WEBVTT - You need a side quest

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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 looking for more fun

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<v Speaker 1>and creativity in your life, consider a side quest. A

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<v Speaker 1>side quest is an optional mission in a video game.

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<v Speaker 1>It is something that is not required to complete the game.

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<v Speaker 1>but it lets you earn extra powers and adds texture

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<v Speaker 1>to the main storyline. Now, I am not a gamer.

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<v Speaker 1>This is not a gaming podcast. But I do like

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<v Speaker 1>the idea of side quests, because metaphorical side quests can

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<v Speaker 1>be great too. They can enhance your life, just as

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<v Speaker 1>video game side quests enhance your experience of the game.

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<v Speaker 1>You may have heard about metaphorical side quests lately on

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<v Speaker 1>social media and podcasts like Life Kit, where the idea

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<v Speaker 1>was recently featured. Because it's a fun topic. I think

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<v Speaker 1>if you think about it, you could come up with

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<v Speaker 1>all sorts of side quests that might be appealing to you.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, have you been intending to learn Spanish for

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<v Speaker 1>years and feel like now is the time to actually

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<v Speaker 1>do it? Do you want to visit all 50 states? Or...

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<v Speaker 1>See a baseball game in a certain number of the

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<v Speaker 1>major league parks. Do you want to write your memoir?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you curious about origami? One of these pursuits could

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<v Speaker 1>become your side quest. My dream of writing seasonal sonnets

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<v Speaker 1>has become a years-long side quest of writing a sonnet

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<v Speaker 1>every week. If you don't know what your side quest

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<v Speaker 1>might be, think about what you enjoyed as a kid

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<v Speaker 1>or as a young adult. Are there any former passions

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to return to? If you dreamed of having

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<v Speaker 1>a dollhouse as a kid, this could be your moment

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<v Speaker 1>to set up some miniature scenes. If you performed in

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<v Speaker 1>every school play at high school, you could try community theater,

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<v Speaker 1>or perhaps you could go on a side quest of

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<v Speaker 1>reading through all the dramatic works of Shakespeare. Another approach

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<v Speaker 1>is to borrow a side quest from somebody else. In

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<v Speaker 1>other words, do what a friend or relative enjoys. If

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<v Speaker 1>your sister loves doing 1000-piece puzzles, maybe you will too.

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<v Speaker 1>When you borrow a side quest from someone you're close to,

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<v Speaker 1>you may be especially likely to enjoy it, since presumably

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<v Speaker 1>one of the reasons you are close is that you

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<v Speaker 1>and they have a lot in common. Practically speaking, you

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<v Speaker 1>may also be able to use their gear to try

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<v Speaker 1>out the experience of this side quest. If your sister

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<v Speaker 1>likes 1000-piece puzzles, I am sure She has a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of them sitting around. And those puzzles could jumpstart your

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<v Speaker 1>own side quest experience. Something to keep in mind. Side

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<v Speaker 1>quests don't need to be about mastery or conventional achievement.

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<v Speaker 1>A side quest can be successful even if it's not

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<v Speaker 1>particularly productive and even if you don't become especially skilled.

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<v Speaker 1>You can draw or cross-stitch or take ballroom dancing lessons.

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<v Speaker 1>just for fun. The recent Life Kit episode on SideQuest

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<v Speaker 1>quotes ethnomusicologist Kira Gaunt, who said, adults spend so much

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<v Speaker 1>time in environments where they're trying to control the outcome.

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<v Speaker 1>That play, as a practice, becomes about not knowing, not

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<v Speaker 1>having an attachment to what the outcome is. She went

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<v Speaker 1>on to say, learning begins with inquiry. In fact, the

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<v Speaker 1>word quest comes from the root question or inquiry. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's not about answers. It's about the journey. That said,

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<v Speaker 1>while a side quest doesn't need to be about mastery

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<v Speaker 1>or outcomes, the focus and sustained interest you bring to

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<v Speaker 1>a side quest can make it quite satisfying as a hobby.

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<v Speaker 1>You aren't using your leisure time just to see what

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<v Speaker 1>is on Netflix. You are learning things along the way.

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<v Speaker 1>And just like a well-constructed side quest, you may be

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<v Speaker 1>earning extra points or skills for the main game. Or,

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<v Speaker 1>as we think of it in the real world, ways

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<v Speaker 1>to think about your core work. Gaunt said, I think

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<v Speaker 1>a side quest, just like in the gaming world, really

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<v Speaker 1>makes the main quest stronger. It gives it more nuance.

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<v Speaker 1>It gives it some new dimension. Or it actually brings

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<v Speaker 1>out a facet of you that you convinced yourself. you

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't do. So if you feel like you'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>add variety to your life, try a side quest. You

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<v Speaker 1>may find a new sense of perspective and have a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of fun at the same time. In the meantime,

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

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<v Speaker 1>the 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 iHeartMedia, please visit the

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

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<v Speaker 1>favorite shows. Thank you.