WEBVTT - Do it with a broken heart

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

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to believe you can do what you want

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<v Speaker 1>to do, even when circumstances are less than ideal. Today's tip,

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<v Speaker 1>like several others this week, comes from my new book,

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<v Speaker 1>Big Time, A Simple Path to Time Abundance. In the book,

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<v Speaker 1>I talk about my months-long experience with excruciating back pain.

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<v Speaker 1>I never really figured out what caused it. One evening

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<v Speaker 1>in January 2024, the nerves in my back started firing

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<v Speaker 1>to the point where I couldn't walk. The next few

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<v Speaker 1>days were pretty rough. And I say that as someone

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<v Speaker 1>who has experienced natural childbirth. Steroids calm the initial inflammation,

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<v Speaker 1>but After that, I was left with a dull but

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<v Speaker 1>still chronic ache that made everyday activities like emptying the

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<v Speaker 1>dishwasher challenging. If you listen to this show, you probably

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<v Speaker 1>suspect that I didn't like living as an invalid. And

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<v Speaker 1>so after months of physical therapy didn't help, I decided

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<v Speaker 1>I could not put my life on hold forever. I

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<v Speaker 1>would just live my life with pain as a companion.

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<v Speaker 1>Taylor Swift has a famous song called I Can Do

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<v Speaker 1>It With a Broken Heart. And I adopted a version

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<v Speaker 1>of this as my philosophy. I can do it with

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<v Speaker 1>chronic back pain. Just like her emotional pain was real,

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<v Speaker 1>so was my back pain. And just like she could

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<v Speaker 1>sing and dance and smile and tour and perform anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>I could work and parent and do most of the

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<v Speaker 1>things I would have done without back pain. So I

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<v Speaker 1>committed to doing just that. I went with my family

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<v Speaker 1>to Disney World. I took my boys to Spain and

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<v Speaker 1>walked thousands of steps a day. I went to a

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<v Speaker 1>Taylor Swift concert and stood for five hours in the

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<v Speaker 1>floor area because there weren't seats. Eventually, my back pain

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<v Speaker 1>did ease, but I am glad I didn't put my

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<v Speaker 1>life on hold waiting for that to happen because I

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<v Speaker 1>would have missed out on a lot. Now, I recognize

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<v Speaker 1>that sometimes this philosophy just doesn't work. I could not

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<v Speaker 1>have lived life in the pain I was in in

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<v Speaker 1>the first few days. But in many cases, we are

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<v Speaker 1>wise not to wait for perfect conditions to get started

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<v Speaker 1>on our projects and goals. We can do what we

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<v Speaker 1>want in the conditions we currently have. This doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 1>setting unrealistic expectations. It means setting realistic expectations rather than

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<v Speaker 1>abandoning a goal simply because conditions aren't perfect. Want to

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<v Speaker 1>study for the bar exam, but you are waking up

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<v Speaker 1>with a baby multiple times per night? I can study

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<v Speaker 1>sleep deprived. Do you want to go to New Zealand,

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<v Speaker 1>but you don't make a lot of money? I can

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<v Speaker 1>travel on a budget. Hoping to get in shape, but

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<v Speaker 1>you go straight from work to family responsibilities in the evenings?

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<v Speaker 1>I can exercise before 6 a.m. If you find yourself

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<v Speaker 1>saying you can't do something, reconsider. Figure out what you

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<v Speaker 1>could do now, under your current circumstances, and then just try.

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<v Speaker 1>You can even cheer yourself along with a Taylor Swift-inspired mantra,

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<v Speaker 1>I can do it with whatever constraint you currently face.

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<v Speaker 1>In many cases, we are a lot stronger than we

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<v Speaker 1>think we are. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening. And here's to making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.