WEBVTT - It's not always your job 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to realize that noticing a need doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean you have to meet it. It's not always your job.

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<v Speaker 1>In his book Tyranny of the Urgent, author Charles Hummel

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<v Speaker 1>wrights the need itself, however, urgent is not the call

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<v Speaker 1>for us to meet it. Just because you notice a need,

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<v Speaker 1>or just because you acknowledge a need that someone brings

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<v Speaker 1>to your attention, doesn't mean that you have to solve

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<v Speaker 1>this problem. This is true in all spheres of life.

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<v Speaker 1>At work, maybe a colleague is having computer issues, or

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<v Speaker 1>there's some extra service your company could theoretically offer. At home,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you see a burned out light bulb in your

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<v Speaker 1>spouse's office, or that your son's baseball club is in

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<v Speaker 1>his dresser and he'll need it for practice after school.

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<v Speaker 1>May be the neighborhood playground could use some spiffing up,

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<v Speaker 1>or no one has planned anything for your mother in

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<v Speaker 1>law's birthday. The truth is there are infinite needs and

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<v Speaker 1>things that would make the world better, but there's only

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<v Speaker 1>so much that one person can do, and when everything

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<v Speaker 1>is your job. Sadly, nothing will really get done because

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<v Speaker 1>you'll be pulled in too many directions to get anything done.

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<v Speaker 1>So what do you do instead? First shift your mindset.

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<v Speaker 1>If you reflexively feel obligated to solve every problem you notice, pause,

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<v Speaker 1>ask yourself, is this my responsibility? If it is, handle it.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's not, Consider what would happen if you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>get involved. One possibility someone else will step up. The

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<v Speaker 1>people around you are full of talents, compassion, and ideas.

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<v Speaker 1>Leave some room for them to use them. Sometimes by

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<v Speaker 1>stepping back for a moment, you'll create space for their brilliance.

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<v Speaker 1>At times, you may decide to describe the need you

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<v Speaker 1>see and invite others to make a plan to respond.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're collaborating on a project at work that's going

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<v Speaker 1>to require some late nights, don't assume that you will

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<v Speaker 1>be the one to put them in. Instead, try staying

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<v Speaker 1>to your team. It looks like it's going to take

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<v Speaker 1>some time beyond normal working hours to get this finished.

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<v Speaker 1>How can we work to gather to find extra time

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<v Speaker 1>to get everything done? And rather than assuming you're the

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<v Speaker 1>only one who could plan your mother in law's birthday,

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<v Speaker 1>why not send a text to the siblings and partners groups,

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<v Speaker 1>saying meebi, his birthday is next week. Anybody have ideas

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<v Speaker 1>for celebrating, or, better yet, perhaps you ask your spouse

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<v Speaker 1>about the plans and then watch as the plans emerge.

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<v Speaker 1>Believe it or not, There may even be times when

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<v Speaker 1>you notice a need and let it go completely unmet. Sure,

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<v Speaker 1>the porch might be more inviting if it was swept,

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<v Speaker 1>but if your daughter tends to hang out there with

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<v Speaker 1>her friends, maybe give her time to notice the mess herself.

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<v Speaker 1>And if she doesn't the world will keep spinning. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>take it for granted that you need to swoop in

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<v Speaker 1>and meet every unmet need. Be intentional about how you

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<v Speaker 1>allocate your time. When we pick our battles, we might

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<v Speaker 1>actually win them rather than spreading the army too thin.

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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. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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