WEBVTT - Describe a typical Tuesday

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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 that life is lived in ordinary days. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are considering any big changes, think about what your

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<v Speaker 1>life would look like on an ordinary Tuesday. You might

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<v Speaker 1>also reflect on what your typical Tuesday looks like now.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't like what you see, consider what you

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<v Speaker 1>would like an ordinary tuesday to look like instead. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip comes from Ira Bedzoe, an ethicist and the executive

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<v Speaker 1>director of the Emery Purpose Project. In an article for

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<v Speaker 1>Psychology Today, he described what he calls flourishing chats, conversations

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<v Speaker 1>he has with people about their life and work. As

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<v Speaker 1>part of these flourishing chats, when he's talking with someone

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<v Speaker 1>about a career path they are considering, he says, he asks,

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<v Speaker 1>what would your ordinary tuesday look like at this job?

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<v Speaker 1>Not what their job title would be, not their earnings,

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<v Speaker 1>not their clout. What would they actually be doing on

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<v Speaker 1>an ordinary work day? How would they spend their time?

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<v Speaker 1>What tasks would they perform, Who would they interact with?

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<v Speaker 1>What physical space would they be in? What would energize them,

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<v Speaker 1>what might deplete them? How would they feel when they

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<v Speaker 1>left work at the end of the day. Often, he says,

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<v Speaker 1>the conversation goes silent. At this point the person hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>thought about what a typical day would be like. He

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<v Speaker 1>explains that people often revert to their old habits of

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<v Speaker 1>choosing the path that looks most successful from the outside,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than one they can get excited about actually living

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<v Speaker 1>day to day. But success from the outside may matter

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<v Speaker 1>less for happiness than how you live your life. When

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<v Speaker 1>you focus on success from the outside, you may neglect

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<v Speaker 1>to consider if you actually like how you spend your days.

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<v Speaker 1>Considering how you actually spend your time prompts you, as

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<v Speaker 1>Bedzoe puts it, to stop seeing success as something you

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<v Speaker 1>possess and to start seeing it as something you practice.

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<v Speaker 1>I like this distinction between possessing success versus practicing success.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether you are an undergrad looking for your first job

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<v Speaker 1>or a middle aged professional feeling dissatisfied and trying to

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<v Speaker 1>figure out how to recalibrate what your ordinary Tuesday would

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<v Speaker 1>look like is an important question. I think it could

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<v Speaker 1>be wise to journal about what a typical Tuesday is

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<v Speaker 1>like for you. Now. You can track your time, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>or you can just take notes, What do you actually do,

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<v Speaker 1>who do you interact with, Where do you spend your time,

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<v Speaker 1>what is asked of you? What gives you joy and energy,

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<v Speaker 1>what SAPs your energy? And fundamentally, do you like your

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<v Speaker 1>typical Tuesday? Does it feel aligned with what you care about.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't love your typical Tuesdays as they are, now,

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<v Speaker 1>write about your dream day. What would an ideal ordinary

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<v Speaker 1>day look like? In other words, this is in a

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<v Speaker 1>vacation day when you're off working in Hawaii, your toddler

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<v Speaker 1>might still have a meltdown in the morning, But on

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<v Speaker 1>an ordinary day of real life, when your life is

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<v Speaker 1>in alignment with your values, how would you spend your

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<v Speaker 1>time time, who would you be with, what would you

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<v Speaker 1>be doing? When you think about your ideal Tuesday, you

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<v Speaker 1>may get some ideas for how you can move your

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<v Speaker 1>Tuesdays closer to what you envision. I'll note that my

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<v Speaker 1>book Tranquility by Tuesday is all about little practices that

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<v Speaker 1>can make the experience of an average Tuesday much better.

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<v Speaker 1>In any case, maybe this exercise points you to a

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<v Speaker 1>new career path, or maybe it nudges you to spend

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<v Speaker 1>a little more time on your favorite parts of your

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<v Speaker 1>current job. Maybe your work itself is great, but you

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<v Speaker 1>realize you would be happier if remote work meant working

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<v Speaker 1>at a local coffee shop or coworking space rather than

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<v Speaker 1>in your drury basement. Or maybe you realize work is

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<v Speaker 1>only a limited number of hours on Tuesdays and you

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<v Speaker 1>have time outside of work for fun things if you want.

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<v Speaker 1>We live our lives mostly in ordinary days, so if

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<v Speaker 1>you want to live a good life, pay attention to

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<v Speaker 1>what those ordinary Tuesdays look like and do what you

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<v Speaker 1>can to make them shine. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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