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Episode 80 Proud to be in the Trades


Join us this week as we discuss being proud of the skills you have because they allow you to do things that others can’t.

The Trades are Very Important

Throughout history a person would seek out a master in a trade like blacksmithing, stone masonry etc.  and ask to be an apprentice.  As an apprentice the person would learn the skill so that they could provide for their family.  Today we have schools for learning our trades, but the concept is the same.

It is the tradesman that keep our cities intact. Tradesman are very important to enjoying the lifestyle that we have.  If it weren’t for tradesman we would be without the electricity to power our computers.  When you flush a toilet where does all of that water go?  Can you imagine life without plumbers?  How about the AC or heat in our homes?  Or the very building of our homes themselves.  It is important to remember that there is someone behind the scenes making all the stuff that we take for granted work.  These are the skilled tradesman.  A skilled tradesman can take something that was nothing and create something that will benefit so many. 

Being a Tradesman is a Hard Job

Tradesman work is not easy.  There are people who try to work in the trades, but are not able.  Tradesman need to work in all types of extreme weather and conditions.  They need to have an understanding of math and physics. There is also a great deal of skilled involved and mechanical ability.  Every state has their own requirements for becoming a tradesman either Journeyman or Master.  These requirements vary but include hours in the field, hours of training, years of apprenticeship, and tests to receive your license.  We have courses here on the Surging Forward website to help you with these requirements.

Being Proud of Your Skills

So many people think that working in the trades is a degrading job.  But it is not.  It takes great skill to build things with your hands.  The trades are something where age is no barrier.  A person can enter the trades right out of high school or as a change in career later down the road.  You can make a good living working in the trades.  Companies are looking for hard workers that show up on time and do some over-time when asked.  In the trades you can move up the ranks or without going to college many tradesman branch out and start their own businesses. 

Don’t listen to the negativity of some saying that you are a failure because you are working out in the field.  Realize that you are a success because you are making a difference.  Take the skills you have and never stop learning more; in this way you and your family will KEEP SURGING FORWARD.

Let’s start something new – Let’s thank a Tradesman today.

Until next week keep Surging Forward.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Connect with me on Linkedin

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Keeping Your Focus Episode 79


Join us this week as we talk about focusing on your goals and not on the struggles that may be holding you back.

One of my goals when I started Surging Forward was to make a difference and to help others especially young tradesman coming up in the trades.  One of the struggles of tradesman is that they are not getting the training at the workman level.  Most of all the training comes at the management level.  I also wanted to be a positive influence in this negative world.  But no matter how positive you try to stay; life is not always positive.  A saying that I say often is that “God is in control”.  Some of you may not believe as I do, but for me I believe in God and this saying is a reminder that I am not in control.

Let me tell you a little bit about what I have been going through the past couple of weeks.  I am very dependent upon my computer for the running of Surging Forward.  I have a very good computer and everything was working just fine until Windows tried to do an update.  The update failed and Windows went into a non-stop loop which affected all of my other programs.  After much research I finally had to get a hold of someone in Microsoft support.  After weeks of Microsoft remoting into my computer trying different things and waiting for new installs, they finally got my computer working.  Also during these weeks other stuff around my house started to break down.  Even though it felt as if my world was falling apart I needed to keep my focus and my focus is to help others to “Keep Surging Forward”.  Because I have gone through struggles in the past I was still able to get a podcast out, prepare for the classroom courses that I teach, and still work my current job.

The struggles that we go through make us stronger.  There is a reason for those struggles.  You have to look at the positive.  Do not let the negativity of this world just swallow you up and get you to the point that you want to quit.  Things do get better.  All of us are going to go through struggles, but maintain your focus.  Think about where you want to be.  There is a lot more to life than just beer 30 and negative friends.  Sometimes that negative voice is a lot louder than the positive voice.  But maintain your focus and reignite those dreams within you.  My focus and goals are not the same as yours.

What is your focus?

What are your goals?

Why are you working in the trades putting up with the harsh working conditions?

What is it that keeps you Surging Forward?

Until next week keep Surging Forward.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Connect with me on Linkedin

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Episode 78 Life’s Hurdles


A friend emailed me this week with some of the struggles that he has been going through.  As I was helping him; I found that I was also helping myself.  Join us today as we talk about overcoming life’s hurdles. The answer may not be as hard as you think.

A Friend’s Struggles

One of the members of Surging Forward, I will call him “Freddy”, emailed me saying that  every time he tries to get ahead something always happens. He is having issues with his truck and then his job sends him to a job site further from his home. He said that it is a constant struggle and that he is almost at the point of burnout.

My Struggles

The email came at a time when I also was going through a lot of issues myself.  I was working too many hours, and having computer issues with endless hours of troubleshooting as to why a Windows update had caused my computer to be in an endless loop.  Though I did not really know how I could help Freddy as I was feeling the same but for very different reasons; I set up a phone call.  Freddy shared that things were going well and then all of a sudden everything hit at one time. He asked, how do I get over this hurdle?

As I spoke with Freddy,  I realized that we all have hurdles of one type or another.  They seem to sabotage the success that we were experiencing.  It seems like we run into a brick wall and you just want to quit.  And it seems, that there is no way for you to win or achieve your goal that earlier seemed within reach.

I reminded Freddy that life happens.  There are many things that happen that we have no control over. For example: those of us that work in the trades, have no control of the job location or of how far from home that the work may take us. Sometimes we even need to travel to another state. We also have no control over the weather so we often work in extreme cold or heat. Many times we are working so many hours that we don’t have time to do the maintenance on our vehicles so they break down leaving us stranded. And they always seem to breakdown in the middle of nowhere or like the computer issues that I am experiencing at a very busy time.

Why do these things happen?

What curse is on me, that want to stop me from succeeding?

We All Go Through Struggles

After listening to Freddy and thinking of all the things going on with me at the same time, I realized that we all go through tough times and many times it just small things adding up together that make the brick wall.  There is nothing hindering us or trying to stop us; it is just simply “life”. We just have to step back from the issue for a moment and then look at it again and find a solution. Just because you cannot get over that hurdle/wall at this moment does not mean that you cannot find a solution and push over it later. It is so easy to get into the poor little old me attitude, but think about those that depend on you or believe in you. At the times when we want to give up we really need to say I will “Keep Surging Forward” and I will find a solution to the issue at hand. This is what makes you stronger and able to handle the issues of tomorrow.  

Freddy got back with me a couple of days later and said that he solved the issue with his truck by carpooling with a friend.  And the funny thing is that during their car rides, they are discussing electrical code and this is helping Freddy learn the code so he can pass his test for his electrical license. Funny how this all work out!

What are your hurdles in life?  We all have them.

Take a step back and then find a solution. Life is going to happen.  We cannot solve everything, but we can pursue and solve the ones we can and this will help us to Keep Surging Forward.

 

Until next week keep Surging Forward.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Your Time is Your Money in Episode 76


We all know that there are 24 hours in a day.  We sleep for 6-8 of these hours so that only leaves 16-18 hours to get something accomplished.  With these remaining hours we need to find a balance.  How we divide up our time with these remaining hours plays a huge role in our success.  

We can not spend all of our time sitting on the couch playing video games or watching football or Game of Thrones though it is important to have some down time to just relax.

We can not just spend 16 hours working then our families suffer because we are never at home.  We need to find a balance; we need to establish priorities.

It is very easy to justify why we are spending so much time in one area:

I am working long hours for my family; mean while you have missed your son’s Little League Game or

I deserve to sit on the couch and do nothing because I work hard all day; mean while your marriage is going down the drain because your significant other feels neglected.

It is all about priorities and balance.

Ask yourself what are your priorities in life?

When you evaluate your priorities you should see if the way you are using your time is making money or causing you to lose it.

Maybe you will need to establish new priorities: such as God, family, work, recreation, school etc.. Once you have established your priorities; then determine how many hours you need to divide up amongst these priorities.

If you work an 8 hour job, there goes 8 hours plus your travel time, five days a week.

How much time do you have left for your other priorities?

Sometimes 2 priorities can be combined – you can have family time while going out to a movie or taking a hike.  This combines family and recreation.

But most times you need to commit your time, 100% to the priority you established.

When you are at work; your boss deserves your 100% commitment.  That means arriving on time, watching the length of your breaks… It does not mean spending time on your cell phone or going out for a long lunch when you should be working.  My friend bosses notice who is working and who is a slacker and when it comes time for promotions guess who is going to get the promotion.

Another way to get noticed on a job is to increase your knowledge.  Spend some of your balanced priority time learning.  Listen to Podcasts, read a good book, go on line and take some courses. (Surging Forward. Com) There is so much out there today.  

By using your time in a wise and balanced way you can become successful at work, at home, and around the neighborhood.  You will also find that you are not as stressed out so your health will improve which will increase your energy level which will then improve your work and family life.  It is just a big circle of success starting with you realizing that Your Time is Your Money and as you learn this it will keep you Surging Forward.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Relationships Episode75


How you handle your relationships can either take you to the next level or bring you down.

Lately it seems that relationships are keeping people down.  They either have had a bad relationship or they think have a good relationship, yet they have no one to talk to.  They feel alone and that nobody cares.  Just because you have likes on your Facebook Page does not mean that you have true relationships.  People walk around acting as if life is good and that they do not have a care in the world, but all of us go through struggles and have difficult times.  All of us struggle with self–esteem issues wondering does this person like me, is my nose too big, or are my eyes weird or whatever.  These are real issues that all of us struggle with. 

Some people may claim that they want to help you out, but when someone comes forward especially over the internet people come out of no where bashing and joking and giving the person a hard time.  Mob mentality and cyber bullying begins.  Whatever happened to the old saying “if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all.”  What does this saying mean?  It means if you are not uplifting someone; if you are not saying something decent then why are you bothering to say something.  There is no reason to tear others down.  We are not talking about good natured kidding because we all have to be able to laugh at ourselves sometimes, but we are talking about people that viciously attack others on Social Media.  These people overly exaggerate or say things that are completely untrue.  And most times they don’t even know the person that they are saying the hurtful things about.  Are these healthy relationships?  Absolutely not and when you respond to these people you are egging it on even more.  It is sad but people will share a negative message before they will share a positive one. 

This Surging Forward Podcast was started to help you to create a positive you in a negative world.  We can only make choices for ourselves.  Many good people get sucked into the negative.  They attack someone else so that they can avoid getting attacked themselves.  We feel so insecure in our own lives that when we see someone else going through a struggle we jump in on that band wagon that way no one is bothering us.  But this just sends us down a spiraling rabbit hole and before long we find ourselves on the other end of the spectrum and all those so called friends are gone.

What if more people started to encourage more people? Often this does not happen because people do not have healthy relationships.  They feel alone and they don’t want to take a step out, because they are afraid that they will be picked on if they are wrong.  No one knows everything about everything.  And don’t feel like you have to know everything.  That is what relationships are about; people helping people.  Have you ever been in a relationship with people that can influence you?  They bring you up when you are down.  They stand by your side when you make a mistake.  Relationships are only good if they help you through the rough times.  Having a positive relationship is what gets you through those difficult times.  My pastor made a statement that who you follow defines who you are and who you are defines who you will follow.

Even when it comes to religion it is all about a relationship.  You may know people that do a lot of good things and try to be a good person, but if you don’t have a relationship and all you have is “religion” then who is going to stand in your court to help you when times get tough.  It is all about a relationship. 

Life does get tough, but you can keep Surging Forward by continuing to take life one step at a time to create a positive you in a negative world.  Only you can make choices for you.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Dealing with Authority/Inspectors Episode 74


Dealing with authority or inspectors is not something that we always like to do.  When we are dealing with someone in authority we can feel intimidated or feel like they are out to get us. When dealing with those in authority we need to show them respect.  You do not have to like or even respect that person, but you still need to know how to deal with that inspector or boss.  You may disagree with something that they are requiring you to fix, but you still have to abide by their authority in most cases.

How do we deal with those in authority that we do not like?           Sometimes those in authority cost you time, money, or they may have embarrassed you by calling you out in public about something you did, or you just do not like them.  How do you deal with this type of person?            

The first thing we all need to remember is that everyone has a boss.  We all have someone we need to report to; to be accountable to.  Some may say that they work on their own so they do not have a boss; but this is not true for their client or customer is their boss.  The customer may decide not to pay because they were not satisfied with the job.  Bottom line is that none of us like to be corrected or called out and told that we did something wrong.  We do not like to be embarrassed or talked down to.  There are good bosses and bad bosses.  There are good inspectors and bad inspectors.  How you react to each is a choice that you make.  Never let a bad inspector or leader force you to make a bad decision.  Once you make that bad decision that bad leader or inspector has control over you and your life.

You do not have to like the person that is in authority over you, but you do have to respect their position.  You do not always have to respect the person, because a person needs to earn that respect.  If you want to be a better person or leader realize that you can learn more from a bad leader or inspector in regards to how you should deal with authority then you can from a good leader.

I have heard people say “I have no respect for that inspector or leader.  Every time I have to deal with him my whole day is messed up.”   In this case you are allowing someone that you are forced to interact with influence your actions and ruin your day.

The person in authority deserves you to respect their position.  They are in that position to give you direction, to provide you with information, or simply to pass or fail your installation.  They are responsible for keeping you and others safe on the job, or teaching you how to perform a task.  You need to respect their position, but not necessarily the person.  They need to earn that respect.

When I say respect the position; it simply means to allow that person, which may not have a very good way of dealing with people, a little more room to save face.  Why should I give a person I do not like room to save face?  All of us have a need to feel important this was discussed on Episode 63.

How do you deal with these people who are giving you a hard time?

The first thing you need to do is to diffuse the situation.  Do not make something bigger out of it than it really was.  Be a listener more than a reactor.

Ask yourself:

            Is this person asking you to work in unsafe conditions?

            Is this person asking you to do something morally wrong?

            Is this person asking you to do something that might hurt you or your family?

            Is this person asking you to do something that might ruin your reputation?

If the answer is “no”, then do not take the stress from that person in authority.  Maybe he is caring something bad in his life.  Do not let him put that heavy load on you.  Just break down and do what needs to be done to satisfy the situation and move on.  Dealing with people can be tough because everyone has a different opinion on everything. But it is not up to us to force someone to make a choice to do something they do not want to do.

What if the answer is “yes” to the questions above, then how do you diffuse the situation?

One of the ways to diffuse the situation is to agree to disagree.  If you are told to do something that is unsafe, do not lose your cool, but back up your reason for your position with facts.  An inspector can not make you do something just based on their opinion of whether they like you or not.  They have a set of guidelines that they need to follow also. 

If an issue can not be solved this way, you can take the issue to someone above and explain your position, again with facts.  Remember, everyone has a boss.  It is not worth the time or headache of losing your cool over this one incident.  We all make our own choices and sometimes due to someone else’s actions we allow somebody else to make the choice for us by losing our cool.  If somebody else can cause you to feel bad and get you angry then believe it or not they are actually in control of you.  But you are the one who is going to pay the consequences for losing control.  If you get angry with an inspector, your job is not going to get passed.  If you get angry at your boss, then you could get fired. 

There are ways to handle the situation without losing control.  You can agree to disagree.  Give the facts of why you think that this is against code, why you think it is unsafe or why you feel uncomfortable telling a lie.  You may have to take the situation to HR, but there are better ways of dealing and not losing control. 

A confrontation today may affect a promotion that you were going to get tomorrow.  You can only make choices based on what you do.  Do not let other people force you into a bad situation.  When people are in a bad mood they love to suck as many people as they can down that rabbit hole.  This gives them the fuel for their fire as they live in their negative world.  There are people out there that look happy, but they are not or that look like they have it all together and they really do not.  Our slogan here at Surging Forward is to Create a Positive You in a Negative World.  We are here to help one person at a time. 

Only you can make a choice about your life.  It does not mean that you are always happy, because sometimes life just does not go right, but you can help create a positive situation just by diffusing a negative situation.  Keep Surging Forward!

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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What is your Outlook? Episode 72

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What is you outlook on your job, life, or those around you? Join me as I continue to discuss some of the biggest Hurdles that you feel keep you from succeeding in the Trades or on your job. How to you see things around you and how do you feel about yourself. What is the biggest thing that is needed to succeed? Each day, each week, each month and even each year provides you with an opportunity to make a choice. Decide today what you will do to Keep Surging Forward. As usual I look forward to your comments. I would also be very honored if you would share this with someone that would like to move forward in their career.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Gaining Knowledge Episode 71


In this Episode I was actually on the Road and was able to answer a question that I posted on Facebook. I simply asked what are some of the biggest Hurdles that you feel keep you from succeeding in the Trades or on your job. There was a Large response over many of the groups that I am in. All of which I will address in future episodes. The one that seemed to be the biggest hurdle was how to gain more knowledge so you can grow and become successful.   So this episode which is my first episode recorded while on the road will show you the many ways where you can Gain the knowledge needed to Keep you Surging Forward. As usual I look forward to your comments.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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Episode 71_Gaining Knowledge


In this Episode I was actually on the Road and was able to answer a question that I posted on Facebook. I simply asked what are some of the biggest Hurdles that you feel keep you from succeeding in the Trades or on your job. There was a Large response over many of the groups that I am in. All of which I will address in future episodes. The one that seemed to be the biggest hurdle was how to gain more knowledge so you can grow and become successful.   So this episode which is my first episode recorded while on the road will show you the many ways where you can Gain the knowledge needed to Keep you Surging Forward. As usual I look forward to your comments.

If you enjoy this podcast please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurgingForward/

We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at https://www.youtube.com/user/surgingforward

Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book click here

Follow us on twitter click here

Follow us on Instagram.

Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at www.surgingforward.com

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