WEBVTT - Plan for kindness

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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 plan for kindness. Make if then plans

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<v Speaker 1>with the young people in your life for how they'll

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<v Speaker 1>show kindness, and consider planning for kindness in your own

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<v Speaker 1>life as well. Today's tip comes from psychologists Julia Reverd

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<v Speaker 1>and Sonya Leubomirski and Character Lab, a nonprofit with a

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<v Speaker 1>mission of advancing scientific insights that help kids thrive. Among

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<v Speaker 1>Character Labs recommendations for helping the kids in your life

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<v Speaker 1>show kindness is to make if then plans which can

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<v Speaker 1>help them form habits of kindness in situations they are

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<v Speaker 1>likely to encounter again and again. Revard and Leubomirski offer

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<v Speaker 1>the example that you might work with your child to

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<v Speaker 1>plan to hold the door open for a person who's

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<v Speaker 1>right behind them. They explain planning what to do in

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<v Speaker 1>future situations can make the decisions happen more naturally when

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<v Speaker 1>they arise. If your child has thought in advance about

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<v Speaker 1>how they'll hold the door open any time they see

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<v Speaker 1>someone behind them, they don't have to realize in the

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<v Speaker 1>moment that that would be a kind thing to do,

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<v Speaker 1>they already have a plan ready to implement. I love

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<v Speaker 1>that it is so valuable to help kids make concrete

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<v Speaker 1>plans for how they will handle specific situations. Then when

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<v Speaker 1>the situation occurs, they are confident that they know just

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<v Speaker 1>what to do. I bet you could think of all

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<v Speaker 1>sorts of situations where children might plan for kindness, looking

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<v Speaker 1>for kids without a playmate on the playground and asking

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<v Speaker 1>want to play with me, or telling a teacher thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>mister Roberts after a class. And there is a lot

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<v Speaker 1>to be said for planning kindness in our own lives too.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you might think some of this is just intuitive

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<v Speaker 1>for people who are emotionally aware adults. That is why

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<v Speaker 1>you ask people about their weekends at work, even if

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<v Speaker 1>it is not the most pressing topic. Ever, it's about

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<v Speaker 1>being kind and interested in other people's lives, and that's

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<v Speaker 1>all true. But if you are like a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>productive people, you may sometimes overlook opportunities for kindness just

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<v Speaker 1>because you're focused on something else. A concrete, if then

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<v Speaker 1>plan could help you notice extra opportunities for kindness without

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<v Speaker 1>a whole lot of mental overhead. For instance, you might

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<v Speaker 1>plan that if you arrive at a narrow place at

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<v Speaker 1>the same time as another person, then you will smile

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<v Speaker 1>and gesture for them to go first. If you encounter

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<v Speaker 1>a barista at a coffee shop or a cashier at

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<v Speaker 1>a fast casual restaurant, then you will greet them before

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<v Speaker 1>placing your order. If there is a new hire in

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<v Speaker 1>your department at work, then you will invite them out

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<v Speaker 1>for lunch in the first two weeks. When we think

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<v Speaker 1>about concrete ways we or our kids can show kindness

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<v Speaker 1>within specific circumstances. When those circumstances arise, we know exactly

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<v Speaker 1>what we will do that makes it easier to be

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<v Speaker 1>kind in daily life without spending too much time worrying

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<v Speaker 1>about it. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and 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 pod. You

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

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<v Speaker 1>at iHeartMedia dot com That before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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