1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to ask yourself what you loved doing 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 1: as a child. The point is not so much to 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 1: find your next career move, though that could be an option, 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: but mostly it's to make your leisure time feel more fulfilling. 7 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: Adults love to ask children what they want to be 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: when they grow up, and many kids have a ready answer. 9 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: They proudly announced that they plan to be writers, or 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: doctors or princesses without any self consciousness. Then we grow 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: older and we discover that there aren't so many job 12 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: openings for princesses, and we find ourselves pursuing completely different 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: career paths. There's nothing wrong with this. Kids have no 14 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: idea about the scope of careers in the world, or 15 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: about how to find the intersection between skills, interests and 16 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: what is economically viable. But leisure time pursuits have no 17 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: such constraints. As the past few months of lockdowns have 18 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: forced people to reconsider how they spend their time, there's 19 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: something to be said for looking to the past for ideas. 20 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: Chances are that at least some of the activities who 21 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: loved as a kid might bring a smile to your 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: face now, So set aside a few minutes this week, 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: maybe during a break at work, to think about how 24 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: you used to spend your time when you had a 25 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: free saturday as a child. What did you do with it? 26 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: What kind of books did you read, or toys or 27 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: games did you enjoy. You might look at old photos 28 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: to conjure up memories, talk to parents, siblings, or childhood 29 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: friends to surface other ideas. Maybe certain objects brought you 30 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: great happiness or certain pursuits. Jot down words and phrases 31 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: that come to mind. Now look at what you've written down, 32 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: and consider how some of the interests or activities could 33 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: be pivoted into your adult life. If you're actually looking 34 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: to figure out your next career move, this can take 35 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: a good deal of creativity. No one is likely to 36 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: pay you to play in a sandbox unless you work 37 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: at a daycare, but there may be other ways to 38 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: incorporate your interests, either as side hustles or just for 39 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 1: the fun of it. If you have happy memories of 40 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: playing school with your friends, you might enjoy teaching an 41 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: online course or volunteering in a literacy program. If you 42 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: loved exploring on your bike but haven't done this in 43 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: a while, it might be worth buying a bike from 44 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: a neighbor and building some rides into your life. I've 45 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: realized that one reason I like occasionally writing articles on 46 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: random topics is that I loved earning Girl Scout badges 47 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: as a kid. I learned just enough about a topic 48 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: to feel a sense of accomplishment, and then I'd move on. 49 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: Thinking about your childhood joys can be a helpful exercise 50 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: even if you aren't looking to do anything particularly productive. 51 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: Maybe you have fond memories of waking up early on 52 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: Saturday mornings to watch cartoons all by yourself. You might 53 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: enjoy building a version of this into your life now 54 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: by waking up an hour before the rest of your 55 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: family to do something totally for you, whether that's watching 56 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: cartoons or reading a book or doing a puzzle. So 57 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: if you're feeling stuck board or just in search of 58 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: a way to enjoy time more, take some time to 59 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: consider what brought you happiness as a child. Then think 60 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: flexibly and with an open mind about how these joys 61 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: could fit into your adult life. You'll probably start to 62 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: smile just thinking about it. In the meantime, This is Laura. 63 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of 64 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 65 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 66 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 67 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,839 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast to pod that's B the number four, then 68 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 69 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot 70 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 71 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 72 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 73 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 74 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 75 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: favorite shows.