Water Cycle for $800 please Alex…
The answer: June, May, April, March, September, August, July, October, November, December, February, January The question: What are the wettest to driest months of the year by average precipitation across the United States? Hope you enjoyed this pathetic attempt at Jeopardy. There is a point though. When the rainy season comes, be sure…
Reflections of a dog-walker
One of the highlights of my day is taking my dog, Sadie, for a walk. The way she acts, it’s the best part of her day too. I call them “walks”. A more apt description would be “canine sniffing expeditions”. She’s a Black Mouth Cur and is definitely from the hound family. Her…
Keeping the ‘Ouchies’ away
I’ve carried something in my wallet since I was in my 20s. So 3 decades. It’s not one thing. One gets used and I replace it with another. You’d be amazed how often it comes in handy. What is it? Band-Aids. I started carrying them when, in the course of one week, I…
What Do Ben Franklin and a Swiss Army Knife Have in Common?
Benjamin Franklin is one of the few people who have TWO birthdays. What? Ben Franklin was born on January 6, 1706. And Ben Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. How’s that possible? He has two birthdays because in 1752 England moved from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and this skipped…
Do you know how the Secret Service trains new agents to spot counterfeit cash?
Now most people think it’s the FBI who tracks down people who try to pass counterfeit bills. But it’s not. It’s the Secret Service. Yeah, the same agency who guards the President is also tasked with making sure no “funny money” gets into circulation. So how does the Secret Service train new agents…
My dog hates bad weather and beeping fire alarms
Beep. The single, 85-decibel high-pitched chirp started at 9:37pm. You know that chirp. A smoke detector in the house is running out of battery power. But which one is it? My wife had just let our dog, Sadie, outside for her final potty of the night. And then that first beep happened. Even…
What Thieves Notice While You’re Pumping Gas (and How to Stop Them)
What do you do while you’re pumping gas at the gas station? Probably not a question you really think about. Most people do one of a few things after they put the gas nozzle in to fill up: Get back in their vehicle and scroll through their phone Lean back on their car…
Road trips and hotel pitstops
Taking a road trip is fun. The open road, awesome scenery, new places. But you know what isn’t fun on a road trip though? Finding a clean bathroom. Especially if you are traveling with kids. Here’s a tip we used that came from my brother-in-law, Dave: When nature calls while on a road…
Walk LEFT, bike RIGHT
One of the highlights of my day is taking my dog, Sadie, for a walk. Every afternoon, I slip on her harness, attach her retractable leash, and we’re off. Our neighborhood is awesome, but it has one flaw. No sidewalks. So we walk along the side of the road. Moving into someone’s yard…
Would you remember everything you own after a disaster?
How could you prove the value of the items in your home if you suffered a cataclysmic event and had to file an insurance claim? Remember, you are in shock but are expected to come up with a financial number that makes sense. I hope this never happens to you and your family. …
Your family’s memories deserve better…start backing up today
One of the last items on the “Stock Your Treasure Chest” checklist is ‘Portable Hard Drive: Backup of home computers including family photos, videos, and PDFs of important documents”. It’s the photos and videos you should really be thinking about. Business philosopher Jim Rohn once said: “There are three things to leave behind:…
The safe way to keep all your money docs in the palm of your hand
Earlier, I gave you a recommendation for our family’s go-to safe we store our financial documents in. It’s a place you keep all the papers for protection and convenience. But what if you are traveling and something awful happens to you or someone in your family? And you need a copy of a…
Why I Hate $50 Bills
If you took me up on my offer yesterday and downloaded my “Stock Your Treasure Chest” checklist of money documents you should collect, you may have noticed my comment about Cash. Didn’t grab it yesterday? Well get it now so what I’m saying makes sense. Anyway… Under ‘Cash’, I said “Two weeks of…
Don’t stuff your money documents in a sock drawer
The second principle of Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is: Begin with the end in mind. And that’s what I’m giving you now. You’ve gotten the “Stock Your Treasure Chest” checklist, and you’ve seen all the financial documents you should be getting together in one place. But where should you…
How Your Dirty Laundry Can Save You Valuable Minutes In A Crisis
Fires in California and Hawaii. Flooding in North Carolina. Tornadoes across the Midwest and South. And that’s just in the last 17 months. All these tragic events have one thing in common…The need to get to safety in minutes. Whether you are trying to flee or hunkering down, you want to grab as…
1995 Ford F-150 SuperCab Long Bed Pickup For Sale: A Truck With Personality, Heart, and One Heck Of A Sense Of Humor
1995 Ford F-150 SuperCab Long Bed Pickup For Sale: A Truck With Personality, Heart, and One Heck Of A Sense Of Humor Attention Classic Truck LoversIf you’re looking for a truck that knows how to take life one mile at a time (because she’s taken 244,216 of them), look no further than this vintage…
How I Discovered My Wife’s Unspoken Fear
I never realized just how scared my wife was to spend the night alone with just her and our girls in the house. Years ago, my work took me out of town. I’d leave on Monday morning and get back home Friday night. We lived in an extremely safe neighborhood. The only bad…
When Asking For Ketchup Earned Me The Side-Eye
When Asking For Ketchup Earned Me The Side-Eye So I stopped at Wendy’s for lunch. Went inside to eat in the dining room. I ordered my usual #6 combo (Spicy Chicken Sandwich [no lettuce, no tomato] with fries and a sweet tea). Then I moved left to let others order their meals. Now…
5 Sales Lessons Learned Prom Dress Shopping With My Daughter
5 Sales Lessons Learned From Prom Dress Shopping With My Daughter There we were at David’s Bridal looking for prom dresses with our daughter at 10:30am on a Sunday morning. We got there just as it opened. Now usually you’d find us at church at that time. But our daughter, Dana, would be…
What a Disintegrating Suitcase Can Teach Us About Prepping for a Crisis
What a Disintegrating Suitcase Can Teach Us About Prepping for a Crisis We spent our New Year’s Day scrambling to buy a new suitcase. Why? Our daughter, Audrey, was leaving on January 2nd for a conference in Knoxville, Tennessee. She needed a big suitcase to fit all her stuff in one place instead…
A Birthday Salute to Benjamin Franklin: A Man of Curiosity, Creativity, and Compassion
A Birthday Salute to Benjamin Franklin: A Man of Curiosity, Creativity, and Compassion It’s Benjamin Franklin’s birthday today! Well, it’s the first of his two birthdays. Why? Ben Franklin was born on January 6, 1706. And Ben Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. How’s that possible? He has two birthdays because in…
I Swore I Would Never Pick Up Dog Poop
I Swore I Would Never Pick Up Dog Poop When we adopted Sadie three years ago, I swore the only thing I wouldn't do is clean up her dog poop. I was wrong. You see me proudly holding a blue bag of her 'leftovers'. How did I get to this point? Love. Sadie…
Don't Bend. Follow Your Most Intense Obsessions Mercilessly.
“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” Franz Kafka
The Disappearing Piccolo
The Disappearing Piccolo We won the eBay auction for a Gemeinhardt Model 4PMH Piccolo on Tuesday night. My daughter Audrey was one step closer to holding it in her hands for the high school band marching season. The piccolo should arrive Monday. That fit our plans perfectly. We would leave town on Thursday…
Lock Up Your Libraries If You Like...
“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” -- Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own
Don't Say You Don't Have Enough Time
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Blaming your lack of time for lack of results is easy. No one…
Faith Is Taking The First Step
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. The tendency is to wait until everything is perfect before you try. Every duck in its row. Every i dotted. Every t crossed. But life doesn't wait. And by the time you are ready,…
What Are You Doing To Make The World A Better Place?
What are you doing to make the world a better place?
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
"It ain't over 'til it's over." -- Yogi Berra
Do You Want To Know Who You Are?
"Do you want to know who you are?Don't ask.Act!Action will delineate and define you."-- Thomas Jefferson
Either run the day...
"Either run the day or the day runs you." -- Jim Rohn
UNITED is the first word...
UNITED is the first word of the name of our great country.Find things that bring us together instead of driving us apart.Here's a few:Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness
Sadie is Excited
You can see the excitement in Sadie's eyes...
There Is No Greater Agony...
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." -- Maya Angelou
Unearth All The Pains...
"Unearth all the pains, problems, challenges that your clients have and all the dreams, goals, and desires that they have." -- Christian Mickelsen
When I Sit Down To Write A Book...
"When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, 'I am going to produce a work of art.' I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a…
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me how to be a dad!
Liberty Means Responsibility...
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." -- George Bernard Shaw
To change the world, pick up your pen and write
"To change the world, pick up your pen and write." -- Martin Luther
People Will Do Anything...
"People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies." -- Blair Warren
Those Who Cannot Remember The Past...
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -- George Santayana
My life will not be an apology...
"My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement." -- Andy Andrews, The Traveler's Gift
It usually helps me write...
"It usually helps me write by reading - somehow the reading gear in your head turns the writing gear." Steven Wright
Solve A Problem For People...
"Solve a problem for people before you try to sell them something." -- Ray Edwards
Memorial Day 2020
https://www.darrenbayne.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-05-25_Memorial-Day-with-harp_darren-bayne_FB.mp4 I make my living with words. I write words as a direct-response copywriter. I speak words as a corporate trainer. But mere words cannot express the depth of thanks to the Gold Star families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price for my freedom. This video mirrors my thanks to you. Two…
People buy products only after they read words...
"People buy products only after they read words that make them want to buy those products." -- Donald Miller, StoryBrand
Words Are The Lens...
"Words are the lens through which we focus reality." -- Ray Edwards
Marketing is not about closing a sale...
"Marketing is not about closing the sale; it's about opening a relationship." -- Mike Kim
An Invitation to Your Stay-At-Home Business Trip
An Invitation to Your Stay-At-Home Business Trip Here are the details for your stay-at-home business trip. Training will begin promptly at 8:00am. We'll meet until your eyes go cross-eyed from staring at your computer screen. Accommodations Reservations have been made at your home for you. Your home is conveniently located close to not…
This Is The Beginning Of A New Day...
This Is The Beginning Of A New Day... “This is the beginning of a new day.God has given me this day to use as I will.I can waste it or use it for good.What I do today is very importantBecause I am exchanging a day of my life for it.When tomorrow comes, this…