The Frustration Factor

A while back I nearly went into a full blown rant. Fortunately I avoided the worst of it. It was one of those computer things. I know, I should have upgraded but just didn't find the time. Sure, I'm upgraded now but it was a hard lesson at the time. Maybe my near rant will convince you to quit hanging onto Windows 7.

In this episode of Audio Tidbits Podcast, we revisit a couple of those frustrating types who specialize in driving us up the wall. Their perspective is that it is always about them; and our opinion only counts if it agrees with theirs. You know the type. Listen and be reminded so you never forget.

What's the deal when people disappoint us? Is it finger pointing and blaming time? Maybe so, but then again, maybe not. Either way, it's best to stop and think about just where that finger is pointing.

There is no need for a great intro. I think you will get the point. We keep hoping for better and the game goes on.

In this episode of Audio Tidbits Podcast, I revisit an episode with a little remixing and a smile. We are reminded that thinking is just too hard so we might as well cross it off as an unproductive use of our time. We best just let others do our thinking so we have more time just to fool around. The episode shares a couple of additional thoughts but there goes that thinking thing again. If you want to take a chance, please listen and see if the podcast team has anything worth thinking about.

I was listening to a podcast that mentioned the great tax cut of 2018. I'm thinking that it hasn't made much difference for me so wondered if others have had better luck. I also came across an episode from Audio Tidbits Podcast about the pending tax cut and my speculation about its benefit for me. That leads me to the question, "How has it worked out for you?" Let's think about that together.

It's not altogether true that respect isn't optional, at least for some people. For you though, respecting some folks and not others, being respectful only now and then are never options. Why? Please listen and see if you agree.

Is there any point in repeating myself? I suppose there may be but probably not. On the chance that repeating might be useful, this one is just for you.

So far, you have developed a wide range of understanding and skills to assess families at risk. You have studied the behavior and attitudes of family members and have thought about stress, depression, value problems, and other personal issues. Your learning has included identifying specific signs of risk and seeing how they are experienced by family members. You now have a good feel for people, families, and their problems.

You also have learned about assessing how people get along. You are able to focus on relationships, communication, problem solving, and decision making. Additionally, you now know how to use some tools and shortcuts to determine the risk level for your family.

It is now time to bring your understanding and skills together. In this episode of Audio Tidbits Podcast, I bring you an extended narrative of a family at risk. As you will see, the people in the narrative behave and reflect attitudes that are sometimes helpful and sometimes very risky. Your challenge is to identify the elements of risk, understand how bad outcomes follow from actions and events, and assess the risk for the family.

The narrative is divided into seven sections reflecting critical periods in the life of the family. The underlying events are true. This is the way it really happened. Many of the details and descriptions have been changed to protect the family's anonymity.

Were this a fictional family, all the motivations, events, and details would have been carefully crafted to answer all of your questions and to eliminate all gaps and inconsistencies. Real life is not so neat. You will need to use your developing insight and skills to fill in the gaps, understand the inconsistencies, and to somehow make sense of life in the real world.

Be safe, be well, and may you and yours enjoy being one big happy family.

This episode of Audio Tidbits Podcast brings you Part 4 of Just One Big Unhappy Family. If you combine this episode with the first three, you will have all of the tools you need to assess your family’s level of risk and will better understand the why and what of family risk. In this episode, I focus specifically on Getting Along Risk. I think you will see how this type of risk fits with Individual, Marital and Parent risk to establish the level of jeopardy the family is experiencing. Thank you for the time you are spending to better understand your family’s functioning. I sincerely hope it helps you and yours.