WEBVTT - Before you quit

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to not quit something by accident. If

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<v Speaker 1>you've decided to stop working toward a goal, that is fine,

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<v Speaker 1>but be honest about it and see what you can

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<v Speaker 1>learn from the experience. Many people make New Year's resolutions.

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<v Speaker 1>We start out the year with vim and vigor, and

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<v Speaker 1>then at some point many people stop pursuing their goals

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<v Speaker 1>or keeping up with their new habits. What often happens

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<v Speaker 1>is that something changes the new routine. Someone gets sick,

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<v Speaker 1>work gets busy, or maybe new COVID restrictions make an

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<v Speaker 1>original resolution like going to the gym harder to pursue

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<v Speaker 1>in that form. In any case, people don't do something

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<v Speaker 1>for a few days and then it gets harder to

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<v Speaker 1>start up again. There was no actual decision to quit.

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<v Speaker 1>It just happens. But it doesn't have to just happen.

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<v Speaker 1>I am not saying all goals need to continue indefinitely.

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<v Speaker 1>I have stopped doing plenty of things in my life,

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<v Speaker 1>but I think it's good to acknowledge what is happening

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<v Speaker 1>and why it is happening, so we can learn important

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<v Speaker 1>lessons that will help us with future goals. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you thought you would wake up at six am

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<v Speaker 1>to exercise every morning, and then you don't. Why Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I can think of several reasons. First, does every morning

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<v Speaker 1>really means seven mornings a week? Even pretty committed exercisers

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<v Speaker 1>seldom do that. Maybe a more reasonable goal would have

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<v Speaker 1>been three week day mornings at six am and one

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<v Speaker 1>weekend day with no particular time goal on that one.

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<v Speaker 1>That would have allowed for the occasional oversleeping or grace

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<v Speaker 1>for when it was a later night. Or maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>set a goal to lose ten pounds. I am not

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<v Speaker 1>a big fan of that type of goal, but plenty

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<v Speaker 1>of people do set these type of goals, and two

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<v Speaker 1>weeks into the year, maybe the scale hasn't budged, so

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<v Speaker 1>you feel discouraged and just stop trying. But maybe it

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<v Speaker 1>would have been better to focus on process goals forget

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<v Speaker 1>the scale. Instead, you choose to limit beverages with calories,

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<v Speaker 1>eat vegetables with lunch and dinner, in aim for ten

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<v Speaker 1>thousand steps a day on at least five days of

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<v Speaker 1>the week. Now there is a reasonable chance that those

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<v Speaker 1>steps will lead to losing ten pounds. Over time, but

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<v Speaker 1>even if they don't, you'll be a lot healthier. Recognizing

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<v Speaker 1>why the goal felt discouraging will lead to smarter goals

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<v Speaker 1>in the future. Or maybe you realize that you just

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<v Speaker 1>don't feel motivated. You plan to read more and you're

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<v Speaker 1>not reading more. There are lots of questions to ask

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<v Speaker 1>before you just feel bad every time you look at

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<v Speaker 1>your short list of books read. Maybe reading isn't a

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<v Speaker 1>priority for you right now, and that's fine. Things that

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<v Speaker 1>other people value don't need to be things that you value.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe it's a better goal for a later time in

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<v Speaker 1>life when you have fewer other commitments. It's good to

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<v Speaker 1>be reasonable. Or maybe you just need something different to

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<v Speaker 1>motivate you. A competition with your brother over who could

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<v Speaker 1>read more this year might be just the thing, or

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<v Speaker 1>joining a book club or some other external motivator. We

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<v Speaker 1>all respond to different incentives. In any case, When you

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<v Speaker 1>find yourself rolling toward quitting, pause and ask yourself a

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<v Speaker 1>few things. First, do you truly want to quit? If so, fine,

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<v Speaker 1>If not, maybe you can recast the goal. Second, if

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<v Speaker 1>you are going to quit, what can you learn from

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<v Speaker 1>the experience that will help you set future goals? Knowing

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<v Speaker 1>ourselves is one of the best ways to succeed at

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<v Speaker 1>what we intend to do. If you can figure out

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<v Speaker 1>more about yourself, you will be well positioned for the future.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our talk. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows. H m hm