WEBVTT - You always have options

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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 remember that you almost always have options.

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<v Speaker 1>You may feel like your life is entirely determined by

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<v Speaker 1>requirements and circumstances, but more often than not, you do

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<v Speaker 1>have choices. The question is whether you are comfortable with

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<v Speaker 1>the whole package of what a choice entails. Today's tip

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<v Speaker 1>comes from Oliver Berkman's book Meditations for Mortals. Berkman points

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<v Speaker 1>out that it is almost never the case that you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have options. You don't actually have to go to work,

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to floss your teeth. It's just that

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<v Speaker 1>those options come with consequences, So you have to weigh

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<v Speaker 1>the appeal of the whole package of the option plus

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<v Speaker 1>its consequences. If you don't go to work, you might

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<v Speaker 1>not get paid or perhaps keep the job for long.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't fluss, you might have cavities or gum trouble.

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<v Speaker 1>And these are options. They just might not be appealing

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<v Speaker 1>options once you consider the whole package. Starting from the

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<v Speaker 1>premise that you almost always have options, but options come

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<v Speaker 1>with consequences, Berkman reframes the decision. The only two questions

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<v Speaker 1>at any moment of choice in life, he says, are

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<v Speaker 1>what the price is and whether or not it's worth paying. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to go out on a limb and say

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<v Speaker 1>that for most of us, we are probably wise to

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<v Speaker 1>choose to go to work. But you won't be surprised

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<v Speaker 1>to know that I have decided that I don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to tidy the house before bedtime, or buy on trend

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<v Speaker 1>clothes every season, or cook meals from scratch every night.

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<v Speaker 1>Whatever consequences come with those choices are ones I am

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<v Speaker 1>willing to accept. Berkman even refers to my work and

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<v Speaker 1>his meditation about how you always have choices. He quotes

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<v Speaker 1>me telling people that there is no eleven pm home

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<v Speaker 1>inspection with someone coming around to see if all the

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<v Speaker 1>toys are picked up. You really can relax and take

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<v Speaker 1>some time for yourself at night, even if your house

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<v Speaker 1>is a wreck. There are no grave consequences that come

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<v Speaker 1>with that option. So if your schedule feels overwhelming, or

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<v Speaker 1>you think some aspect of your life is inescapable, think again.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't have to get up at four am to

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<v Speaker 1>pack lunches for your kids and exercise and put on

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<v Speaker 1>makeup and dry your hair before work. What would happen

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<v Speaker 1>if your kids bought school lunch and you did a

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<v Speaker 1>five minute beauty routine instead of a longer one, or

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps didn't exercise every day. You don't have to stay

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<v Speaker 1>in your current job because you assume you will never

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<v Speaker 1>find one that pays as well. You could at least

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<v Speaker 1>look for a new job. It is entirely possible that

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<v Speaker 1>you will find one that pays just as well or better.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you find a great job that pays less, well,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a salary cut is a consequence that is worth

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<v Speaker 1>it to get a job you are excited about. So

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<v Speaker 1>when you hear yourself talking about what you have to

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<v Speaker 1>do or what you can't do, consider the option you

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<v Speaker 1>would prefer and return to Berkman's questions, what is the

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<v Speaker 1>price of doing what you want to do or not

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<v Speaker 1>doing what you don't want to do? And is that

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<v Speaker 1>price worth paying? I would love to hear what you decide.

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<v Speaker 1>You can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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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 time. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to before Breakfast If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot 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 iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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