Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 2: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 2: tip is about how to be optimistic about next year,
Speaker 2: the method get to work, and the good things you
Speaker 2: want to see happen. So you may have seen a
Speaker 2: cartoon running around social media.
Speaker 1: Two dogs are chatting. One dog asks the other why
Speaker 1: he is optimistic about the new year and what he
Speaker 1: thinks it will bring. I think it will bring flowers,
Speaker 1: the dog replies. Why. The other wants to know, because
Speaker 1: I am planting flowers, he says, And indeed the cartoon
Speaker 1: shows him working in the dirt with a watering can
Speaker 1: and a little box of seeds beside him. So there
Speaker 1: is wisdom in this cartoon. Seeds we plant usually grow
Speaker 1: and bloom. Not all of the time, of course, but
Speaker 1: most of the time. So if you want flowers, plant seeds.
Speaker 1: This is true literally, if you would like some tulips
Speaker 1: in April midfall is a good time to plant those bulbs.
Speaker 1: It is also true metaphorically. What are your hopes for
Speaker 1: next year? A new job, a more functional home, a
Speaker 1: stronger body, closer connections with friends. I am sure you
Speaker 1: can come up with all sorts of seeds or bulbs
Speaker 1: that would lead to these outcomes. If you would like
Speaker 1: a new job, you can start strengthening your network and
Speaker 1: figuring out which organizations you might like to work for,
Speaker 1: and brushing up on any skills you think will be helpful.
Speaker 1: If you want your home to be more attractive and functional,
Speaker 1: you might identify the major problem areas. Then you can
Speaker 1: look at places like Pinterest or Instagram or magazines for
Speaker 1: inspiration or talk to a designer or organizer. You can
Speaker 1: tackle one area and once you spiff up that space,
Speaker 1: you might have the momentum to work through a timeline
Speaker 1: for other areas too. If you want a stronger body,
Speaker 1: consider scheduling a couple of sessions with a trainer to
Speaker 1: learn some basics and get the weights or bands to
Speaker 1: do those exercises at home, or maybe you find an
Speaker 1: app or online video source for strength training guidance. Once
Speaker 1: you've learned some exercises, decide on a weekly routine and
Speaker 1: plant the seeds for a stronger you. Not every seed
Speaker 1: you plant will sprout, it happens. You might put a
Speaker 1: lot of effort into building a local friendship and then
Speaker 1: that person needs to move for family reasons. But the
Speaker 1: surest way to be optimistic about what is ahead is
Speaker 1: to plant seeds of what you hope will grow and
Speaker 1: then nourish them. So as you consider what you want
Speaker 1: in the new year, don't just hope. It's time to
Speaker 1: start digging in the dirt. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.