WEBVTT - Start a project, nurture a relationship

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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 build a friendship or make a

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<v Speaker 1>family relationship stronger by starting a project that you can

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<v Speaker 1>share with the other person. I've been thinking of this

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<v Speaker 1>topic lately because over the holidays, my ten year old

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<v Speaker 1>and I built a Lego gingerbread house together. And this

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<v Speaker 1>was quite an undertaking. We had a little help from others,

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<v Speaker 1>but mostly it was the two of us working through

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred some steps and one thousands some pieces. I

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<v Speaker 1>can't say it was something I would have done on

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<v Speaker 1>my own, but he likes his legos and this gave

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<v Speaker 1>us an opportunity to spend quite a bit of time

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<v Speaker 1>working toward a common goal. Other members of my family

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<v Speaker 1>have been doing similar things. My twelve year old and

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<v Speaker 1>eight year old, for instance, have been reading through the

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<v Speaker 1>Harry Potter series together. My twelve year old read all

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<v Speaker 1>the books on his own years ago and really enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>him This project gave him a chance to share his

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<v Speaker 1>excitement with someone else well, having an excuse to reread

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<v Speaker 1>these stories. Or there's one of my favorite projects. My

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<v Speaker 1>other podcast, My Friends Sarah hart Unger and I had

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<v Speaker 1>been reading each other's blogs for years. Then we decided

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<v Speaker 1>to start a podcast together called Best of Both Worlds,

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<v Speaker 1>where we share our experiences and advice on working and

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<v Speaker 1>raising families. I've gotten together with Sarah and chatted on

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<v Speaker 1>the phone with her a few times before we started

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast, but we definitely spend a lot more time

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<v Speaker 1>together now, with our listeners expecting us to record a

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<v Speaker 1>conversation for publication every Tuesday. This is the genius of

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<v Speaker 1>a project. We all have people we say that we'd

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<v Speaker 1>like to spend more quality time with, and sometimes these

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<v Speaker 1>are people we already see a lot, like our immediate

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<v Speaker 1>family members, but the time is more focused on logistics

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<v Speaker 1>and homework nagging than anything else. Or sometimes the people

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<v Speaker 1>are friends or extended family members that we don't have

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<v Speaker 1>regular occasions to interact with. In either case, a project

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<v Speaker 1>provides structure as something with an end goal of its own,

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<v Speaker 1>It nudges relationship time higher up the priority list, and

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<v Speaker 1>that makes relationship time more likely to happen. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>you don't actually have to start a podcast together to

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<v Speaker 1>do a project. It's just a matter of thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>something you and your friend or family member like to do,

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<v Speaker 1>and then seeing if there's a way you can take

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<v Speaker 1>it up a notch. How could you create a goal

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<v Speaker 1>or structure that would naturally increase the time you spend together.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you and your partner decide to train for a

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<v Speaker 1>half marathon together. You and a colleague you really like

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<v Speaker 1>decide to start a mentoring program in your company. Now

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<v Speaker 1>you have an excuse to have me meetings with a

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<v Speaker 1>colleague you really want to see. You and your teenage

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<v Speaker 1>child decide to do a one thousand piece puzzle. Aim

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<v Speaker 1>for something that will require regular interaction and take place

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<v Speaker 1>over a longer period of time. But when you do this,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll find that your relationship will grow stronger just through repeated,

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<v Speaker 1>purposeful interaction. So think today about who you might like

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<v Speaker 1>to spend more time with and how you could start

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<v Speaker 1>a project that would get you both excited. Make some

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<v Speaker 1>time to talk with the person about it, and soon

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<v Speaker 1>you'll see just how much fun it can be. 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 the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast. At i heeart media

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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 I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit

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<v Speaker 1>the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.