UTAH has a song entitled, Revival. So let’s do it. I click PLAY.

It’s track 6 and track 7 follows, a song entitled Truth. A theme begins to emerge and intersects what’s been on my mind the last week or more.

Vince Gill’s new record OKIE is a few weeks old and I’ve listened to it through a handful of times by now. As I’m pondering revival I start thinking of one particular song from this record, The Price of Regret. So I click PLAY and give it a go. Again.

“Everyone knows the price of regret, the things in life we never forget.”

Regret. Revival.

By the time I get to the 11th track of Vince’s new record (there are 12 tracks total), I’ve added a third R-word, reputation. The song is entitled, That Old Man Of Mine. It’s followed by the last track, A World Without Haggard. Songs of reputation. Legacy. What we remember about people. What people remember us for.

Regret. Revival. Reputation.

I don’t suppose all three are important to everybody. Some people claim to have no regrets. I think that’s foolish.

Others refuse revival. Some perhaps because their character is so low they’re nothing to revive. Did they ever have it? Maybe. Maybe not.

Some refuse revival because they don’t want to revive it. Easier, perhaps more short-term fun, to remain in sin and suffering. No going back to a time when they were more noble, more innocent, more helpful and made a more positive difference in the lives of others.

So reputations are largely earned. Deserved perhaps. And I’m not talking about public reputation or how the masses feel. Most of us aren’t subjected to that because we’re mostly anonymous to the world. But inside our little corner of the world, we’re known. For something. As something. What?

When my kids were quite small – toddlers really – I was spending considerable time with an old man who was an important mentor in my life. Weekly we spent hours together talking and studying. I was burning life’s candle at both ends, spending close to 80 hours working and devoting time to church and family. It was exhausting, but I was young and didn’t think much of it. Truthfully, my energy was quite high much of the time. So one weeknight each week sitting at his kitchen table – sometimes with my family in tow – wasn’t burdensome. I wanted to know what he knew and was anxious to learn all I could.

One evening talk turned to family. He was a father with grown children. I was mere years into my own fatherhood and I inquired about regret. He said he had no regrets.

Here was a man I respected. A man 25 plus years my senior. I remember thinking of my own regrets and I had many years to go to reach his age. It seemed impossible to me, so I pressed him. “I can’t think of anything I’d do differently,” he said, referencing his fatherhood. I didn’t pursue the conversation any further, even though I was supremely puzzled. My oldest was only a few years old and already I could think of a gazillion things I’d have done differently had I known better.

Perhaps he was older than me when his fatherhood began, I thought. Perhaps he was simply better than me. But I knew he wasn’t perfect any more than I was. Or am.

From that moment on I determined that any man who lacks regret must certain lack the degree of wisdom I was seeking. I confess that my esteem of him was altered that evening. It made no sense to me. That was over 30 years ago. Now that I’m old, it makes even less sense.

I’ve concluded that a life without regret is a life without introspection or wise self-examination. What other possible explanation would there be? Is it possible to live into adulthood without regrets? I can’t see any possible way. Not about fatherhood or any other pursuit. Volumes couldn’t likely catalog all of my current regrets.

Insight is required for regret to surface. Those unwilling or unable to soberly reflect on the choices of their life or their behaviors aren’t blessed with the high values that come from regret.

Regret is the stuff of growth and improvement. Satisfaction is the enemy. Contentment with the past and the present prevents a more extraordinary future. Otherwise what would drive us to change. To grow. To improve. To learn.

Regret is not the enemy. It’s a friend whose aim isn’t to destroy but to build up. But regret allows each of us to choose the course for regret. One path leads to destruction. The other to build up. You’re free to choose either path.

Foolishness is the path chosen by those who ignore lessons regret can teach.

Wisdom is the path chosen by those of us determined to learn from our mistakes, those things we regret.

What do we do with our regret? How can we best leverage it for our welfare? And for those with whom we have to do?

I can only share what I’ve tried to do. Not always successfully, but nobody succeeds all the time.

“What happened?”

The rules of journalism may help even though some are answered before we begin to reflect. “Who?” is obvious. We are the who. So I jump to “what?”

It’s too easy and too simple to beat ourselves up over what we regret. Completely unprofitable, but easy. Addictive for some. Catapulting many people into dwelling on their victimization. Were it not for others or circumstances beyond their control – those regrets might have been avoided. So they think.

Wisdom provokes us to own our outcomes. Good, bad and ugly. Not with some unreasonable view that circumstances and situations are all within our control. We’re not God. We’re not capable of deciding or behaving for others. External forces impose themselves on all of us. Our responsibility is to handle them as best we can. Sometimes we fail. Those failures are our regrets.

That’s why this question is the beginning of greater wisdom. To avoid blaming others, but to accept our own responsibilities and honestly answer the question, “What happened?” A more personal, intimate question is appropriate – “What did I do? And why did I do it?”

Much of my regret stems from impulsive behavior or the failure to listen carefully to impulses (intuition). Ironic, isn’t it?

Impulses and intuition that can work favorably or against us. I can only speak for myself. I’ve been able to mostly categorize my regrets of impulse into two boxes. One box is my own desire or lack of due consideration for others. The other box is when I sense others need help.

My selfish box can cause me to act too hastily. Regret in these cases stems from my impatience.

My box of concern for others causes me to act too patiently. Regret stems from wishing I would have acted sooner. Or that I would have acted when I failed to act because of fear.

Haste. Delay.

Action. Inaction.

These are the most common terms of my own regret. And these are the answers to WHAT and WHY.

So what can be done? How might I benefit from these insights?

The question now becomes, “How?”

It seems so clear looking back. Exhibit more patience when my own skin is involved. Allow some time to pass. Think of others who may be involved, then keep asking if I’m omitting anybody else. Then think some more.

Critical judgment condemns over-thinking, but in this area of regret, I mostly wish I had done more of it.

The flipside of regret are those times when I suspected others were in need of help and I resisted the impulse. I delayed. I hesitated. I remained silent. Or I didn’t press hard enough. I didn’t lead the charge to provide assistance. Quite frankly, these are most biggest regrets because they come with a cursed question, “What might have been?”

What problems might have been prevented? What help might have made a long-lasting difference?

Those regrets linger much longer for me. And the quest for revival begins.

an improvement in the condition or strength of something

That’s the definition of revival.

I must make up my mind to learn from regret. The sooner the better. For making up mind to learn, which means I must quickly commit to closer examination of what happened and why. Sometimes I need a bit of time to pass before I’m able to have a wiser perspective. Most always I rely on others – notably my wife – to provide a viewpoint for greater clarity. The bigger the regret or challenge the more I lean on outside advisors. I don’t trust myself enough in the dissection of my past to fully realize what happened or why. I certainly don’t trust myself fully to figure out how I might avoid repeating the regret.

This is where I can get wrapped up in dwelling too much on what’s already done and cannot be undone. The endless loop tape in my head goes round and round and round. It requires extraordinary effort and I don’t often succeed as quickly as I’d like. Distraction seems the best remedy. That’s another R word befitting of revival. Remedy.

It usually boils down the realization that by obsessing any longer I’m only neglecting what benefit I might be giving to my own life and to others. At some point there’s some magical switch that flips where I simply get on with it. I wish I could get my hand on the switch at will. But it flips on its own in due course. I have to endure the process.

Revival includes the most difficult chore of all for me. To move on. To leave the regret behind knowing that if I had to do it over again, I’d do it differently. I can easily and quickly embrace the commitment that I’d do things differently. That’s called repentance, yet another R-word.

Repentance is the activity of reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to change for the better

Moving past it. That’s the tough part for me. I’ve confessed to you before that forgiveness is currently my number one character strength according to The VIA Character Strengths Survey. The problem with our character strengths, which are those character traits that we most often deploy, is that they sometimes can work against us by becoming our weaknesses, too. I’m able to quickly and easily forgive others while finding it almost impossible to forgive myself. That’s what makes revival difficult.

It’s not impossible. Just hard. Lots of work, concentration, and focus. So it’s urgent for me to get on with the process as soon as possible. The longer I delay the effort, the longer it will take to come out the other side.

All of these components contribute to create a person’s reputation. Our behavior determines our reputation, but much of that stems from our ability and resolve to course correct our lives. Everybody knows failure. Everybody is well acquainted with regret. Whether or not we’re willing to make things right…and grow…THAT determines who we really are. In our own eyes and in the eyes of others. Reputation.

Sadly, regret is the beginning of it all.

Sad only for those who fail to feel it. Fully. Enough to determine to do better.

Sad for those of us who love people unable to find a good place of regret so they can commit to correct their course. There are many lost lives unwilling or unable to reap the positive impact of regret, revival and reputation.

Emotions.

It’s not an R-word, but emotions are very important in all this. Do you know somebody who ridicules emotion while bragging how their logical approach is much more productive? Yeah, me neither. 😀 (Boy am I trying hard to rid myself of such people!)

Emotions serve us. They help us. Sure, like many things that are strengths or assets, they may become liabilities, but we’re foolish to make negative generalizations. We’re talking about feelings.

Would you rather interact with a psychopath or sociopath? Somebody able to kill you and feel nothing? Oh, yeah, much more logical. 😉  #Ninnies

Feelings aren’t facts, but they may as well be. They form the realities upon which we act. Sometimes emotions drive us more powerfully than facts or evidence because feelings (emotions) are sparked by beliefs. We think something and it’s all the evidence we need.

Emotions have a vital role in how we think and act. Our emotions compel us to take action, avoid taking action and they influence our decisions.

Brainiacs who know about such matters tell us there are three parts to an emotion:

1. The subjective part associated with how we experience the emotion
2. The physiological part associated with how our body reacts to the emotion
3. The expressive part associated with how we behave to the emotion

For a simpleton like me it boils down to how well we can be in touch with ourselves and our emotions. One basic question can go a long way toward helping…

Why am I feeling this way?

You may not always know. At least not at first. We need time to process what has happened and what is happening. During these moments – they take however long they take – we’re likely feeling many different emotions. This is that roller coaster ride we’re on when dramatic things happen to us. Something we’ve all experienced.

During those moments we’re not able to answer the question because we don’t yet know what we’re feeling. Our emotions are settling down, finding a place to land.

This is an important time though because we could end up in a very bad place for a long time. Rather than moving forward we can easily get stuck with negative emotions. Bitterness. Anger. Resentment. Jealousy. We have to devote ourselves to avoid landing on any of these negative emotions once things do settle down.

That’s why the question is important. It fosters a focus on thinking about what we’re feeling. That tends to serve as a useful deterrent from camping out on a negative emotion because self-reflection and self-awareness promote more positive things. So during these roller-coaster rides keep looking at yourself. Don’t take your eyes off what you’re feeling and keep asking yourself the question, “Why am I feeling this way?” Take the time to answer it, too.

By now I hope you’re clearly seeing the vast difference between selfish behavior and self-reflection behavior. Selfish people don’t ask or answer the question. They just embrace how they’re feeling without regard to why. That fosters a path of least resistance way of living. It also deepens what is already likely prevalent in their life – a victim mindset. That never leads to settling on a good emotion.

It’s the difference in leveraging the positives of regret or wallowing in the negatives of it. The selfish, immature person wallows as a victim. The mature, wise person uses it to propel them forward by learning all they can so they can make adjustments in their life. That’s how revival works – we grow, restoring whatever may have been temporarily lost. Finding things we may have never yet found.

It’s the stuff of reputation. Our reputation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:00 — 43.7MB)

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“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
― George Washington

Good stories have villains. Enemies. Antagonists.

Good stories have a protagonist. A champion. One hated by the villain. One constantly under besiege of the evil.

Which are you? Do you know?

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
― Winston Churchill

In my insomnia, I’ve recently been binge-watching the Masterpiece Theater series, Poldark. It’s a classic story set in old England where there is a very clear hero and an even more clear enemy. The villain, George, is a despicable character intent on doing whatever he can to disturb the life of the hero, Captain Poldark. He’s a vexing sort of fellow, but I’m sure from his perspective he’s constantly being persecuted by the good guy. Truth is, he likely sees himself as a good guy despite his conniving, evil actions.

As I’ve been watching the story unfold over the course of a few seasons the hero continues to show himself a man of strong conviction and character. He’s unwavering. Unyielding. He bends to no one. He’s a man of integrity willing to fight whatever fight must be fought.

Lots of tension. Lots of uncomfortable moments. Much like your life. And mine.

Enemies. Opposing sides.

People without compassion opposing people driven by compassion.

Evil people behaving poorly. Good people behaving with valor and honor. Mostly.

But even the good show signs of great weakness under the strain of life. Mortals behaving like humans who aren’t able to always hold it together.

Betrayal. Heartbreak.

Love. Romance. Sentimentality. Passion.

Hatred. Bitterness. Jealousy. Resentment.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Character. That’s what we’re talking about. The development, possession, and growth of character. The courage to do the right thing in spite of it all.

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

I don’t claim to have expert insights on such matters. Mostly, I have curiosities, wonderings and ponderings.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
― Helen Keller

I think Helen had it right. Character isn’t built by luxury, opulence, ease or entitlement.

I’m curious mostly about the beginnings of character. The spark that begins. Or the lack of spark.

When I was a boy I loved creatures. Lizards, horned toads, frogs, turtles. Those were among favorites.

One of the most appalling behaviors I witnessed as a boy were kids who mistreated these creatures. I was always very careful with them and wasn’t very interested in removing them from their home, the place where I found them. I handled them with care so as not to harm them.

A turtle was found in a nearby creek. As he crawled along the driveway an older boy appeared with a BB gun. He began to shoot the turtle in the head. I was horrified. And angry. He laughed. And kept shooting eventually killing the poor turtle. As you may imagine the boy was a bully of a kid. Despicable. And I’ve never forgiven him.

Today, I have a grandson who loves these creatures. He’s fond of capturing them and carting them off. But around my house I’ve got a rule. No lizards (we have many) are to be removed. And when he captures them, they’re to be returned to the general vicinity where he found them. His parents have no idea – until now – of my deep-seated ideas and how long I’ve held them.

It’s a small thing. Or is it?

Where does it come from? I’ve often wondered.

Why was the older boy able to be so cruel to a helpless turtle? And why did he gain such pleasure in it while it caused me such great pain?

I was in grade school when I learned to discriminate. To be picky about the people I choose to be around. I know it happened in first grade, if not before. Certain kids were obviously ill-behaved and trouble-makers. Fearful of being dragged into trouble myself, I quickly saw these kids as potential threats to my own safety and well-being. I was highly motivated to avoid the wrath of my mother. 😉 Willow trees provided switches that served as most effective deterrents to any mischief that may have tempted me.

Was it upbringing? Was it something given to us at birth?

Why do I think some people are bad company, but others gravitate toward those same people?

Is it that whole “birds of a feather” thing?

What personality or character traits make you judge somebody as bad company?

How do you manage bad people?

I told you that I have lots more curiosity than answers. Logically I know that some people, for whatever reason, have psychological “disorders.” I’m fascinated by them and know enough to know we don’t fully understand why. Murderers are often convicted with compelling evidence against them, including DNA, yet show no signs of remorse. Many, if not most, refuse to even acknowledge guilt. Others among us are quick to fall on a sword and apologize for things they’re not even guilty of. Those extreme differences are bewildering to me.

Perhaps even more fascinating to me are people who appear (or try) to be one thing, but in reality, are something different. Experts say Ted Bundy was such a character. Appearing clean up, handsome, attractive, caring – but he was a serial killer. Thankfully, I’ve not in the bad company of a serial killer. That I know of.

I have, however, been in plenty of bad company – people with whom I do not feel safe. People prone to dangerous behavior. People prone to have a negative impact on my life.

Company. Influence. Support.

These themes have grown more important to me over the years. The last decade has been a personal journey of self-discovery, figuring things out and in so many ways a monumental success. In other ways, it’s easily been the most difficult decade of my life. But I’m optimistic and hopeful. Still. Why not?

I reached a point where I simply refused to give time and space to bad company. I’ve always done it, but I’ve grown increasingly more intentional about it over the past 15 years or so. I’m purposefully shut out bad people from my life. And you know what? You don’t have to be alone. The title of today’s show isn’t a statement about the only options available. It’s just a statement that as bad as it is to be lonely, it’s worse to be in bad company. Thankfully, there’s a much better alternative…

Make sure the people who surround you are people who can help you become better and people willing to let you help them become better. And I’ve realized there’s one central thing that depicts bad company in my book. People with little or no compassion. People so self-centered they’re not bothered by their betrayal of others. They’re unfazed by the harm they cause others because what they want is just more important to them. Nothing else matters to them except what they want. These are the people who have always comprised “bad company” for me. Like that older boy killing the turtle. No compassion.

I’ve been ruminating about this for some time. The other night at church I gave a sermon I entitled, A Certain Samaritan Answers The Question, “Who Is My Neighbor?”

You can read the story in the Bible for yourself in Luke 10:25-37. It’s the parable most known as the story of the good Samaritan. Here’s the long and short of it. A man is traveling on a highway when robbers take advantage of him. They rob him, beat him, strip him and leave him to die. One man comes by and ignores him. He sees the wounded man is in dire need, but he walks by the other side. Another man passes by and does the exact same thing – walks by on the other side. Then a Samaritan walks by. It’s important to the story that he’s a Samaritan because a Jewish lawyer is the one who asked Jesus the question, “Who is my neighbor?’ He was hoping to trap Jesus. The Jews hated Samaritans. They even called them “dogs.” So for Jesus to illustrate the answer by using a Samaritan was especially noteworthy.

Well, the Samaritan has one quality the others lacked. The Lord said so in verse 33:

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion

The difference in the story between good company and bad company was compassion. The good Samaritan, as we’ve come to call him, had compassion. The others didn’t. Compassion made the difference. It still makes the difference.

I wish I could tell people how they can increase or obtain compassion, but I’m not sure I can. I rather suspect that bad company are mostly people disinterested in it or people who have fooled themselves into thinking compassion is something it’s not – like judgment. Harsh, critical judgment. Telling people what to do. Should’ing people.

My experience is that bad company is rooted in selfishness and arrogance. People who make bad company think they’re smarter than all the rest of us. They wonder how we get about without their guidance and wisdom. And that’s the irony of it all.

As we’re working to lean more and more toward wisdom, bad company is convinced that if we’d just bow to their will – we too could live more wisely. Mostly because we’d make their lives richer, fuller and more conceited.

The parable of the good Samaritan is a sad story not because of the actions he took, but because of the inaction of the other two men who saw the opportunity and ignored it. They couldn’t be bothered. There just wasn’t anything in it for them. #Selfishness

What’s the lesson here? What are we to learn from this?

For starters, everybody has trouble. Everybody is the wounded man lying by the side of the road half dead. Nobody is free of care, worry, struggle or trial. Nobody.

Next, whatever bravado or courageous face people wear doesn’t depict the truth. More often than not it’s a mask hiding the real person – the person fretful, worried and anxious about many things.

And since the common plight of us all consists of wounds, pain and suffering we ought to be more compassionate toward each other. And forgiving. And less judgmental.

But as I’ve often said – Judgment is easy. Compassion is hard.

Comparison is also easy. We look around and instantly gravitate toward those who seem to have it better. Like the two men in the story who Jesus said passed by on the other side, we can be oblivious to those less fortunate. While we fixate on those more fortunate.

Sometimes I write prayers. Just for my benefit. Yes, I’ll say them aloud, but there are times when it just feels best to write it down and get it in black and white. I did that this week. For the umpteenth time.

I tend to focus the start of a prayer on gratitude. I don’t think there’s any secret formula to prayer, but it just feels right to me to first express thanks. I’m not going to share my prayer with you because that just doesn’t seem right, but I will share on snippet of it. One important item that I think about quite often. And have for many years.

We are approaching 8 billion people on the planet. Estimates are that over 1 billion people live on dirt floors. If you’re not living on dirt floors then congratulations, you’re special. You’re blessed.

I wrote that in my prayer. I confess I’ve written than many times. Almost 2 billion people don’t have sanitary living conditions. Do you? Then you’re blessed.

We’re approaching 2 billion people who live in poverty, suffering many facets of poverty not just low income. That is, they lack education, clean living conditions and sufficient food. Do you? Then you’re blessed.

I think about the husband and father who last night lay awake fretful that his child lay dying due to starvation and he’s helpless to do anything about it. He lives in a wartorn, impoverished place where food is scarce or non-existent. He goes to bed at night fretful, asking himself, “What can I do?” He gets up and that nagging question is still lingering without any good answer. He’s hopeless. And helpless.

I’m not him. But I can’t help but feel both blessed and compassionate. I’m thankful I don’t face his realities, but I’m sad that he does. By his standards of living, I’m living in opulence and bliss. I’m not sure what to do for him. I don’t even know his name. Or where he lives. I just know there are hundreds of millions of hims out there. Languishing in despair.

While I sit here inside The Yellow Studio talking into a microphone that likely costs more than he’ll earn in a year. Within 10 feet of me is running water. An indoor toilet. Across the house is a fully stocked kitchen of enough food to likely feed him and his entire family for more than a month. Maybe two. And I sit here alone right now. Knowing bad company is worse than being alone, but wondering if I’m bad company. Am I?

It could likely be argued I am.

But are we bad company because we’re blessed? Or because we’re more blessed?

Not if we believe what the Lord was teaching in that story of the good Samaritan. It’s got nothing to do with need or want. It’s got nothing to do with abundance or wealth. It has everything to do with the heart – our mind. It has to do with our ability and willingness to be compassionate.

Empathy is understanding. It’s a great thing and I’m blessed with an abundant measure of it. But empathy doesn’t do anything necessarily. Except help a person get it.

Compassion is the horsepower driven by empathy because compassion acts. Compassion does something. And yes, I know, compassion does what it can, but knows some things can’t be done.

A person lays dying. I’m compassionate in attempting (poorly I might add) to console the living, but I’m powerless to do much of anything. What little I do may help. It may not. I’m not sure. In such moments I try to think of them, not me – and do what I feel may best serve them. I don’t know what better thing to do. My inability is huge in that moment.

I have many huge moments like that. Moments of inability. Moments that are simply too big for me – or my compassion. Like the father living in on dirt floors. With starving children.

I’d like to think I’d be good company for him. I rather think I would be. I’m not sure what exactly that would look like, but from the comfort of The Yellow Studio I think of him. I think of others like him. I pray. I look inside to leverage his plight to make myself better. All in an attempt to work on making sure that I am good company – and in my efforts to become even better company as time rolls on.

Randy

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According to the Northwestern website, a spacecraft leaving earth needs a speed of 7 miles per second or about 25,000 miles an hour to leave earth’s atmosphere without falling back.

I formed the habit of using metaphors and hyperbolic language to convey ideas in business. Early in my career, while leading and managing sales teams I intended to make things easy to understand and relatable. I started in sales so I suppose I did it because I sat through too many “sales meetings” where technical details, product details, and all the other dry, boring stuff was presented with all the panache of a cardboard box.

When the Eagle landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, I was 12. Maybe that had something to do with it. Business success, I learned, relied on having a successful launch (take off). But what does that mean? Well, it means you don’t crash. And in order to avoid crashing, you have to keep flying. If you’re flying high, like a spacecraft, then you have to get to orbit where you can safely fly without fear of crashing. That means you have to escape gravity. Technically, it’s escape velocity – the speed required to get beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Thanks to the brainiac physicists and other scientists we know the speed required – 7 miles per second.

Similar comparisons have been made to other forms of flight. Like regular planes. In business, we often talk about runways. Planes need runways. The bigger the plane, the longer the required runway. The visual is easy for anybody to understand. If a big plane is going to achieve lift-off, it needs a longer runway than some little lightweight single-engine plane. A business enterprise needs runway – cash and capital – to get lift-off.

It’s all about getting a lift. Going higher. Getting up in the air. Getting off the ground.

But we’re not talking about business. We’re talking about leaning toward wisdom. We’re thinking about our lives, which very well may include business and careers, but it’s more than that. It’s the total thing – every aspect of our lives. The complete person that is who we are. And perhaps more importantly, the complete person that is who we want to become. Our ideal self.

We’re all trying to escape something. 

“I won’t feel sorry for myself,” said Elizabeth the character in Poldark, an Amazon Prime TV series about who lost everything including house and status. It’s a powerful declaration of a character determined to escape the misfortune that had befallen her. “We’ll find economy and rebuild.” Without knowing the end of the story, we believe her because she seems determined to build enough momentum to escape her present reality. She’s headed toward escape velocity.

History teaches valuable lessons. Recently I revisited the 13 subjects crafted by Benjamin Franklin. He created a list of 13 things he wanted to work on to escape his status quo and go to new heights of achievement. Franklin formed the list while he was a printer in Philadelphia swimming in debt.

His idea was simple but brilliant. He’d devote one full week to each subject. After 13 weeks he’d start over again. By the end of a full year, he would have spent four full weeks on each item.

Little doubt Franklin thought by concentrating on these things he’d be able to escape the mediocrity and failure of his current life.

Here’s what Franklin wrote about these 13 subjects…and in this order:

1. Temperance – Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation
2. Silence – Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation
3. Order – Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time
4. Resolution – resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve
5. Frugality – Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing
6. Industry – Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions
7. Sincerity – Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly
8. Justice – Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting benefits that are your duty
9. Moderation – Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve
10. Cleanliness – Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation
11. Tranquility – Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable
12. Chastity – Rarely use venery (sexual indulgences) but for health and offspring, never to dullness, weakness or injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation
13. Humility – Imitate Jesus and Socrates

UPDATE: Project #CravingEncouragement

Visit LeaningTowardWisdom.com/craving to learn how you can participate in this project (NO MONEY REQUIRED).

Stories, stories, stories. That’s what I want. YOUR story of a time when somebody encouraged you in a meaningful way – a way that made a big difference in your life.

This is it…my final update and last mention of the opportunity to make a financial contribution. And I’m very grateful to all the people who have contributed. Your donations warrant a special, “Thank you!” And now I’m going to stop behaving like a carnival barker. 😀

I’m less than $100 away from reaching the financial goal of adding a Rode Rodecaster Pro to The Yellow Studio. If you care to contribute, then I’ve got some special rewards for you, but no financial contribution is necessary to participate. I still want your stories.

Thanks in advance for participating in this project. Lord willing, in September I’m going to start scheduling some Skype calls and recording stories.

Benjamin Franklin came up with 13 things he felt would make him a better person. A more successful person. He was aiming to grow personally and professionally. By coming up with 13 he figured he could devote a full week to each item over 13 weeks, then repeat the process and repeat it again and again. It was a plan to work on a specific item for a week, to work on all 13 over 13 weeks, and to spend an entire year working on all 13 items four times a year.

Today we know much more about the mind and brain than Franklin could have imagined. But it seems he intuitively knew that forming good habits was necessary to escape gravity’s pull toward failure and foolishness.

That’s common knowledge today, even though we often ignore the power of it. Or fail to put in the work necessary to change or develop better habits. Habits that will accelerate our speed and enable us to reach a higher altitude in life.

Seven miles a second. That’s the speed required to escape earth’s gravity. Seems fast, right?

But in your head is the capacity to experience speeds that are almost instantaneous. You can change your mind in an instant. You can make up your mind in an instant.

The rocket requires lots of planning and building. Every detail prepared with great precision. But when the launch sequence is activated, everything changes. Instant acceleration. Instant progress toward the long-awaited goal.

You can gather facts and information as you prepare your mind for the moment of truth – the launch of something better. Some get stuck in that mode. Plan, prepare, plan some more, prepare some more, learn something else, plan a bit more…never leaving the ground because they never hit LAUNCH.

Learning doesn’t bring about change or improvement. Learning doesn’t provide escape velocity.

The personal development market is more than $10 BILLION annually. And the market is rising. It’s estimated that by the year 2022 it will exceed $13 BILLION.

Question: How much of that money will actually provide a return? That is, how many people who participate will do anything with the information they learn? I’m not a statistician so I have no idea how you’d figure that out, but it’s been surmised that fewer than 2% will put any of it to good use. Fact is, most people will not take any meaningful action to incorporate their new knowledge into something that could improve their life. It means there’s a lot of money invested in learning how to achieve escape velocity, but little is done to make it happen.

“After all is said and done, more is said than done.”  -Aesop

Look at your own life. Look at the learning you’ve engaged in through the years. You know more today than you’ve ever known. Truths, opinions, viewpoints are more bountiful in your life today than they’ve ever been.

Do you know enough?

You may say you don’t, but I’d argue you likely know plenty enough to be doing more than you currently are. It’s not a question of do you know enough to surpass all other humans. It’s a question of do you know enough to surpass who you were yesterday?

What’s the answer for achieving escape velocity?

Is it more information?

Is it more learning?

Is there something we just don’t yet know that’s holding us back?

No is the answer to the first two questions, but yes is the likely answer to that third one. There likely IS something we don’t yet know that’s holding us back, but it’s not so much learning as it is understanding.

It’s not more information that holds us back. It’s a lack of understanding coupled with the failure to incorporate that understanding into actions.

We continue to learn new information and mostly we do nothing with it. It serves no useful purpose to help us achieve escape velocity. So we remain stuck in the orbit we’ve long been in. Growing increasingly more comfortable where we’ve always been, but peering out into the future wishing for some magic to take us to a different orbit. We wish for a magic carpet even though we know such a thing doesn’t exist. Dreaming of it consumes us more than the willpower or determination to put in the work.

But let’s not be so cavalier or rough.

Frequently we seem stuck because we don’t know how to proceed. When we struggle with knowing what to do, the easy course is often to do nothing hoping that time may enlighten us.

We’ve all tried such a strategy. It’s highly likely that’s the strategy you’re currently deploying. Even though it has never worked. Even though it never will work.

I get it and you do, too.

We want answers about the unknown without ever making the trip. That’s what escape velocity is all about – venturing into the unknown so we can, at last, find out. And know. It’s the determination to figure it out – not by speculating, but by actually making new discoveries.

You won’t figure it out by just thinking about it. You’ll figure it out by trying things, doing things and going to places you’ve never been.

From what do you want to escape?

What fears stand in your way? What questions weigh heavy? What relationships need mending? What forgiveness need extending? What sins need forgiveness?

Benjamin Franklin formed his list of 13 subjects based on what he felt he needed most. It’s time to form our own list of 13 things. The things we need to incorporate into our life so we can achieve escape velocity and take off for higher altitudes.

It’s not horsepower you need. You’ve already got the capacity to achieve the necessary speed. Mind power.

The power of a mind made up to act. The power of a mind decided. A mind that will refuse anything or anybody to stop them from doing something in an effort to escape the present state of things. A mind determined to reach something higher. Something better. Something wiser.

Are you ready to tackle the beginning work – creating your list of 13 things?

Wait a minute, what? A podcast with homework assignments? Sure, why not?

By the way, did you know that I own the URL WaitAMinuteWhat.com? I do. I thought I might make a podcast of it when I first got it, but I never did anything except think about it. See, that’s how life goes. We do a lot more thinking about doing things than actually doing things.

Okay, back to the homework assignment. This is work you owe it to yourself to do. It’s not for me. Or anybody else. It’s not to prove anything to anybody except yourself. It’s an exercise all about YOU doing what YOU need to do to create the best version of YOU that YOU want. It doesn’t hinge on what anybody else thinks or wants. It just hinges on your ideal version of yourself and what 13 things you know you need to work on to get there.

Some people will think, “Thirteen? I can’t come up with 13.”

Others will think, “Just 13? That hardly seems exhaustive enough.”

Benjamin Franklin, who started out arrogant and quite full of himself, learned to consider himself ordinary. History has proven he was anything but ordinary. A creative man given to carefully and soberly consider things, but a man unwilling to stop there – with merely considering things. A man more driven to achieve and accomplish.

Franklin was a man who considered who he was. And who he most wanted to be. I rather think he had figured out that this is what would make the difference. This is what seemed to drive him to become the man we know – the man history remembers.

He was only 20 years old when he crafted his list of 13 virtues. Before you start thinking how young that was, realize that in the 1700’s you were doing good to survive to reach the age of 35. Franklin was 84 when he died.

By the time he was 24 Franklin had become the official printer of Pennsylvania. He had also formed the Junto, a group that met each Friday evening to discuss life, debate philosophy and devote themselves to self-improvement. He was 3 to 4 years into the habit of working on his list of 13 virtues. Coincidence? Doubtful. The man was dedicated to the work.

He helped incorporate the first subscription library in Philadelphia by the time he was 25. His publishing efforts expanded during the 1730s. It was during this period, the end of 1732 when he published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack. He published it for 25 consecutive years and included many memorable quotes such as “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Franklin’s ambitions expanded into scientific inventions and business by the time he entered the 1740s. He formed the first scientific society in the colonies. Toward the end of the 1740s he was among the richest men in Pennsylvania.

We can thank Ben for bifocals, the rocking chair, the discovery of the Gulf Stream and the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania. He also invented the lightning rod, the odometer and was among the handful of men who architected the Declaration of Independence.

More than 8 years ago a friend of mine from the U.K., Keith Davis, asked me to record a short video to post on his public speaking website. I fired up my webcam and gave it a go. This is the result…

Today we see the glorious successes of Benjamin Franklin. The failures are largely unnoticed these few centuries later. Truth be told, the failures weren’t likely even standing out in his lifetime thanks to the success. That’s what happens in most lives. Success overshadows failure. That’s likely why he wrote this.

“Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”

Franklin’s many failures began early with a number of unfulfilled apprenticeships. He had a number of failed inventions. He wasn’t exactly a rousing success as a husband and father either. But it’s his greatness we remember. Not his perfection, which never did exist. Or his imperfection, which always did.

It can never be said that he didn’t contribute and help create what has become the greatest nation the world thus far has ever known.

Leaning Toward Wisdom isn’t about us becoming perfect, or making ourselves more noble and honorable than we truly are. It’s about our working to embrace greater wisdom in our lives, about our doing our best more often than not to behave in ways that best benefit our lives and those around us. It’s not a quest for our personal perfection, but an unrelenting push to get better and better. To reach a speed in our lives where escape velocity is possible. A speed that will allow us to reach new heights, new orbits, new places, and new achievements not possible where we once found ourselves. It’s about making a commitment to not merely think about becoming better – but it’s about doing the work to actually become better. One day, one week, one year at a time.

Randy

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Thirty-nine years today – around 6 am – August 17, 1980, a Sunday morning – we had a baby boy. We named him Ryan Dale. And it changed our lives forever. In all the best ways. We were now parents.

Today, he’s all grown up. A father of three. A successful business owner, TruVision Property Inspections. A Christian.

It’s fitting that I recorded an episode on his birthday. And it’s even more fitting that I crafted this particular episode.

My son makes me better in every way and provides a profitable melody that has definitely helped open my eyes through the years. Lord willing, we’ll have many more melodies yet to come.

Enjoy the show!