Audio Tidbits

We know that it usually works out best when we stay in our own wheelhouse but knowing what is and is not in there is often a quandary. Here are three tips to help us figure out what is and isn't for us. Sticking with what we already know is easy. The real challenge is with the new, the unfamiliar, those actions and opportunities that we have not dealt with before. That's where the possibility for success and failure loom.

Here we have three tips that may not seem to go together, but with a little more thought, they do. It starts with only selling what's right and not settling for just what's awesome. If you get that, the other tips fall into place quite nicely. The little ear worms will give you time to fully consider the connections.

Too often we focus on being sure we are doing things right before making sure we are doing the right things. Too often we focus on solving a problem before figuring out why there is a problem to solve. Sure, we also occasionally get the cart before the horse. I'll bet you get the idea. Here are three tips to help us avoid these amateur pitfalls. Of course, there are also three very cool ear worms to give time to ponder the tips.

Be well, do well and peace and joy for you.

What can be said about Christmas? As it turns out, quite a lot.

Relax and enjoy.

The three tips here work as a set. I'll leave it to you to figure out how that works. The three ear worms are not a set but are pretty compelling.

Making resolutions is a pastime in which we can all indulge but committing to our resolutions is only for the few of us who are serious about being the best we can be. This level of commitment starts with understanding that each of us is a leader and a role model for others. Yes, each of us. The issue is not whether we are leaders and role models. We are. The issue is whether we recognize our responsibility and commit to being the best we can be with everyone, whenever and wherever we engage with other people. -- Are we the example they should be following? Here are my twenty resolutions to be the best I can be with other people. Whether you choose to join me in any or none of the resolutions is your call. I am only letting you know that I think they will serve me well and am comfortable with having you hold me accountable for following through on each resolution.

The decisions we make are usually pretty clear but often our sources and reasons are less clear and not particularly obvious to either us or to others. We usually can come up with an explanation but that explanation is frequently post-action. So what's happening? I'm not sure but here are three tips that seem to me to be related. The ear worms are hear to give us time to ponder the "Why" of it.

The pursuit of Personal Excellence is a lifetime journey and never merely an event. What's more, it's a journey that many start but only a few sustain. For those few, it seems easy and natural, something that requires little effort. But neither does it just come naturally nor without intense focus and consentration. Personal Excellence is nothing short of a nonnegotiable commitment to doing the right things right, with everyone, every time, everywhere -- no exceptions, no excuses. Here you have the opportunity to both listen to Pursuing Personal Excellence and to downloading the MP3 edition for your more leisurely consideration. Will you take up the challenge? Probably not but one never knows. Now and then, that unusual person comes along who not only wants to pursue Personal Excellence but has no option but to take the journey. Pursuing Personal Excellence is a guide book of sorts for you only if you are up to the challenge. Good luck and happy traveling.

Just because the topic is boring, you need not conclude that the content is boring, although it may be. If so, the ear worms make up for it.

Our Home - Your Home is a handbook for foster parents. Although all parents will find the handbook useful for understanding and working with their children, it focuses specifically on abused and neglected children and on the special challenges of parenting for these children. If you prefer reading the handbook, you may download The PDF Edition Here. The audio edition is 3.5 hours so you may also find it convenient to download it from GaryCrow.net under the audio player for the podcast episode. Also note that the address in the PDF edition is incorrect. I hope you find the handbook useful and wish you and your foster child all the best.

I think I'll just let you go wherever the title takes you. Who am I to tell you who you are or where your mind should venture. My only suggestion is that you consider a bike for the ride.

Most of the time we have no need to make that extra effort to relate and to get along. Our worlds are fairly calm and predictable. There are those times though, those times when, as the country song says, "People are crazy." Sure, it's not clear whether it's "people" or just maybe us who are crazy. It is at those times when today's tips come in most handy. It is a matter of mind over madness. It's us or them.

Here are three tips for not getting jerked around. Yes, it really is that easy.

The three tips are pretty interesting but not Earth shakers. Even so, the ear worms are definitely out there.

When do your interests take precedence over mine? When is what you want more important than what I want? How do I decide between what you need and what I need? Here are three tips to help you decide. Of course, you also get three ear worms to give you time to consider each tip.

How we handle other people and how they manage us makes a big difference. The conflict in the middle matters almost as much. The tips in this episode are spot on when we are having issues with any of these three stress points. Press play and decide how they fit with your view of things. The ear worms are pretty good too.

The tips here have been a little expanded to include some ideas that may not be quite as pithy but compensate by a tad more substance.

I particularly like the third tip, although you likely don't care what I think. No reason you should.

How much difference do politicians actually make?   I was listening to the radio this morning and heard that we should never vote for Tim Ryan. According to the ad, he personally sent Covid money to a bomber and most of the people in prison. Well, maybe he didn't personally do it, but he helped his party-mates do it. I do know that Covid money was sent to a lot of people who didn't need it and didn't spend it. For example, my wife and I got a deposit of $1,200 that we didn't need and didn't spend, although I did spend it several years after the fact.   If I listen to the ad, I am left with the impression that Tim Raised my taxes, wasted millions if not billions of dollars and, to top it off, expanded the IRS so it can dip into my business and snatch away my hard-earned cash. Tim is for sure the cause of all that is bad in the world and is only likely to make things worse if he gets re-elected. Who is saying all of these nasty things about Tim? The add makes it seem like some responsible group is paying but I have no idea who they are or who they represent. The only thing that is certain is that they don't like Tim and hope I will be afraid to vote for him whenever he runs for re-election for whatever office he now holds.   I checked with the Google Guy and learned that Tim actually isn't running for re-election. He is running to be one of Ohio's senators. The add doesn't tell me who he is running against, but the Google guy told me that Tim is opposing JD Bance. Should I happen to take the ad seriously, I would likely conclude that JD Is not going to approve sending money to anyone, is going to reduce taxes as much as possible and do what he can to get rid of the IRS. Sending money to anyone is bad, taxes are bad and collecting taxes is even worse.   What do I conclude from all of this? … Absolutely nothing.   Well, maybe there is one conclusion worth consideration. I suspect the best part of good judgement is to assume that all political ads are lies and probably damn lies. Some may not be but there is no good way to tell. So I am left with the simple fact that political ads have no good purpose other than to scare me, as in be afraid of Tim or vote for anyone but Tim. Alternatively, such ads, if not designed to scare me, are designed to seduce me into thinking that this politician will keep me happy, prosperous and safe from the dastardly villains from the other party.   Political ads give me a false choice between being scared and traumatized on the one hand or seduced and thoroughly screwed on the other. Sure, it's just another con game, with me as the mark. The one thing I can be pretty sure of is that it will never be as bad or as good as the con people tell me it will be. It's that lies and damn lies thing again.   I suspect it was someone really famous who said this first, but I definitely never heard it in a political ad. Whatever you hear or whoever says it, even if I myself say it, don't believe it unless you yourself know it to be true and correct, especially if you hear it in a political ad. Even then, don't buy in until you have had at least a week to give it some serious thought.

I got a note from a potential Tidbitter who rather rudely told me that my ear worms are not wormy enough. Of course I just deleted it and moved on. Since you are my 1 listener, I did not want to take a chance on losing you by changing the game plan. I figured that my worms are wormy enough since you are still listening. -- Thanks.

Perhaps a little more subtle but ear worms nonetheless. You may even want to listen for the tips.

Even if you miss the tips, the ear worms are pretty catchy.

The Loving Touch in a few easy steps.

I don't recall just how many years my podcast has been called Audio Tidbits. As a title, that is rather clever but means nearly nothing. What does "Audio Tidbits" bring to mind? Probably a few things in general but mostly nothing in particular. It's sort of like a podcasting junk drawer. I can just toss most anything in there and it stays just like it belongs. Some of the episodes tossed in are quite good and another few are amazing; but for the most part, the majority are mediocre at best. I find myself with a couple of choices. I can keep tossing in an episode now and then with diminishing enthusiasm or I can dump the junk drawer and start over. I have been pursuing the first option for some time now and have ended up with an overflowing junk drawer. Why today I'm not sure, but I just dumped the junk drawer. I am committed. Never again will I just toss episodes in with no hope of a more coherent outcome. It's either do it consistently better or don't do it at all. What is "it?" Podcasting of course. That was pretty hard, but the harder step is coming next. The Audio Tidbits title has to go. Whatever comes next, "Audio Tidbits" has retired. It remains to be seen whether I have also retired from podcasting. Let me switch up some and tell you a story. Yes, there is a relevant point in here that I will get to fairly soon. But first, come with me down the rabbit hole. How clever is it to start a story with "Once upon a time?" I doubt if that opening would ever be confused with cleverness. Even so, it may be as good as anything else if I have no interest in being clever. Some people can pull off being clever but I'm not among those clever types. I'm more aligned with those who just say what they have to say and let it go at that. A few years back, I had the notion that I could teach myself to play the organ. I'm not talking about the kind of organ that fills a church or great hall with powerful music. I am just referring to a little organ that is smaller than most pianos. It wasn't a toy but definitely less than the real deal. I know. "A few years back" is pretty close to once upon a time but I've already admitted that something more clever is not in the cards for me. My only goal is to get you into the picture where I'm trying to play the organ. Are you there with me? I'll just assume you are so we can move on. Every day for nearly six months, I spent an hour or so teaching myself to play, and gradually I learned. I could play a few songs, press the right keys, and some days I believed that I was even making music. I admit that even I didn't think it was great, but it was some better than nothing. Not a lot better, but some better. I don't recall the day specifically, but one day somewhere in month six, I realized that, no matter how long I worked at it, I was never going to be more than an organ player, and not a very good organ player at that. To compound the insight, I realized that I didn't particularly enjoy organ music all that much. Here is the point. I could play the organ but was never going to be an organist; I liked some types of music but was never going to be a musician. If the truth be known, I didn't enjoy trying to learn to play the organ all that much either. It was just something I was forcing myself to do. That insight got me to wondering how often I start down that particular rabbit hole. How often do I get invested in doing something only to discover that I am not very good at it and am unlikely to ever get very good at it? I've definitely been there a few times over the years and don't figure that I am any better off for the time and energy spent going down those rabbit holes. Here's the problem. I often have no good way of knowing whether something that peaks my interest is a rabbit hole or a real opportunity without investing in it enough to test out its potential. It might be easy to conclude from all of this that it's all just one big crap shoot.

I would not presume to speak for something that can speak for itself.

Is it true that happy is a matter of personal choice most of the time? I think it may actually be just that. But you get to decide. -- Even if happy does not interest you, skip ahead about three minutes. The music is worth a listen even without the happy stuff.

You may assume that frustrating people generally and jerks specifically are born to the role. Not true. It requires careful attention and endless practice to frustrate consistently and effectively. It is actually a skill set that most of us cannot hope to perfect. Please join me with the 101 lecture directly from jerk school. If you aspire to frustrate, this is where to start.

You can usually put things off until they no longer matter. If you doubt, press play to listen.

This blind thing is a lot of things but not all that complicated. First, it's a condition that ranges from mild to severe, just like most conditions. Wherever we are on that continuum, it's likely to get worse, at least until our condition is severe. That be as it may, there is not much we can do about it other than to whine. – Never under estimate the real value in whining. Our condition won't change but whining can help us cope. Second, blind and blindness are also variables. The condition may be static or getting worse, but how we experience them is far from static. For example, I am on average about 5% blind. Sometimes I am nearly 0% blind and once in a while virtually 100% blind. So, what accounts for the variability? Not the condition for sure. It is what it is and isn't changing since the lights are permanently off for me. Here's the deal. When I am in my house, sitting in my chair, listening to my music on my sound system, I am 0% blind. The condition has no effect and represents no limitation. Alternatively, a while back, I needed to get my State ID renewed. I got an Uber and headed off to the ID updater. The Uber arrived and I got out, already talking with an Aira agent to help me inside and with finding the ID updater. Still maybe only 20% blind. But, and there are those buts. Just as soon as I walked inside and had taken less than a dozen steps, the cell signal dropped. At that moment, I was nearly 100% blind. I didn't even know how to get back outside. I did manage to recover from that very dark place with the help of a passer-by, but for a few minutes, it was pretty grim. I could tell you a thousand stories about “Just how blind am I right now,” but I suspect you get the point. Yes, blind is a condition, but more importantly, it's a variable. What matters most is how blind I am right now. FYI, I am sitting at my desk, typing on my computer using my copy of JAWS and am about 2% blind right now. Here's the challenge. Whether blind since birth or new to blindness, and whether the condition is mild or severe, the real issue is not the condition. Rather, the real issue is how effectively we manage blind as a variable. I of course don't know what your goals and expectations for you may be but do know that my goal is to do whatever I want to do, when and where I want to do it. My expectation for me is that I will develop and maintain the skills and determination needed to reach my goal. As part of that commitment to me, I will find the technology, services, resources, strategies, and advice that can increase my success. – Yes, it would often be much easier and safer to be content staying in my house, sitting in my chair, listening to my music on my sound system, but that simply doesn't cut it for me, and I sincerely hope it does not cut it for you. May I invite you to join the 5% blind club? Remember that 5% is only an average. I was about ten when I learned that I can't play baseball, with the bump on my head to punctuate the point. I can't do everything I want to do, everywhere I want, as is true for everyone else, blind or not. We are all limited in one way or another. Even so, getting down to 5% blind on average works fine for me and will likely work for you too. Oh, I didn't know that. You are too old, too lazy, too afraid, too impatient, too tired, and too sure you can't do it to consider the 5% blind club. I'm reminded of my advisor in college when I was whining to her that college is just too hard. She told me that, with the possible exception of my mother, no one really cares one way or the other whether I graduate. She smiled and added that I would have to handle all of the caring for myself. That's it. If you were expecting some magical advice or an easier way, you're out of luck. Just know that your slot in the 5% blind club is there just waiting for you. I sincerely hope I see you there real soon.

Do you have the misfortune of having to deal with a know-it-all, the humility challenged, a certified screw-up? If so, a little sympathy is coming your way. These humility challenged experts on everything are out there, just itching to screw something up and then point the finger at you, as they creep away. -- Let's dip into this a little further.

Six for Sunday may sound like something special, but not this time. It's just a six-pack for everyday that happens to be posted on Sunday. Even so, I think you may find at least a couple of these little tidbits worth a minute or so for quick consideration.

Here's the thing. For those of us who cannot see, there are dozens of skills and strategies potentially available to us to do what we want to do, when we want to do whatever it is. For the sake of discussion, let's say there are seventy-two skills and strategies (Call them tools.) out there for any of us who goes to the time and bother to master them. Sure, there are way more than seventy-two, but since I can only handel quite a bit fewer than seventy-two, I'll stick with seventy-two. There is no point in totally overwhelming myself before I even get started with filling up my tool box. Just for starters, there are three tools that are already there for the taking; and we may not have even noticed that they are there for us. The cool thing is that these three tools are free and only require putting them into our tool box. They do have a down side though. Just like a tiny hammer won't do the job if we have a big nail, a weak tool won't serve us very well when we need it for a big job. But it does not need to be a super hammer. It needs to be just big enough to do the job. We also do not need to put a lot of extra tools into our tool box, just in case we need them some day. Instead, we can look down the road to figure out what tools we will need to do what we want to do as time goes on. Our job is to then make sure those tools are tucked into our tool box, just on time to do the job when that job needs done. -- You've got the idea: just enough tools there just on time to do what we want to do. One more thing about these three tools. Without them, the other sixty-nine tools potentially available to us are likely to be ineffective, likely not to get the job done for us, likely to never make it into our tool box. Keep in mind that this is a do-it-yourself tool box we are talking about. If you have others who will do all of the work for you and are yourself fine with that, an empty tool box is all you need. Otherwise, you need some tools in your tool box. Not all seventy-two, but some, starting with these three. Think of them as prerequisites to putting more tools in your tool box. Motivation: I know, it always gets down to motivation. If we want to, then we might; but if we do not want to, we probably won't. We do occasionally do things we do not want to do, but usually we don't. It is also that hammer thing again. Little wants require little motivation and big wants require big motivation. But how much motivation is required to do what we want to do? -- Just enough of course. Determination: A lot of us who cannot see have plenty of motivation to do what we want to do. It's determination that is in short supply. We are highly motivated to develop the tools required to do what we want to do. We just seem to never get around to reading that book, listening to that podcast, signing up for that class or talking to the right person. What's going on here? It is pretty easy. We are motivated to develop the skill or strategy we need; but motivation alone is not enough. We also have to be determined to do what we need to do. I suppose you may be saying, "Hey Gary, slow up there dude. What's this 'we' stuff? I'm motivated enough and as determined as most anyone else. I sure don't have a motivation problem or a determination problem for that matter. You are way off base if you think my lack of tools in my tool box is due to some limitation with me or my motivation and determination. It's way more complicated than that." Well, okay. I get it. You have special circumstances that are preventing you from getting better tools, and there is little to nothing you can personally do about that. It is just too complicated to work out, no matter how motivated or determined you are. Your take is that I just don't understand how difficult it is for you; and most likely, no one else understands either. Persistence: There is one more tool that all of us who cannot see need in our tool box.

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There are the regular fools among us. They neither know better nor do better. We tend to give those folks a pass, since they have no control over just how stupid they are at times. And there are the rest of us who don't have the excuse of being standard fools. We are just damn fools, yes all of us. We do our foolishness despite knowing better. We just don't do better. This is not a permanent condition unless we extend our foolishness beyond five minutes a day. Gary has the skinny on this universal fact of life.

Giving advice when asked is dangerous; and giving unsolicited advice is just stupid. Hearing Gary's take on this may be worth a listen; but of course, that is not advice, just an opportunity.

The title says it all. There is about five minutes of me fussing about my SM7b microphone and my mixer; but after that, some nice country music from Kevin is there for you.

My guess is that you don't personally remember the Nelson family. No problem. Gary will get you up to speed. Spoiler alert! It's all about "Nice."

Happy Happy plus peace and health from us at Audio Tidbits to you and to those who love you. Please enjoy Kevin's Christmas concert.

You have believed in Santa or at least you likely have. If you are one of the lucky ones, you still believe. But the more important question is, "Does Santa believe in you?" Gary has a couple of tips for making sure that he does.

I'm not sure whether this episode is important wisdom or trivial nonsense, but there is a point worth a couple minutes thought. Is happy actually optional? Join Gary for his take on the question.

You may not have noticed that there are many ways to do nothing. It may look as if something is being done, but therein lies the illusion. The much easier approach is to do nothing, with intention. Gary help us sort this out.

Amateurs at the success game believe that the more people they know, the more successful they will be. How silly. The real question is, "Who knows you and what do they know about you?" Gary shares his take on how this works.

I suspect that you think talking to a brick is right up there with watching paint dry, but you would be wrong. Talking to a brick has hidden benefits that most people never consider. Gary has ten for your evaluation and enlightenment.

Dave Barry has a problem, although he disagrees. He thinks having no friends is a wise financial decision for him. As might be expected, Curious George disagrees. It's all about diplomacy, or the lack-there-of. Gary has the scoop for you.

Gary has a really quick self-check. Easy Peasy. Just give yourself a thumbs up or perhaps not on each statement. The only catch is the standard: every time, with everyone, no exceptions, no excuses.

Are you into being creative or perhaps an inventor? It's actually pretty simple. Just think a thought that no one else has thought. For the skinny on that little trick, listen to this episode of Audio Tidbits.

You may think I have a run of the mill public speaking tip for you, not particularly different than a hundred others. But this tip is from Blackie, a guide dog extraordinaire. You didn't know that guide dogs gave public speaking tips? That would be silly talk. Regular guide dogs may not, but Blackie was far from regular. He was a good friend of Denny, who was himself a professor. I think you may as well listen to pass your own judgment about the unexpected brilliance of extraordinary guide dogs.

Do you like to gossip, or are you content to be a passive consumer? "Neither," you say? Well, OK; but I don't think I easily believe you. I suspect if you ask a hundred random people if they believe that you neither gossip nor consume gossip, they would just laugh at the silly question. At any rate, Gary has some thoughts on the topic. As with most good gossip, it's short and vague enough to make sure you aren't sure one way or the other.

There is a secret the most successful people are slow to admit to. They trust their hunches. But you worry that your hunches may be wrong? Sure, they may be, but so may be your best, considered judgment. The point is that hunches are more often right than wrong. Ignore them at your own risk. Gary shares some thoughts about intuition and hunches on this episode of Audio Tidbits.