WEBVTT - Find a gratitude partner

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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 find a gratitude partner. Share what

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<v Speaker 1>you're grateful for with a friend or family member who

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<v Speaker 1>in turn shares what he's grateful for with you. By

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<v Speaker 1>doing so, you'll help each other notice and appreciate what's

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<v Speaker 1>good in your lives. Today's tip, like several others this week,

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<v Speaker 1>comes from Sonya Luba Mirsky's book The How of Happiness,

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<v Speaker 1>a scientific approach to getting the life you want. According

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<v Speaker 1>to Luba Mirski, gratitude contributes to happiness for a few reasons. First,

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<v Speaker 1>she writes, grateful thinking promotes the savoring of positive life experiences.

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<v Speaker 1>By relishing and taking pleasure in some of the gifts

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<v Speaker 1>of your life, you will be able to extract maximum

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<v Speaker 1>possible sat faction and enjoyment from your current circumstances. In addition,

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<v Speaker 1>she notes, gratitude boosts self worth we realize how much

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<v Speaker 1>we have accomplished and how much others have done for us. Further,

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<v Speaker 1>gratitude nurtures relationships because it helps us feel appreciative of

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<v Speaker 1>each other. Gratitude also helps us avoid downwards social comparison.

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<v Speaker 1>We're less worried that someone else is better off than

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<v Speaker 1>we are because we're grateful for our own circumstances. Having

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<v Speaker 1>a gratitude partner is one method for boosting your gratitude

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<v Speaker 1>and in turn, boosting your happiness. Here's how it works. First,

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<v Speaker 1>as your grandmother probably encouraged you to do, count your blessings.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps every morning or every Saturday afternoon, you identify good

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<v Speaker 1>things in your life that you're grateful for. Maybe it's

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<v Speaker 1>the relative harmony in your household despite being in each

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<v Speaker 1>other's company. Maybe it's having a stable job that you

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<v Speaker 1>can do remotely. Maybe it's having enough food or the

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<v Speaker 1>mild weather that lets you enjoy exercising outside, or video

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<v Speaker 1>calls with your best friends from college. Name your blessings,

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<v Speaker 1>savor them, and then Lubamerski encourages finding what she calls

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<v Speaker 1>a gratitude partner with whom you can share your blessings list.

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<v Speaker 1>You might text your gratitude partner a simple list, such

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<v Speaker 1>as one sunny day means I can walk outside, two

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<v Speaker 1>job security. Three Amy asked me to teach her to

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<v Speaker 1>use the sewing machine. My twelve year old wants to

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<v Speaker 1>spend time with me. Or maybe you create a shared

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<v Speaker 1>Google doc that you each have access to and you

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<v Speaker 1>log your blessings there. Or perhaps you have a grandchild

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<v Speaker 1>or another special child in your life who is learning

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<v Speaker 1>to write. Each week you send him a postcard with

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<v Speaker 1>what you're grateful for and invite him to write you

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<v Speaker 1>back with what he's grateful for. What a fun way

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<v Speaker 1>to nurture your relationship and his writing skills all at once.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, you could record what you're grateful for independently,

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<v Speaker 1>but having a gratitude partner creates accountability. A partner also

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<v Speaker 1>doubles your exposure to good things because you become aware

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<v Speaker 1>of what your partner is grateful for. If she's thankful

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<v Speaker 1>that the honeysuckle vines are about to bloom, you can

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<v Speaker 1>keep your eyes and nose open so that you're ready

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<v Speaker 1>to save for them as well. If she has fallen

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<v Speaker 1>in love with a new podcast, well maybe you should

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<v Speaker 1>check it out too. So today think about who might

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<v Speaker 1>become your gratitude partner, and then let me know how

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<v Speaker 1>it goes. You can reach me at Before Breakfast podcast

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<v Speaker 1>at ihart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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

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<v Speaker 1>that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart

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