Why "Shop Small" and "Buy Local" Send the Wrong Message
28 Nov 2015

Why "Shop Small" and "Buy Local" Send the Wrong Message

by | posted in: Random Acts of Ryan | 0

Local media should still celebrate local business culture. Municipalities should still offer financial and infrastructural incentives to businesses of all sizes—encouraging both local startups and organizations that are expanding or relocating. All of us who love our community should market the heck out of where we live and why we love it. We just need to save the charity for nonprofits and give our neighbors reasons why shopping local or shopping small is the no-brainer option that’s best for them.

The Surprising Highlight of My Career
11 Nov 2015

The Surprising Highlight of My Career

by | posted in: Random Acts of Ryan | 3

Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the marks of a healthy culture is its exports to others. So, retention cannot be the primary benchmark by which I’ll measure buy-in for the rest of my promotional career. That said, I will never stop being proud of the moment when a raw, untrained kid in khaki corduroys asked, “Who’s with me!?” and everyone else in the room answered, “I am.”

5 Business Lessons From a River at Flood Stage
4 Nov 2015

5 Business Lessons From a River at Flood Stage

by | posted in: Uncategorized | 0

Then, I started thinking about the auction industry I serve. I don’t have enough fingers to count the times a client has tried a project I’ve wondered if they should’ve declined. Those are the times when I get this phone call or email: “Hey, I’ve got this auction. I’ve never sold one of these before. How would you market it?” They’re hoping I’ve helped another auction company sell something similar.

10 Ways for Husbands to Improve Their Sex Lives
9 Sep 2015

10 Ways for Husbands to Improve Their Sex Lives

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

For a lot of guys I meet in church settings, though, sex has been all but taken off the table by their wives—some going months or even years between sexual encounters. That breaks my heart. It also makes me mad that Satan wins. He wants to thwart fulfilling, married sex so that spouses are tempted to look to other (unholy) places to get their needs met. Since God uses marriage as a picture of his relationship with us, evil wants rejected, dejected husbands and distant, unconnected wives.

Living Between the Lines of My Bucket List
6 May 2015

Living Between the Lines of My Bucket List

by | posted in: Explorience | 0

In short, that’s why I keep trying new experiences both big and small—to increase my catalog of memories and keep my exploration muscle from atrophy. My tendency has been to focus more on my grand wish list than on the daily opportunities for joy. The more I take inventory of my life and what fills me up, I’ve noticed that a series of small moments can adequately span the gaps between the lines on my bucket list.

Jon Acuff and the Upper Tye River
22 Apr 2015

Jon Acuff and the Upper Tye River

by | posted in: Explorience | 1

I don’t know that I felt courageous at any point on that river. Until my ungraceful exit, I just kept focusing on the frothy, incessant rapids. You could make the case that my adventure was cut short. I wouldn’t argue, but I left with both contentedness and determination to one day finish. I told Mark that I got what I came for: a story.

Millionaire for a Weekend
8 Apr 2015

Millionaire for a Weekend

by | posted in: Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

It took me a while for all of that to fade back to my normal levels of entitlement and insecurity. It took me realizing that I have a good gig. It took moments where my friendships were worth more than money, where freedom didn’t have a price tag. It took experiences that seemed to have mystically dropped me into the right place at the right time.

60 Indelible Seconds on the CLT Tarmac
25 Mar 2015

60 Indelible Seconds on the CLT Tarmac

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

I’ve not run into Bob since that encounter. I’ve thought about writing him a letter. I’ve wanted to thank him for demonstrating humility—for being an example to me for the rest of my life. I’ve wanted to apologize for telling my story at the expense of his much better ones. My guess, though—from my short time with him—is that Bob wouldn’t have told unsolicited stories.

3 Reasons I'm Not Giving Up Facebook for Lent
11 Mar 2015

3 Reasons I'm Not Giving Up Facebook for Lent

by | posted in: Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

One of the things I’ve seen or heard people foregoing for Lent is social media. I can surely understand wanting to curtail an addiction to the likes and comments, favorites and retweets, shares and pins. If envy and comparison are temptations, abstinence from streams of others’ photos and videos could be a helpful detox.

Winter Storm Thor and My Fear of Flying
5 Mar 2015

Winter Storm Thor and My Fear of Flying

by | posted in: Explorience, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

I find that Life gives us a lot of challenges like that. There’s a gratification waiting for those who press past obstacles, detractors, or fear. That doesn’t mean that we should all run to to play with venomous snakes or tight rope walk between skyscrapers. Part of fear’s biological role is to help us measure and evaluate situations before proceeding. But part of that natural response also scares up enough dopamine and adrenaline to reward the courageous.

Not Back By Popular Demand
25 Feb 2015

Not Back By Popular Demand

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 3

That’s what my Christmas “letter” did, too, even if retroactively. It added incentive where I shouldn’t have needed any. It gave me the chance to turn vacations and weekend explorations into a thematic ego trip. I became the writer you see in the credits of reality TV shows—not that I was lying or finding a story that wasn’t there but that I was intentionally guiding others’ perception of me through carefully edited snippets.

5 Reasons to Spend Your Vacation in a Desert
28 Jan 2015

5 Reasons to Spend Your Vacation in a Desert

by | posted in: Explorience | 0

To be fair, there’s a reason few flock to this slice of the Chihuahuan Desert. It’s not convenient to get there—hours from an interstate highway and seven hours from a major airport (San Antonio). The unabated sun makes visits bearable only half the year, and paddling possible for even fewer months on the calendar. You have to buy water, because it’s that scarce; and educated folks know not to drink the river water that’s already there.

6 Life Principles Las Vegas Showed Me
31 Dec 2014

6 Life Principles Las Vegas Showed Me

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

It’s not surprising that illusionist shows are advertised all over the place. The entire city is a slight of hand trick. Vegas successfully convinces you it’s the ultimate resort, a place where you pay for unmatched entertainment. Not even Disney could make a theme park this extravagant. The sounds and lights and fixtures are all meant to distract you from the reality of loss, even from the mass of bored and crestfallen faces slumped in front of machines.

My Self on a Shelf
24 Dec 2014

My Self on a Shelf

by | posted in: Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

My alma mater shunned my book, even though it was the first by a graduate of their writing program. I’ve dropped between $2,000 and $3,000 on the project. A church friend found a signed copy at Goodwill, and I purchased a signed copy back on Amazon. My guess is that The Outfitter hasn’t moved any copies. Nobody (other than me) has been profoundly impacted by its contents, as far as I know. That’s all okay.

7 Tips for a More Productive Writing Sabbatical
10 Dec 2014

7 Tips for a More Productive Writing Sabbatical

by | posted in: Explorience, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

As you learn your writing rhythm, you’ll learn when, where, and how to get the most out of your time at the keyboard. Some of these elements will impact your efficiency more than others. So, be aware of procrastination triggers and distracting stimuli. Pay attention to patterns in the process—good and bad—and determine ways to diminish the negative and promote the positive. That’s how I got this list.

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