WEBVTT - Remember it's supposed to be fun

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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 if you are doing something for the

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<v Speaker 1>fun of it, don't fall into the trap of thinking

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<v Speaker 1>of it as a chore. Remind yourself that it is

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to be fun, and you might wind up with

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<v Speaker 1>a better and lighter attitude. about the whole thing. I

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<v Speaker 1>know Before Breakfast listeners pride themselves on setting big goals

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<v Speaker 1>and following through. People do this in their professional lives,

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<v Speaker 1>but they do it in their personal lives as well.

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<v Speaker 1>And that is great. But sometimes I hear from people

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<v Speaker 1>who embarked on a project for fun and end up

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<v Speaker 1>feeling like it is one more thing that they have

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<v Speaker 1>to do. Does this sound familiar? Maybe you decided to

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<v Speaker 1>sign up for a race with your running club. And

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<v Speaker 1>now you're complaining about fitting the training runs into your days.

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<v Speaker 1>You're talking with anyone who'll listen about being busy because

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<v Speaker 1>you have a 10-mile run squeezed somewhere into your Saturday.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe you decided to host a dinner party at

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<v Speaker 1>your apartment. You start planning the menu and decor and

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<v Speaker 1>hit a wall as you realize you're going to be

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<v Speaker 1>making three different shopping trips on a very busy week.

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<v Speaker 1>that involves a work trip, too. You schedule to get

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<v Speaker 1>together with an old friend, but your house is a

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<v Speaker 1>wreck after the kids have been sick all week, and

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<v Speaker 1>you're behind on a project and it's raining, and you

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<v Speaker 1>agreed to meet your friend at a place that is

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<v Speaker 1>30 minutes away. You lament to another friend by text

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<v Speaker 1>that you have no time. In these situations, many of

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<v Speaker 1>us find ourselves complaining about all we have to do

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<v Speaker 1>or feeling stressed about things in our schedule that are

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<v Speaker 1>intended to be fun. No one has to run a race.

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<v Speaker 1>No one has to host a party. Get-togethers with friends

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<v Speaker 1>do not fall into the categories of work or caregiving.

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<v Speaker 1>These things are supposed to be fun, so when we

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<v Speaker 1>find ourselves complaining and lamenting all we have to do

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<v Speaker 1>related to these fun activities, this is obviously problematic. So

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<v Speaker 1>when we do find ourselves complaining, the first step is

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<v Speaker 1>to stop and try to shift our mindset. All fun

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<v Speaker 1>takes work. And effortful fun takes more work than effortless fun.

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<v Speaker 1>That is important to remember because effortful fun, like hosting

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<v Speaker 1>parties and getting together with friends, is the best kind

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<v Speaker 1>of fun. Far more fun than the effortless fun of

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<v Speaker 1>scrolling around online. But effortful fun takes effort. So yes,

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<v Speaker 1>packing and getting to the airport is always stressful, but

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<v Speaker 1>how cool is it to go on vacation? You might

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<v Speaker 1>try changing your language. I get to see my childhood

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<v Speaker 1>best friend tomorrow. I signed up to attend this improv

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<v Speaker 1>class I've wanted to take for a while. I am

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<v Speaker 1>so excited to gather my good friends for a party.

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<v Speaker 1>Who knows what magic everyone will make together? Remind yourself

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<v Speaker 1>that the activity is something you desired and chose. Nobody

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<v Speaker 1>is forcing you to do it. It can also be

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<v Speaker 1>helpful to reconnect with your reasons for deciding on the

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<v Speaker 1>activity in the first place. I'm looking forward to this

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<v Speaker 1>vacation because I love visiting new places. I love Molly

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm grateful for our decades-long friendship. I signed up

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<v Speaker 1>for this race because the last one I did was

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<v Speaker 1>so much fun. I still remember crossing the finish line

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<v Speaker 1>and grabbing a beer with my running club buddies afterwards.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also try some mental time travel. Imagine doing

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<v Speaker 1>the activity or looking back on it rather than just

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<v Speaker 1>preparing for it and all the work involved in that.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to be so excited once I'm packed and

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<v Speaker 1>on my way to Puerto Rico. I'll be so happy

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<v Speaker 1>to have spent time with Molly. Or I can see

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<v Speaker 1>us laughing and taking pictures at the end of this race.

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<v Speaker 1>When you remind yourself that something is supposed to be fun,

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<v Speaker 1>You can also lighten your approach to it. Fun should

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<v Speaker 1>be fun. So feel free to make things easier on yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're hosting a party, you can order food to

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<v Speaker 1>be delivered. Tell your friends it's going to be a potluck.

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<v Speaker 1>An old friend might be open to a more low-key

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<v Speaker 1>hangout if it has been a rough week. Maybe just

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<v Speaker 1>aim to finish the race, not get a PR. They

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<v Speaker 1>still give you a medal at the end, regardless. And

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<v Speaker 1>if you adjust your mindset and realize something you are

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<v Speaker 1>doing for the fun of it still isn't making you happy,

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<v Speaker 1>remember that you can change your plans. There is no

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<v Speaker 1>law that says you have to do most things that

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<v Speaker 1>are supposed to be fun. So if you took on

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<v Speaker 1>something for fun and it isn't fun, you can cancel.

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<v Speaker 1>That is the upside of leisure activities. They generally aren't required.

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<v Speaker 1>But first, see if you can regain your excitement by

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<v Speaker 1>tweaking your language, imagining yourself doing the experience, reconnecting with

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<v Speaker 1>what made it appealing in the first place, and hitting

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<v Speaker 1>the easy button when you can. When we remember that

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<v Speaker 1>things are supposed to be fun, sometimes we can have

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<v Speaker 1>a little more fun with them. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening. And here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at laura at lauravandercam.com Before Breakfast is a production

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

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