WEBVTT - Second Cup: Be generous with time

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's tip is to consider being generous with your time.

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<v Speaker 2>While boundaries are wise, people are generally a good use

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<v Speaker 2>of time, so be generous with time when you can.

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<v Speaker 2>There is a famous passage from First Corinthians that has

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<v Speaker 2>read at weddings about love. You probably remember how this

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<v Speaker 2>starts from the last wedding you went to, with the

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<v Speaker 2>statement that love is patient. I was pondering recently what

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<v Speaker 2>it means for love to be patient, and I realized

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<v Speaker 2>that fundamentally, patience means being generous with time. When love

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<v Speaker 2>is patient, it means we aren't rushing off to the

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<v Speaker 2>next thing.

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<v Speaker 3>We are giving people enough time to be heard and seen.

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<v Speaker 3>This plays out in all sorts of ways. It can

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<v Speaker 3>mean chatting with a teenager even though it is bedtime

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<v Speaker 3>and you are tired. It can mean listening to your

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<v Speaker 3>spouse as worries even though you are annoyed about something

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<v Speaker 3>else here she did. It can mean taking time to

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<v Speaker 3>encourage a direct report, even in the middle of a

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<v Speaker 3>packed day. It can mean graciously listening to your elderly

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<v Speaker 3>neighbor tell that same story about her grandchild. Again. Time

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<v Speaker 3>is ultimately limited, and so this generosity is costly in

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<v Speaker 3>a way that being profligate with money is not. You

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<v Speaker 3>can make more money, you cannot make more time. And

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<v Speaker 3>so a lot of time management literature talks about saying

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<v Speaker 3>no more often, and perhaps there is something to that.

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<v Speaker 3>But when we can say yes to the people in

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<v Speaker 3>our lives, it strengthens those relationships in a way that

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<v Speaker 3>little else can. I fundamentally believe that people are a

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<v Speaker 3>good use of time, and the good news is that

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<v Speaker 3>a few minutes invested in generosity is often paid back

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<v Speaker 3>in profound ways. I love to get emails from listeners

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<v Speaker 3>and readers, and I respond to almost all of it.

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<v Speaker 3>As a result of spending just a few minutes on

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<v Speaker 3>those emails here and there, I have made some great

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<v Speaker 3>friends and professional acquaintances over the years because of those connections.

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<v Speaker 3>Talk about a huge payback. Many of us have had

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<v Speaker 3>the experience of encouraging a young person in our field.

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<v Speaker 3>That young person then goes on to become a total

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<v Speaker 3>rock star and a font of all sorts of opportunities. Again,

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<v Speaker 3>that is a big payback for what was probably not

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<v Speaker 3>a huge investment of time. Now, generosity doesn't need to

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<v Speaker 3>be a blank check, and I am sure that sometimes

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<v Speaker 3>generosity is abused. But even if being generous with time

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<v Speaker 3>sometimes feels like a waste of time, the truth is

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<v Speaker 3>that we waste time on all kinds of things. As

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<v Speaker 3>it is. I doubt that listening to a neighbor's story

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<v Speaker 3>is a much worse use of time than scrolling around

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<v Speaker 3>online for a few minutes. The former can spread some

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<v Speaker 3>serious joy. Love is patient and we all need more

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<v Speaker 3>love in the world. In the meantime, This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 3>our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can

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<v Speaker 1>send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email.

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<v Speaker 3>At Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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