WEBVTT - Re-assess your safety nets

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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 reassess your safety nets. Backup plans are good,

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<v Speaker 1>but you don't necessarily need them forever, or at least

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<v Speaker 1>need the same ones forever. Make sure you take a

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<v Speaker 1>good look from time to time to see what is

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<v Speaker 1>still serving you and what isn't. Today's tip, like another

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<v Speaker 1>this week, comes from Elizabeth Sharpmakatta's new book, Edit Your Life.

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<v Speaker 1>This book is about how to live with intention in

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<v Speaker 1>a messy world. One of her suggestions for editing your

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<v Speaker 1>life is to look around your life at your safety

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<v Speaker 1>nets and ask what they are keeping you safe from

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<v Speaker 1>and whether they are serving that purpose. Maybe you need

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<v Speaker 1>an extra safety net, or maybe you need less. It's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to know unless you take a really good look.

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<v Speaker 1>So first some clarification. A literal safety net is the

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<v Speaker 1>net below an aerial performer that means if the person falls,

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<v Speaker 1>they won't be badly injured. Metaphorically, a safety net is

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<v Speaker 1>something that keeps a problem from becoming a disaster. So

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<v Speaker 1>a safety net, like unemployment insurance, means that if someone

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<v Speaker 1>loses a job, his or her family will still have

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<v Speaker 1>some income. We often have safety nets for our individual

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<v Speaker 1>lives too. For instance, Elizabeth talks of having an accountant

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<v Speaker 1>friend who took on freelance tax season work while he

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<v Speaker 1>was growing his own business. He wanted to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>he had enough cash coming in so that even if

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<v Speaker 1>the business grew slowly, he would be okay. Some safety

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<v Speaker 1>nets are absolutely necessary even if you are wealthy or

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<v Speaker 1>have an incredibly secure job. It is still a good

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<v Speaker 1>idea to have a few months worth of expenses somewhere

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<v Speaker 1>you can access easily. If you and your spouse both

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<v Speaker 1>travel for work and you have kids, you need more

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<v Speaker 1>than one person available while you are both gone in

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<v Speaker 1>case something goes wrong for that first person and both

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<v Speaker 1>of you aren't there. But you do want to ask

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<v Speaker 1>what the safety nets in your life are keeping you

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<v Speaker 1>safe from. For instance, the accountant in our example wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid going broke even if his business took a

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<v Speaker 1>while to grow, But after he had more clients than

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<v Speaker 1>he could handle, he really needed to focus on his

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<v Speaker 1>business other than diverting his attention to work. That was

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<v Speaker 1>just about paying the bills. His bills were fine. Time

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<v Speaker 1>to let that particular net go. Elizabeth suggests asking if

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<v Speaker 1>you feel you can live more freely knowing a safety

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<v Speaker 1>net is below you, or if a particular safety net

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<v Speaker 1>has started to hamper your choices. What might happen if

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<v Speaker 1>you shed one of your safety nets? Would you have

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<v Speaker 1>more time to pursue your creative work, more freedom to

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<v Speaker 1>do things in your personal life? Or conversely, you might

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<v Speaker 1>find that certain safety nets might make you braver. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>if you don't have an emergency fund, you might live

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<v Speaker 1>in fear of losing your job. Once you've got a

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<v Speaker 1>fair amount of cash in the bank, that prospect becomes

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<v Speaker 1>a lot less terrifying. That means that people have less

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<v Speaker 1>power over you. You don't really have to do anything.

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<v Speaker 1>You have choices, and that can make you a lot

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<v Speaker 1>braver and more free. So reassess your safety nets and

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<v Speaker 1>figure out which are working for you and which aren't.

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<v Speaker 1>Figure out if you need to take one away or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe if you need to add one. Getting the balance

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<v Speaker 1>right can help you build the life you want. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia

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<v Speaker 1>dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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