Our favorite Neuroscientist, Judson Brewer, says “Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” If you’re someone who doesn’t have a cherished neuroscientist to lean on for wisdom about how the mind works, here’s another piece: The brain doesn’t like uncertainty, so it fills in what it can’t control—the world, circumstances, etc.—with an action that feels productive but isn’t: worrying about the future.
Right now, the construction economy is flooded with uncertainty, and you may be enlisting your friend Worry to deal with the challenges you’re facing. But he’s not such a good companion. He makes you miserable while not solving anything. Here at ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, we’re more focused on concrete solutions and tools you can apply right now to wade through the murky waters. You might even find inspiration to take your business in new directions by seeing what your peers are doing with theirs.
Flip right over to Chuck Ross’s feature, “Uncertainty Is the New Norm,” page 22, where he dives deeply into the confusion that tariffs are causing in the electrical construction industry. Pick up some strategies there and in economist Chris Kuehl’s monthly Current Outlook column, “Change Is a Given,” on page 26.
Now that we’ve calmed your economic fears, it’s time to focus on all the tools that help your business daily, and we have quite a bit to unpack. You can check that you have all the necessary everday tools in this month’s Cool Tools column on page 46, “An Electrician’s Everyday Tools,” while also shopping the Tools and Accessories featured products section on page 64 or the New Products section that starts on page 56.
Do you ever worry about your tools walking off the job site? Luckily, you can learn some great tips from Susan DeGrane’s “Keeping Investments Safe” on page 34. Unsurprisingly, technology plays a big part there, but it also is touching many other aspects of your work, as you can find in “Evolution of Job Site Tech,” page 50.
We know that your favorite tool in this business is NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, and, for that, we’ve got you covered as well, with a selection of columns scattered throughout this issue, on pages 20, 32, 38, 79 and 80. You can also test your knowledge of the Code on page 54.
And, as always, we want to leave you feeling inspired by all the amazing work your peers in the industry are doing. Check out how Young Electric Co. Inc. added solar panels to its office in downtown San Francisco without impinging on roof space—or the natural light provided by existing skylights—by installing a solar canopy. “Reaching for the Sun” by Claire Swedberg is on page 40.
While we ride along with you through these unnerving times, please know that we feel an obligation to you, dear readers, to fill this magazine with valuable content to quell your fears and help your businesses succeed. Worry not. It’s pointless anyway. The future is uncertain, and that’s OK. We’ll help you get there.
