Soul Forge Podcast

New Beginnings - 243

New beginnings are a sure sign of Spring! This is the first week of Spring and so what could be better than an episode all about new beginnings? This week, your host reads quotes from a pile of famous sources. Each quote deals with new beginnings in some form or another. So, just sit back, relax, and let your mind be entertained.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”

“Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.”

“No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.”

“Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.”

“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.”

“Nothing is predestined. The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.”

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”

“Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose — not the one you began with perhaps, but one you’ll be glad to remember.”

“The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.”

“Sometimes we can only find our true direction when we let the wind of change carry us.”

“Perhaps that is where our choice lies—in determining how we will meet the inevitable end of things, and how we will greet each new beginning.”

“One can begin so many things with a new person—even begin to be a better man.”

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”

“Every day I feel is a blessing from God. And I consider it a new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful.”

“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”

“It’s a wise man who understands that every day is a new beginning, because boy, how many mistakes do you make in a day? I don’t know about you, but I make plenty. You can’t turn the clock back, so you have to look ahead.”

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

"Every moment is a fresh beginning."

“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning."

All quotes can be found at: https://www.countryliving.com/life/g30337217/new-beginnings-quotes/

This week's podcast promo: The 42Cast

 

Cursed: The Bravery of Happiness - 242

Have you ever had an epiphany? You know, one of those lightbulb moments where a sudden realization hits you! One minute you're minding your own business when out of nowhere insight slaps you upside the head. Technically, an epiphany is an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking, or an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.

Today's episode details the nature of the epiphany and the search for happiness. We all want happiness. In fact, happiness is the main goal for much of society. Entire industries are devoted to helping us in our quest to be happy. Buy this! Buy that! What many people don't realize, is that happiness is not a permanent state of affairs. There is no magic cure.

Happiness is related to the quest for perfection. However, perfection does not exist. Today's perfection is tomorrow's pile of trouble. We all think we know what we want; what will make us perfectly happy. We must understand that life is about progress - not perfection.

By taking responsibility for our problems we can turn those issues into progress. It is easy to blame others for our unhappiness or lack of perfection. But, if we face our fears and confront our own short-comings, we can become better people. Bravery is feeling the fear and overcoming it. So, in essence, we must define our values, figure out what we need, and build a solid foundation for moving forward. Perfection doesn't exist, and happiness is not constant. And yet, we can work with these ideas and find our true purpose.

This week's podcast promo: Watchathon of Rassilon, ESO Patreon

Stars Shine For You - 241

Stars shine for you, and they shine for everyone. Episode titles are difficult. Song lyrics are often good at expressing things that regular words cannot. This episode, for example, is very strange. There isn't a single thread that holds everything together. Topics seemingly come and go at random.

In this episode, I'm talking about books and authors. But I also touch on the war in Ukraine, if only briefly. Depression is also brought up in passing. Life is full of ups and downs. One day you could be perfectly happy, and the next everything could fall apart. That is why we have to enjoy each moment as it comes. Don't watch the clock. Don't think too much. Just watch how the stars shine for you. Look up. See the bigger picture. Love every moment of your life.

Of course, since this is my podcast, I have to talk a bit about pop culture. Star Trek is brought up, as is often the case with me. And some of my favourite authors are mentioned too! If you're looking for something good to read, check out any of these writers: Robert J Sawyer, Andy McDermott, Matthew Reilly, Paulo Coelho, Mitch Albom and Lee Child.

This week's podcast promo: The Epsilon Three

Rebirth - 240

Rebirth! What does that mean in the context of this week's episode? Well, it's nothing too far out there. After last week's episode about being diagnosed with depression, it seemed like a good opportunity to turn the podcast around. Rebirth is just one of the poems that I read for you this week! That's right, this is another episode where I share my poetry with all of you out there in podcastland.

As many of you know, I used to fancy myself a poet. This was back during my university days. I was still trying to find out who I was, what I was and where I was headed. I have always been in my head and thinking and feeling is simply a part of my nature. When I went to university, I was in the English Literature program. English was my best subject in high school and I didn't know what else to do with my life.

Being around all the intellectual types made me want to dive into that world. However, I never really felt like I fit in there properly. And yet, I decided to go full on into the artsy arena. I began reading and writing a lot of poetry. Throughout my school years I wrote around 100 poems or so. Some I think are excellent, while others are not so great. And this week, I read 10 of my poems to you.

This week's selection of poems:

• Baldness: A Ballad
• Naked Desire
• Not Long Enough
• Rebirth
• Remember When
• She Who Stands Alone
• Sonnet One Dirty
• Strangers in the Rain
• You Came for the Children First
• First Day

I hope you enjoy this look at my late teens and early 20s. If you have any feedback, you can email me at soulforgepodcast@gmail.com

And as always, if you'd like to support the show, you can donate at www.ko-fi.com/rustedsoul

This week's podcast promo: Nerdbliss

Official Diagnosis - 239

Official diagnosis - depression!

That sounds fun, doesn't it? Apparently about 10% of people suffer from depression. Of course, they always say suffer from. I suppose they aren't going to say that 10% of people enjoy depression. Perhaps some folks do, but that seems unlikely to be the case.

So, this is a rather short episode of the podcast. Most of it is a retelling of my recent visit back home. I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, but have been living in Timmins for nearly 19 years. My brother noticed I was not acting like my usual self. He invited me to stay with him for a week. I almost never travel in winter due to the long snowy drive. However, I needed a break from Timmins. So I went. The week was fantastic. I needed some good quality family time.

Getting away from my regular life showed me a few things. I'd been living in a state of depression without realizing how bad it was. The change of scenery opened my eyes. Calling my doctor and explaining my feelings to him was a huge help. His official diagnosis was, of course, depression. Taking steps to get better is so important.

At the end of the podcast is a 3 minute clip from a YouTube video. It explains what depression is. Here is the link just in case you would like to see the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWFuQR_Wt4M

This week's podcast promo: Metal Geeks

The Original Geek Twins - 238

Andrew and Shawn are the original geek twins! Ok, maybe not the originals, but they have been geeking out together since the late 1980s. And this is an episode where they join forces to record their first podcast together.

They met back in 1987 during the sixth grade. Their bond over all things geek was, if not immediate, long lasting. With birthdays only 7 days apart, how could they not have a lot of interests in common?

Both Andrew and Shawn and huge fans of pop culture. They spent many hours together playing video games and watching television. And talking about girls. So many hours spent walking or biking or hanging out at the mall.

The television they enjoyed was quite diverse. Well, mostly it was science fiction. Star Trek and Babylon 5 were two of their favourite shows. Robocop The Series was another favourite. Action figures are another area of interest that both of these original geek twins enjoy.

We are talking about high school. And the stores we used to go to. Remember Zellers, K*Mart, and Consumer's Distributing? We sure do!

You can find Andrew and his wife all over the web. They own and operate Creative Nest Studio. It's your best source for hand-made signs and home decor. Check them out everywhere!

Their website is www.creativeneststudio.com

This week's podcast promo: Monster Attack

22 Tips To Win In 2022 - 237

Here are my 22 tips to help you win at life in 2022.

I searched the internet, I scanned my memory, I looked everywhere, and these are the tips, tricks, rules and guideposts for the year that is 2022. We have likely abandoned our New Year's resolutions at this point. However, it is not too late to make the most of the year. There is always time to win at life in 2022!

You must take these tips in stride. I am only here to be your guide on this journey we call living. I'm not a professional or an expert, but I do have a pile of life experience. In this episode, I give you the tips and tricks. Then I expand on the ideas with worldly examples, or stories from my own life. Do with this information as you see fit. I'm only here to try to help!

Find me on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCataaeTRQltObb7n1GHW_qw

Rusted Robot Toys on Etsy can be found at: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/RustedRobotToys

This week's podcast promo: The Flopcast

Nate’s Nostalgia Tour - 236

Toys, games, cartoons and more are all a part of Nate's nostagia tour. Join the Soul Forge podcast as we dive deep into Nathan's world of collecting!

I've known Nathan for about 15 years. We worked at The Home Depot together. We bonded immediately over toys and tattoos. Both of us are toy collectors. This is Nathan's story.

As far back as he can remember, Nathan has been a fanboy and a collector. As is typical, his mom tossed out much of his childhood collection. In his mid twenties he began to collect those lost items. And many more besides!

We discuss the joys and pitfalls of re-collecting your childhood. There is the danger of overpaying for that piece you simply must have. Shipping costs can also be a barrier to collecting. Buyer's remorse is another factor to consider.

Something unique to Nathan is his method of display. Every month he picks a new theme and puts out his collection in that category. He cleans and packs away the previous month. This system allows him to display many more things than in a static collection.

How does he acquire his items? There are many ways. As with most of us, he started buying on eBay. Now there are many more options. Facebook is a great resource. Etsy and other online sellers are great as well. Word of mouth in your local collecting community is also very helpful.

Some things he collects have to do with gaming. He has separate collections for board games and video games. Other things he collects are items related to Marvel and DC Comics. The 80s and 90s are also themes. TMNT, He-Man, LEGO, and Ghost Busters are also quite popular in his house.

Nathan will be starting a podcast soon. He will be discussing nostalgia. Sharing stories for the next generation of collectors is a big thing. If you'd like to know more, you can take Nate's nostalgia tour on social media. His Twitter handle is @nostalgia_nate and if you listen to the podcast he shares other areas where he can be reached.

This week's podcast promo: Earth Station Who