Surging Forward Podcast - A Podcast Devoted to the Working Class

Common sense for the everyday worker! Creating a Positive you in a Negative World to Keep you Surging Forward. Career tips for the Electrician, HVAC tech, Plumber, Contractor,other Tradesman or blue collar worker to help you become successful and stay motivated to achieve your goals

Episode 90 Taking a Break 05/13/2018

Episode 89 Seize The Opportunity 05/07/2018

Episode 89 Seize The Opportunity Seize the Opportunity The opportunities are there you just need to seize them. You can be successful in the trades based on the right choices you make. You have to make choices of what you want to do to become successful. Becoming successful is not always about money. It is about being able to provide a great living for your family. Success is about making a difference. It is about being a leader. Leadership is not about power. Often people in leadership think they deserve respect, but respect is earned. Respect does not come automatically with a title. As a leader you are there to make others look good. You are there to bring others up. Leadership is about servant-hood. Seize the Opportunity ideas for those of you that want to go to the next level: The Surging Forward website offers training to keep your license current and prep classes so that you can take your Master’s test. The free Surging Forward App on Google Play offers over 60 hours of training and can readily be shared with friends. Most companies offer training and some even offer mentor-ship programs. Check with your company and see what they offer. A new program that is being launched by Paul Abernathy with the Electrical Code Academy. Paul has created a program for a Certified Master Electrical Code Professional (CMECP). This certification will provide a formal process to be able to evaluate and identify individuals that have met a recognized standard. Kent Crook from KC Rhino that was interviewed on Episode 87 You Can Start Your Own Business. Raj Guendoo just released his new book “Finding Home: A Journey of Overcoming Fear and Adversity to Finding Purpose. John Maxwell – Motivational Leadership Speaker. Many feel that leadership is unobtainable. They feel that they cannot become a leader because they are not known. Leaders are not born leaders. They have to work hard. Don’t just sit around waiting for an opportunity to come along. Keep preparing yourself so that when an opportunity comes you are ready to seize it. Think about what it is that you want to do. Figure out what it is going to take to get to that next level and then Seize the Opportunity so that You can Keep Surging Forward. Here are some of the links to the sites I talk about in this Episode: KC Rhino Raj Guendoo Enjoy and have a great week If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6561252

Episode 88 Priorties 04/30/2018

Episode 88 Priorties Priorities To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 3 In order for us to be successful we need to set-up priorities in our life. During my time as an Instructor I have seen many students that go on to be very successful in the trades and others that seem to self-destruct. Why is this? It seems that we live in a time when people have their priorities mixed up. They do not realize the consequences of their decisions. There is a song written by in the late 1950s. The song was sung by the Byrds and is titled Turn Turn Turn. This song was taken from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. Here are a few of the lines from the song: To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap A time to kill, a time to heal A time to laugh, a time to weep A time to build up, a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together What both the song and the Bible verse are saying is there are times for all these things. Quality time and having fun is fine, but we do not live in a fantasy video game world. If your priorities in life are only about doing the fun things then you will not have a successful life. It is important for us to understand our priorities. If you spend your time only doing fun things like playing video games, watching TV or hanging around drinking beer then you will not be successful. In the same way if you work all the time, you will have all the money you need and nice things, but you are never home with your family. You have no real life, so again you will not be successful. If you want to be successful then you need to find a balance. You cannot just work all the time and you cannot just have fun all the time. Life flies by so quickly so you have to have your priorities established. Necessities Are a Priority There are the necessities of life that need to be taken care of like putting food on your table, and making sure you and your family have shelter. These are necessities and these are a priority. Good Friends and Family are a Priority Good friends and family are worth the effort even though you may not always agree on everything. It is a priority to keep you and your family safe. Even if you do not have a family, you need to take care of yourself as well as those around you. Some people seem to want to live in a world of “what is in it for me” thus losing sight of how they can be of service to others. They want others to do everything for them. This concept is so flawed because you become dependent on having other people do things for you. You should be the one doing for others. By only taking care of your own self and the pleasures of life you miss out on the real meaning of having good friends and family. A Good Reputation is a Priority When you are doing for others and working hard companies take notice. Companies know who their good workers are. Even if they don’t acknowledge your hard work, other workers around you notice and will want to work with you because of your reputation. Making Good Choices is a Priority Your priorities in life should be doing and making choices that are right for your life. Other people are going to make choices that affect your life. You can’t react to their choices. Sometimes you need to take a minute and think about how you should proceed. If you proceed the wrong way you could end up in jail. You may end up making a decision you regret if you made your decision based solely on emotion. Before making your decision think about your priorities and what is best for your life. People want to avoid all struggles, but life happens and it is the struggles that make us stronger. Each struggle helps us to get stronger to face the next struggle. You can’t stick your head in the sand and hope that things go away, but you do not have to go through the struggles alone. If you hang around the right group of people you will not have to go it alone and if your friends are not there then maybe it is time to get a new set of friends. Look at your friends see if they are bringing you up or bringing down. Do they have the same priorities in life as you do or are their priorities counteractive to what you are trying to do? There is always someone for you to reach out to that will help you before you react and make a wrong decision like quitting your job. What are your priorities? If you do not like the place where you work, or the circumstance that you are in and you feel like you are going nowhere; get some input from 4-5 people you respect. Think about where you want to go. What are your priorities? Figure out what skills you will need to take you to the next level. There are courses out there on line check out or I can advise you of other web sites that are out there. Figure out what is best for your success. My success is not your success. Your success is your success. Your Surging Forward is your Surging Forward and it is different from another person’s. Enjoy and have a great week If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6536170

Episode 87 You Can Do It 04/23/2018

Episode 86 You Can Succeed in Business 04/16/2018

What is Your Why Episode 85 04/09/2018

What is Your Why Episode 85 What is Your Why? (What does this even mean?) Being successful in the trades require skills. It requires that you learn the physics involved in how things work and what is going on. But before even attempting to learn these skills you need to understand “your why”. Most people never really stop to think about their “why”. This is the reason that many people are not Surging Forward in their life. They just go about living day to day going where the wind blows. These people have no goals. They never sat down and took the time to ask: Why am I here? What do I like to do? Why do I want to do other things? What is important to me? What am I good at doing? Knowing “your why” will help keep you on the right track throughout your life. Understanding “your why” will help you define your goals and help you understand your purpose in life. You determine what your why is by thinking about the questions above. Here are examples of some “Your Whys”, but these are just to get you thinking: Wanting to fix and repair AC units, to help people’s lives be more comfortable. Wanting to be an electrician to provide power for others. Aiming to be able to provide safe running water for others. Desiring to serve others. Being the best at something you enjoy doing, such as building things. Creating graphics and cool pictures that can help a company succeed. Being a good father or mother and setting an example for your children to be able to succeed in life. “Your why” is “Your” why “Your why” is “Your” why. It is not the dream of someone else or their passion. You have to narrow down “your why” in order to be able to set the goals to help you achieve the success that you want. Success is different for all of us. We often get caught in the Hollywood idea that it is about making big money. But that is not what it is about. Success is based on “your why”. Define “Your” why and that will help you to achieve your success. Success does not happen by accident, with the exception of the rare cases of an inheritance that you did not know about. But even then, if you don’t have a why and you receive a lot of money you will more than likely just waste it. Life is not like the video games or the movies where we can just live life haphazardly and hope for the best, then die and get another chance. In games we can keep playing over and over until we get it right. In real life there is no do over or rewind. If you make a bad choice it can stick with you forever. A bad choice when you are young may hinder you, but it does not mean you can’t become successful. It just may place limitations and cause you to rethink “your why”. That is why we need to be very conscious of the people that we hang around with. If you hang around negative people all the time, then you are going to become one of them and that becomes your why. The choice of “your why” is decided by: what you are good at, what you enjoy, or just by what you want to do. It is a choice only you can make. That is why “your why” is “Your” why Take advantage of the resources around you that can help you with “your why”. Hopefully by listening to this podcast it can help you to simply take a moment to stop and think about “your why”. We have all been created with special skills. But we often allow other people to define who we are and what they think is best for us to do. By honing in on our special skills it will enable us to stand out from the crowd instead of just being a number. By knowing “your why” it will help you to focus on what needs to be done to achieve success. When you start, “your why” can be small but then it builds over time. Be flexible, over time “your whys” can change so that you can Keep Surging Forward. Start today. What is “Your” Why? Once you have determined this; then you can start taking steps to achieving your goal. If you would like to set up a coaching session contact me at If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6457217

Don't Wait to be Trained Episode 84 04/02/2018

Don't Wait to be Trained Episode 84 Pursuing Your Dream or Just Following the Crowd Many people are pursuing someone else’s dream. They have not even thought about their own dream and don’t have anyone to talk to or guide them. These people just jump into going to college because that is what everyone is doing and may even be expected of them. They go to college without even having any idea of what they want to study and are told just to start taking courses and they can decide along the way. But many are finding this even more confusing and overwhelming with all the career choices. Many times these people then get out of college and cannot find a good paying job in their field of study. But they have racked up all this debt because of their student loans that are now coming due. Not All Trades Schools Are the Same There are also some people that attend trade schools that charge very steep tuition, but only give students the book work and not the hands on skills needed for the trades. Working in the trades takes skill that need to be developed. You have to be able to work out in the field and produce. Apprenticeship programs are great because you get both the book knowledge and also the on-the-job training to develop hands on skills. Ron’s Email I received an email from someone I will call "Ron". He wrote to me in hopes that he could save someone some time and money because this is exactly the route that he followed. Here is a summary of what Ron wrote: Ron wrote that he felt he got tricked into the whole “go to college” scam. He went to college without really having any idea of what direction he wanted to go. He graduated with a degree in Personal Training. Ron started working as a personal trainer and after about 8 months, he received a letter in the mail wanting him to begin paying off the $95,000 school loan. Ron at this time was 23 years old, married and his wife also had school loans. Instead of thinking about buying a house and starting a family, they had to work on paying off these student loans. Both of them were working hard, but did not seem like they were getting anywhere. Ron’s father-in-law had a small HVAC shop and Ron started working for him. Ron really did even know what HVAC was, but he was willing to learn and had good work ethics. At first Ron felt like a failure because he was not working at a job of his degree he thought that manual labor was more for unskilled workers. Ron fell into depression. Until one day he decided that he was going to make HVAC his career. He saw that he was able to do things that others could not. He decided to make HVAC his passion. Ron stated watching YouTube Videos and listening to podcasts. He started to gain technical skill and knowledge. Ron is now only months away from taking the Master’s Test for HVAC. Pursue the Training That is Best For You People often look down on workers in the trades, but college is not for everyone. The average age of a tradesman is now 56 years old so there is a great need for skilled tradesman. Many workers are retiring and their knowledge and skills will be lost. There are many opportunities out there and college is only one option. Don’t get caught up in the hype of what others are doing. Verify, confirm and pursue the training that is best for you so that you can keep Surging Forward. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6429425

Learning to Fail so You Can Succeed Episode 83 03/26/2018

Learning to Fail so You Can Succeed Episode 83 What does it mean to fail? Many people deem failing at a task or not achieving a dream in twenty-four hours as a sign of being a failure. They think that they are washed up and can never recover. Often they are looking around at others and comparing their lives to them. They think that those people must have the golden touch because everything they do is perfect. Often people do not share their struggles and put on a facade that everything is great, but deep down they are struggling. We can’t look to others for our success. The real question is: What do you consider as success? Success is not always about money. Do you want to be famous and have your name in lights? Do you want to raise a family? Families are valuable. Do you want to run your own business? You will find tools on the to assist you with this. Success is different for all of us and you need to understand what success means to you. You also need to understand that just because you are good in one thing does not mean that you will be good at everything you try. There are three points to think about in Learning How to Fail So You Can Succeed: Realize You Are Going to Fail Let’s get this out of the way; you are going to fail at something. It is part of life. Understanding and accepting this will help you evaluate why it happened and what you need to do better. Trying to be perfect will cause you to carry unneeded stress. We do not set-out to fail. We try to do the best we can, but there are going to be times that failure happens. At those times, we need to evaluate what went wrong and see what changes need to be made so that we can succeed. Then we can count this as a lesson learned. Sometimes Failure Has Nothing to Do With You Sometimes the reason you may fail has nothing to do with you. It was completely out of your control. The weather ruined your schedule so you failed to reach a deadline. The parts did not arrive on time or were damaged and again you failed to meet a deadline. Flights were cancelled so you failed to make a speaking engagement. There are things that are beyond our control. No matter how well you plan, things happen. You have to pick up where you left off and do your best to keep Surging Forward. Sometimes Failure Comes From Betrayal One of the worst reasons we fail is because of betrayal. This can be one of the hardest reasons to get over. When you are betrayed, at first you feel anger and want revenge. But you have to find a way to get over the negativity so that you can keep moving forward. There is really only one way that you are going to get through a betrayal and that is through forgiveness. You have to forgive that person that betrayed you. Forgiving is not condoning or letting them off the hook. Forgiveness is for you. Forgiveness allows you to get rid of that negative energy. Harboring the negativity will cause you to never really be able to succeed. You are allowing that person who betrayed you to win and keep you in bondage. Only through forgiveness will you be able to break that hold that the betrayal has on you. Someone choose to hurt you; to let you down; to betray you. Betrayal happens in marriages and various areas of life. There is a grieving process which is different for each one of us. But the longer we grieve, the longer we are kept in bondage to that betrayal. Forgiving does not mean you are condoning what the other person did. They were wrong, but once you have run down all the avenues of the legal justice system you need to move on. Once you forgive, you release yourself so that you are able to move on to bigger and better things. Forgiveness is for you. Choice It is all about choice. You can choose to keep “Surging Forward” or you can choose to stop and be a slave to that negativity that is holding you back from your success. If you want to be the best that you can be; there is so much training that is available. Check out our website on and all the training that is available over the internet. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t succeed. Failure happens in our lives to make us stronger. Look at a big tall oak tree. Think of all the storms it has weathered. Those storms have caused it to have a strong inner core and a mighty root system. In our lives, if we don’t fail and don’t go through those hard times then we are more than likely not going to be able to succeed. Learn how to accept failure, learn from that failure and then not to make that same mistake again. In this way we can go forth and Keep Surging Forward. If you enjoy this podcast, please feel free to leave a comment below, share with a friend and also visit our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6405371

Three Steps to Success Episode 82 03/19/2018

Three Steps to Success Episode 82 Welcome to the Surging Forward Podcast The 3 steps for success Episode 82 I have been in construction many years and have attend many a safety talk. Today I want to address there very important points about how understanding how to stay safe and alert on the job can also help you find that opportunity that can bring success to your career. Point #1 Being alert: being alert on a jobsite is critical as there are many moving parts to a large and even a small construction site. One must always be alert on the site as things can change sometimes without warning and you will have to react quickly in order to be able to avoid possibly serious injury. This same point also applies in life as one must always be alert and be aware of the surroundings in ones own life. Being in tune to the things that others may say in regards to opportunities that may be waiting for you to take or even maybe seeing the writing on the wall and realizing that it may be time for you to move on were again if not heeded may have serious consequences on your career to a point where it may be hard to recover if you are not careful or worst yet that once in a life time opportunity or dream job may be lost forever just because you were not alert. Point #2 Understanding the risks. Each day before you step out on the site or in a work area you need to take a minute and thing about the risk that may be and more than likely are present for your work that day. Understanding the risks that are involved with your work will help you be able to avoid many of the accidents that catch others by total surprise. I find it amazing after all my time in construction that there is rarely and accident no matter how much we like to see as a no fault after the investigation they always seem to find the actual cause was by someone not taking a certain step. Understanding the risks in our daily lives will help you in making a lot of those hard and tough decisions when you come to that fork in the road as to which way to go. You can take both roads but one may mean tough times ahead and the other may have tough times but also lead to success. Which one do you take. Start by listing the risks and seeing whether they are real or not for your life. Money is not always the issue nor is security always a good thing as that can keep you in bondage. Make a list and take with someone you know that has more wisdom than you. Don’t ever feel like you can do it alone as you may be too emotionally connected. Understand the risk. Point #3 Have an escape plan. Through out the day as I travel on the roads to work or as I am walking around the job site. I always try and have an escape plan. Maybe it comes from when I riding motorcycles as it seems everyone simply try’s to hit you sometimes, but the point being I always try and make a way for be to be able to move out of the way. I try not to let myself get box in just incase something lets loose and I have to react quickly to save my self from injury. Again things can change in the blink of an eye so you may not have time to think about where to move you just have to move without think otherwise again serious injury could happen. In life an escape plan is needed as you never know what my happen some of you have had the devastated time when you where called in thinking you were getting a raise only to find out you where getting laid off. Some have even been let go for no reason and had nowhere to go. Think about have a back up plan you have skills as a person in the trades. You may be able to start you own business as the skills you have are very valuable. What are you good at make your hobby of what you enjoy doing something that you can increase your skill in and you never know your backup plan may become you new plan. We are here to help you 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 our Facebook page at We also have a You Tube page where you can watch the actual podcast; visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like us on facebook Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman Courses to help you Get and Retain your Tradesman License; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6378910

Learning to Succeed Episode 81 03/12/2018

Episode 80 Proud to be in the Trades 03/05/2018

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 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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6327642

Keeping Your Focus Episode 79 02/26/2018

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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Connect with me on Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6299361

Episode 78 Life's Hurdles 02/19/2018

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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6277674

The 3 Rs to success Episode 4 02/09/2018

The 3 Rs to success Episode 4 We are continuing to look at the word “SURGING”. S – Surging – Surging or moving forward. You do not want to be sitting still. U – Understanding – Understanding the game R – Respect, Reliability and Responsibility – Can you have one without the other? G – Guarantee – Guarantee to do a great job I – Integrity – Your reputation N – Never Quit or Give Up – If you give up; the game is over. Keep pressing forward. G – Genuine – Do you lie to everyone around you, of who you really are? Respect, Reliability and Responsibility- three very different words and yet they all go together. You can’t have one of these without the others, yet they all stand alone. Let’s take a look at these three words as we discuss the Three Rs to Success. Respect – You may know some people that demand respect and you may ask if this is the proper way to get respect. In truth, we have no right to demand respect from others. If someone is in a powerful position then maybe the position itself demands respect, but not necessarily the person. Respect is something earned over time by interactions with others. When you give respect, others in turn will respect you. If you want respect; you have to give respect. Don’t take the word of a group about a certain person. Give that person the benefit of doubt and keep an open mind. Others will see that you don’t just take the word of others, but that you wait and form your own opinion. It is important to treat others as you want to be treated. There are people in this world that treat others disrespectfully. These people often have low self-esteem. They will try to put you down and will not tell or teach you anything because they live in fear of losing their jobs. These people do not respect themselves let alone give respect to others. They lie, cheat, and steal to try to get one over on the company. When you see someone like this, use this as training for yourself of what not to do. Sometimes you can learn more from a negative than a positive example. Reliability - Gaining respect means that you are reliable; that others can rely on you. Your word is true. When you say “yes” it is a yes and your “no” means no. There is a parable in the Bible where a farmer asks his son to go and work in the field. The son replies “yes” that he will go. The farmer also asks his other son to go and work in the field, but this son says “no” that he is unable. Later the second son changes his mind and goes and works while the first son never showed up. Which one of these sons is the most reliable? We have so many ways to communicate now with all of our technology and social media, but still some people don’t call to say that they can’t be there or that they are running late. Or we have the some people that are always late for classes and meetings. It is as if they are saying that their time is more important than yours because now the class or meeting runs late because they had to get caught up on all that they had missed. Time is a precious commodity. If you promise someone that you will be somewhere, be there when you say; that is being reliable. If you get held up because life happens, then just call and let them know that you are running late. Being reliable means living as you say and standing for what you believe. That does not mean that we agree on everything. We can have different world views, but we can respect one another and sometimes you just agree to disagree. Responsibility – If you are reliable, your word becomes truth and you take responsibility for your actions. Each of us messes up and makes mistakes. We do not intentionally plan it, but when they happen own up to them. When you take responsibility for your actions, you are deemed reliable and others respect you. If there comes a time when something happens and it looks like you might have done it. You know that you did not and you stand up and say this; because you have earned respect and people know that in the past you have admitted when you made a mistake; they will stand with you against this false accusation. But if you have not earned the respect of others and have not been reliable then even if this is a false accusation you may get written up or even fired because others do not trust your word. By taking Responsibility and being Reliable you earn the Respect of others and this will keep us Surging Forward. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6244124

Myths of Leadership Episode 77 02/05/2018

Myths of Leadership Episode 77 Join us today as we discuss 5 leadership myths that just might be holding you back from Surging Forward. Myth Number One – Leaders Are Born, Not Made. You make think that in order to be a leader you have to have a lot of money, or have attended all the right schools, but all of this is a myth. Look at Abraham Lincoln. His father worked odd jobs and then leased some farm land. Most of Abraham Lincoln’s education was largely self-taught, but yet he became the Sixteenth President of the United States. How about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? He grew up in a sad time of segregation, but he did not let that stop him. He went on to become the most visible spokesman and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The truth is very few leaders are born leaders. Most people learn leadership by trying and failing, but then not giving up. They re-evaluate why they failed and make up their minds to do things differently next time. Myth Number Two – Leadership is a Rare Skill. Nothing can be farther from the truth. If you watch a group of children playing you will quickly see one of them start stepping forward and telling the others what to do. When the children get bored with this game, another child will start guiding the group. Even if there are only two children playing you will see throwing out ideas like let’s do this, this way or I want to do this. Again leadership is learned through trial and error. Myth Number Three – Leaders are Gifted and Outgoing. This is also untrue because many leaders are introverts, Introverts have a knack for abstract thinking as introverts only like to deal in what they know and tend to focus on the long term. They do not really on what others think of them and they tend to be more quiet and reserved this is why many tend to think of them as being withdrawn but this also means they are able to figure out how things workbut still have been very influential. Look at Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg. Myth Number Four – Leaders Lead by Brute Force. This is the definition of a bad leader. This is a bully. A good leader encourages and counsels. They earn respect of those they lead. A good leader is will to share their knowledge. They are will to lead by example. When a job needs to be done a good leader is willing to get their hands dirty, not just ordering others to do it. Good leaders challenge people to transform their lives. Myth Number Five – Leaders are Only Found at the Top of a Company. Again this is far from the truth because we are all leaders. We are leaders in our homes, families, at work and around the neighborhood. If you are a parent you are a leader. Sometime you do not even realize that people are watching you and following your example. Sometimes in learning to lead we make mistakes. We just need to admit our mistake and try again. Little by little it gets easier. And we need to realize that at times we need to turn to others for advice and counsel. Leadership is not about power, but about servant hood. Not to preach, but look at the leadership example of Jesus Christ. A very humble leader and yet whether you believe or don’t look at the affect he has had throughout history. Leadership is about encouraging others to Surge higher than they ever thought possible. 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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at ________________. /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6220890

Your Time is Your Money in Episode 76 01/29/2018

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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" [maxbutton id="1" /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6197846

Relationships Episode75 01/22/2018

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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" [maxbutton id="1" /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6173137

Dealing with Authority/Inspectors Episode 74 01/15/2018

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 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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us and like on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" [maxbutton id="1" /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6148680

Taking a Risk Episode 73 01/08/2018

What is your Outlook? Episode 72 01/01/2018

Gaining Knowledge Episode 71 12/19/2017

Episode 71_Gaining Knowledge 12/18/2017

Not Enough Time in the Day Episode 70 12/11/2017

Not Enough Time in the Day Episode 70 It has been a busy week for me this week. I had the opportunity to go over to the UK and inspect some Industrial equipment. I have had many tell me "wow", that is really cool you must have had a great time. Others, have asked me how I fit that into my busy schedule. As I was thinking about this, I realized that I really didn't have enough time to get done what I needed to do, because there is only 24 hrs in a day. Sometimes we wish there were more hours, but I am sure we would use those up also. Of the 24 hours we also have to sleep at least 6 to 8 hours or more, so that even gives us less time. As I speak to many people whether an apprentice in the trades, or a project manager in the office, everyone seems to simply be maintaining and always running behind. Many times it seems we tend to always just be putting out small fires, when dealing with issues that arise, the problem is that there are so many and we never catch up. This really seems to increase during the holidays as many times people call me in a panic as their tradesman license is about to expire or expired about two months ago and they did not even realize it. In these situations I usually try and let them know that I can send the information in as soon as they complete a course online. Why is it that some people seem to always get things done and have lots of free time, and others of us seem to always be playing catch up? Well, here is a saying that I keep in my head to help keep me on a decent schedule and complete what I need to. I wrote this down one day when I was simply overwhelmed and there was just not enough time to do everything: "Yesterday is Gone; Tomorrow is Never Here; So Don’t Waste Today." This saying helps me to make sure that I remind myself that I have to plan my days and even weeks but, to be flexible when other things may arise, like an unplanned trip to England for three days. How do you still get it done? Let's break it down. If you are one that just simply rolls with the flow and you have no plan then you have no direction on what needs to be done, let alone what is a priority in your life. With no planning everything you did not do yesterday is now piled onto today. All the time from yesterday is now gone and can never be recovered. This causes us to put things off, saying I will do it tomorrow but has anybody ever really seen a tomorrow when we are living in today? No that makes no sense because Tomorrow never really comes. That is why we need to have a basic schedule reminding us when we have to get things done. Join me for this weeks episode as I talk about how to fit it all in and 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 We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses to Help you Get and retain your Tradesman license; visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/6028855

Deal With It Episode 69 12/04/2017

Deal With It Episode 69 Are you simply going along for the ride or are you driving the car? Which choice will take you where you want to go? Last week on Episode 68 we spoke about “Turning a Negative Into a Positive” and we are going to continue speaking about this, in this week’s episode “Deal With It”. In the construction trade we work ourselves out of a job. If you haven’t been laid off it may very well happen in the future; because this is just the nature of our job. Should we slow down our work to make the job last longer? No, because then the boss will not be making any money and if he isn’t making any money he will not be able to keep us working, so we have the same result. We should always be planning our future so that we can deal with the unexpected turns in life. We talk about safety on the job all the time; be alert, be prepared, look around and know what’s going on around you. We need to do this in our careers also. We have to always be looking for that opportunity. When working in the Trades you need to understand the game of the construction field. There are those around you that are at different levels in their careers: There are those who are new to the profession that may not even realize that there is a game. But there is, and they can help themselves by learning the rules of the game. When you don’t know the game sometimes you just need to sit back, listen and watch and learn the rules. In this way, they are preparing for what they will need to do in the future. There are those that have been around for awhile and want to make their mark on the construction field. Some of these want to be noticed and will tear down others just so that they can move up the ladder. But this becomes known and then their reputation is ruined and they leave a wake of damage behind them. There are also those that are seasoned in the trades and have self confidence based on experience. But some of these do not know how to relate to those under them. They feel that they had to work hard to get to the place they are at so they are not going to show a younger tradesman how to do it. There are also those who no matter what stage they are at, continue to grow and learn new things so that when an opportunity comes they are ready. And then there is everyone in-between. Challenge yourself to learn 2 or 3 new things every week or better yet learn something new everyday. You never want to reach the point that you think you have arrived. You always want to be learning how to play the game of “life” so that you are ready for whatever comes your way. If you lose your job, you will have enough skills and self-confidence to see this as an opportunity to get a better job. You hear about glass half full or half empty attitudes, but these are just feel statements, with no real action. You need to take action so that you can fill the cup up to the brim not only half full or empty. When your cup starts getting down go do something: listen to a podcast, go learn something new, take a course on the internet. Many courses are on the Surging Forward website. Learn what you can control in your life and what you can’t. What you can control in your life is things that you do; what you can’t control in your life is things that other people do. If you can control it and things are not going well, then take action to change it. If you are a foreman and there are problems on the job then change it. Don’t let the problems continue. Fix it. If you don’t know how to fix it then go read a book or even easier “Goggle” it. If you are in a situation and someone does something you don’t agree with and you have no control over it, then you just need to accept that fact and “deal with it”. If a boss makes a decision you don’t like; you can go and talk to him and offer a suggestion. If he insists that this is the way it is to be done, then you need to do it his way or quit. This is where your self-confidence comes into play. If you can not abide by the bosses changes then you need to work on what you can control and start improving your skills so that you can move on to another job. You should always be keeping your glass full and even overflowing because as your cup overflows, the water overflows around you and then you are making a difference in the lives of the people around you. You will be influencing them in a positive way. Don’t allow circumstances or other people to influence you in a negative way. You can’t make choices for someone else. You can only decide to make a choice for yourself. You can’t make another person do anything. You can only choose what you want to do. You can choose to always be learning and taking advantage of as much training as possible so that when tough times come you are ready and can take advantage of the opportunity. Look at the stock market. When it starts going down some people panic and start selling their stocks, but whenever you sell a stock someone has to be willing to buy it. They are taking advantage of this opportunity that others saw as a negative. Remember to always be planning for your future so that you can take a negative and turn it into a positive and keep “Surging Forward”. If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5993548

What Seems like a Negative could Really be a Positive Episode 68 11/20/2017

What Seems like a Negative could Really be a Positive Episode 68 You may be wondering about the strange title I chose for this week episode. Why talk about a negative so close to Thanksgiving.Yes it is that time and to be truthful many of you may not think you have much to be thankful about. Lets be real It seems too many other things control our lives including our jobs schedule, our boss, our family, even things we have to get done for a good cause. Many people put on the face of being thankful but are really hurting and just wish for once that someone would just listen to them. That is the reason for the title. I want to talk how you can take a negative a turn it to a positive. I have always tried to be honest when sharing with my students when teaching the Apprenticeship. I don’t sugar coat things and say crazy things like once you get your Journeyman's card life will be easy. That’s not how it is at all. Many of you listening know good and well how hard the trades are. I would like to share with you actually two stories and both are true and both are about things that happened in my life. Before I begin understand that though these stories are true each person listening to this podcast has their own story whether they are positive or negative depends on the choice that you make not based on what someone , something, or a circumstance does to you as you will see in my two stories. Every decision we make everyday can make the difference on the outcome of any situation. If you are around negative people start moving away and surround yourself with positive people. I see a lot of negative at my day job and one day the right door may open bit I have to have the right skills to be ready. Some will say I don’t have many positive people around me, than listen to some podcasts. I listen to many different ones as I am driving that will inspire me to do better at what I do and that is making a difference to those in the trades and other careers. If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to leave a comment or review on Itunes, or the website at Looking to start you own business we just so happen to have a course for that no matter what state you are in visit Looking for those CEU’s for your license renewal or looking to get a tradesman listen again check out surging forward.com. I look forward to hearing from you and as always thank you for your encouragement as we are all on the same journey to Keep Surging Forward Until next week have a great week Thank you Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5960831

Going in the Right Direction Episode 67 11/13/2017

Going in the Right Direction Episode 67 Are You Going in the Right Direction – Sometimes as leaders we tend to feel alone and that no one understands the stress that we have. I would like to address this by wrapping up the past six episodes in our series on the Six Basic Human Needs. By understanding how to apply each of the Six Basic Human Needs we will learn to see how looking out for the needs of others, your own needs as a leader will be met. We will see how when motivating others to succeed, we will succeed as well. Basic Need Number One was discussed in We talked about Certainty and Comfort. Leaders guide those under them to get training that may benefit their career this will give their workers more self-confidence instead of the feeling of helplessness. You as a leader may be the only positive voice speaking into their lives. Basic Need Number Two was discussed in We talked about Variety. Leaders provide a break from the mundane by becoming more creative in motivating those under them to get the job completed. Leaders find ways to make a tough job in the field more fun. Basic Need Number Three was discussed in We spoke about Significance. Leaders need to treat each person we work with as an individual who is important. Leaders can cause someone to make a drastic change for the worst if you tear them down, especially in front of their peers. Leaders need to provide discipline and correction in private. Basic Need Number Four was discussed in We spoke about being Loved or Cared About. Leaders probably over look this basic need the most with those that they have influence. We are not saying you have to give them a hug or get all mushy. But when a leader applies all of the attributes talked about in this series to those under them, then they will have a sense that you really care for them. A leader needs to realize that their success depends on the success of those under them. Basic Need Number Five was discussed in . We spoke about everyone wanting the opportunity to Grow. Leaders can provide the open door that can help those you influence to really shine. As a leader you are in a position to see strengths that maybe even that person may not know they have. If you see something in a person, say something. In turn, you will continue to grow in your strengths as you grow in your understanding that we all have special talents. Basic Need Number Six was discussed in We spoke about people wanting to be able to make a difference. You as a leader have the ability to guide someone to help someone else in need. As a leader instead of you always being the one to jump in and save the day, why not guide one of the people under you that may be lacking in self confidence, the chance to demonstrate their skills. This will boost their confidence and you will have also met at least 3 of the 6 Basic Human Needs for that person. As a leader we can see the overall picture and provide ways to fit others into areas to help them succeed. Knowing your team members, their strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these Six Basic Human Needs will allow you to create a team that will not only follow you but, also respect you. Bad leaders make demands by threats and intimidation, thus their workers only work out of fear, doing the minimum to survive. Continuing to grow as a leader by serving the needs of others will enable you to keep “Surging Forward” as well as helping others to keep “Surging Forward” with the whole team going in the right direction. Join me next week as I talk about Being Laid off in Episode 68 “I Lost My Job” Thank you Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5937607

What is Your Contribution? Episode 66 11/06/2017

What is Your Contribution? Episode 66 Contribution, this is number six in our series on the Six Basic Human Needs. Contribution, what does it mean? Why is it one of the six basic human needs that we all have? We all have dreams and aspirations. When we were young maybe we wanted to go to the stars or even become the president. But what are you good at? What is it that you can do naturally? We look around us and try to do what others do, but what is your special skill? Using that skill, that talent, is your contribution. A contribution is using our talents to make this world a better place. Contribution gives us a sense of value and worth. It is the knowledge that we are making a difference in someone’s life. There is a Bible parable about “Talents”. Summarized it is about a master that gives out some talents to his workers before he leaves on a trip. When he returns, he calls his workers unto himself and wants to see how they used the talents he gave them. What contribution did they make? Two of the workers doubled their talents. The master was so happy with them that he gave them a reward. One of the workers just set his talent aside and never used it. The master was very angry with this worker and took away his talent. In this parable the master may sound mean, but the workers were given these talents to be used, to contribute; to make a difference in someone’s life. Take the talents that you have and use them. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t let someone take away your talent by listening to their negativity. This will only leave you angry and feel like the world took something from you. Go out and use your talent. You may need to learn something new. Take advantage of the tools that are out there to help you grow. There are a lot of on-line classes. Take a few and grow your talent. Even if you just have one talent; take that one talent and use it. You may become the next Einstein or Tesla. Use your talent to help other keep “Surging Forward” and make this world a better place. Thank you Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5913205

Continuing to Grow Episode 65 10/30/2017

Continuing to Grow Episode 65 Growth, this is number five in our series on The Six Basic Human Needs We have all been in a place where we want to quit, but growing is vital in order to avoid the risk of failing to keep “Surging Forward”. We have all heard and even the Bible states to be content. But being content does not mean becoming stagnant. Growth or continuing to improve yourself also does not mean having to be better than everyone else. Around the world many say we are different, but in many ways we are very much the same. We all have a desire to grow. But sometimes we don’t know how to grow or we are fearful of the unknown. Sometimes we don’t know who to trust. Trust is a big factor in growth, but we all fear getting hurt or burned by someone we care about. That goes back to the “Love Connection”. But we need to make a choice to grow. If we don’t make a choice to grow, we can become like standing water. Standing water becomes stagnant. It starts to smell. Mosquito larvae and bad stuff begin to breed. This can happen to us. If we don’t grow, we start becoming resentful to those around us when they are doing well. We start becoming angry and jealous of their success. Rivers become fresh as they flow; they filter out all the bad stuff. “Life Happens”. Bad stuff happens in life. But growth gets us out of the stagnant waters; it acts like a filter. We can break out of the stagnant water by listening to positive messages on Podcasts and by teaching someone else how to listen to a positive message. As we listen we grow and move forward. We start becoming a river that is happy for other’s success. As we grow, life has value again and we want to help others grow. Sometimes it takes time, but continuing to grow is vital to avoid the risk of failing to keep “Surging Forward”. http://surgingforwardpodcast.com/love-connection-episode-64/ http://surgingforwardpodcast.com/need-feel-important-episode-63/ Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="1" ] [maxbutton id="2" ] [] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5888573

The Love Connection Episode 64 10/23/2017

The Love Connection Episode 64 The Love Connection, this is number four in our series on the Six Basic Human Needs Remember the song, “What’s Love Got to do With It. Loves got everything to do with it. We all have this deep down desire to be loved, but many people go out looking for love just like another song says “… In All the Wrong Places”. They have that roaming eye, that desire to be with someone when they don’t even know who they are. That one night stand, satisfaction for about 10 – 15 minutes and then it wears off and they feel that sense of loneliness and the pain that it didn’t work out again. In scripture Jesus states that the greatest commandment is to love. Not talking about a sexual or romantic love, but the true deep love. But before you can be loved and cared for, you have to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. It is called the “Servant Attitude” of taking that first step. When you do for other people, they will be thankful and have a sense of love or being cared for. It starts from you. We need to do for others like we want them to do for us. If you want them to care about you and love you, then you need to start loving other people and doing for them. It is a choice. We can’t always be on the receiving end of things. Podcast Episode 29 spoke about whether you are a taker or a giver; which one are you? You can listen to this episode by If you are always on the taking side then you are not going to feel that sense of love that you are looking for. True love comes with caring for someone else. When you care for someone then they in turn will love you back. We need to make a choice. In order to be loved we need to choose to love first. People who are truly successful in life are the ones that have learned to put others first. They take time to make others feel cared for and feel special and then they in turn feel love and are able to keep “Surging Forward” in life. Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5808754

The Need to Feel Important Episode 63 10/16/2017

The Need to Feel Important Episode 63 Significance – “The Need to Feel Important” this is number three in our series on the Six Basic Human Needs. If we search deep down in our hearts, we all have the need to feel important. We are not talking about being the President of the United States or a famous football player or the lead speaker at an event. But just in our family, around friends, at work or wherever, we want to feel important. When we are constantly comparing ourselves to someone else we start failing, because we are trying to live someone else’s life. We need to find our special gift. Find out what you enjoy doing and bring others along. Often you hear people saying “I deserve” or “I need a raise” or “I have to have more money”. It is not the responsibility of someone else to take care of your needs. It is up to you to make “choices”. If someone else is making choices for you then you are not going to feel significant. We need to make our own decisions. If we want a raise because we don’t have enough money, then we need to make a choice; first, to stop spending. Then second, we need to make a choice to increase our skill level. There are many on-line classes available where you can learn at your own pace, on your own time. With these classes you can increase your knowledge and skill level. As you increase your knowledge, you become more valuable. Others will see and soon you will receive a raise or even a new job offer. When you start making good choices then you feel significant. Another part of significance is having others around us; not being that “lone wolf”. As we focus on what we would like to achieve, find out what we are good at, and make good choices, we make a difference in other’s lives. Making a difference gives us a sense of importance. All of us are important. All of us were put on this Earth to make a difference and to help others keep “Surging Forward”. Stay Safe and Keep Surging Forward If you enjoy this podcast please share with a friend and also visit or Facebook page at We also have a You tube page where you can watch the actual podcast visit us at Looking to network and get personal training visit us on face book Follow us on twitter Follow us on Contractor and Tradesman courses visit our website at [maxbutton id="2" ] [maxbutton id="1" ] /episode/index/show/surgingforwardpodcast/id/5808727

Surging Forward Podcast - A Podcast Devoted to the Working Class

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