WEBVTT - Leave an encouraging sticky note

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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 about a simple strategy you can use

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<v Speaker 1>to make the people in your life happier. Try leaving

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<v Speaker 1>encouraging sticky notes where they'll find them. I'm taking this

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<v Speaker 1>idea like our recent tip to greet people with a

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<v Speaker 1>smile from Audrey Monkey's book Happy Campers. Monkey is a

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<v Speaker 1>long time camp director, and her book asks the question

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<v Speaker 1>of why most kids love summer camp so much. One

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<v Speaker 1>answer the relentlessly positive atmosphere. And the good news is

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<v Speaker 1>that there are practical ways to recreate this positive atmosphere

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<v Speaker 1>at work and at home. That's why Monkey proposes what

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<v Speaker 1>she calls the sticky notes solution. You write short positive

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<v Speaker 1>messages on sticky notes to give the people you care

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<v Speaker 1>about a mental boost. If you've got kids, for instance,

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<v Speaker 1>they are prime targets for sticky notes. Monkeys say, just

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about something you appreciate about your kid, let them

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<v Speaker 1>know that you notice, she says, by mentioning this quality

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<v Speaker 1>on a sticky note that you put on the bathroom mirror.

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<v Speaker 1>The note can say something like your great sense of humor,

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<v Speaker 1>makes my days happier, or thank you for doing the

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<v Speaker 1>dishes without being asked. I appreciate how you help our

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<v Speaker 1>home run smoothly. As Monkey observes, kids often hear what

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<v Speaker 1>they're doing wrong. This is a simple way to emphasize

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<v Speaker 1>what they're doing right. Your spouse might appreciate what he

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<v Speaker 1>or she is doing right being called attention to as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Leave a sticky note with a thank you message or

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<v Speaker 1>something more romantic on the bathroom mirror or somewhere else

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<v Speaker 1>you know your spouse will see it. The coffee maker,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, he or she is always the one making

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<v Speaker 1>the morning pot, or even on his or her steering wheel.

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<v Speaker 1>Another idea, pick one of your favorite inspirational quotes and

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<v Speaker 1>put it on a sticky note on your own or

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<v Speaker 1>your kid's bathroom mirror or the refrigerator. Monkey writes to gather,

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<v Speaker 1>you can think about a positive thought each time you

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<v Speaker 1>see the sticky note. Switch the inspirations out from time

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<v Speaker 1>to time, and encourage your kids to share their own

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<v Speaker 1>favorite quotes. You can deploy the sticky notes solution with

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<v Speaker 1>care at work as well. If you're managing people, you

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<v Speaker 1>know that you should be generous with your praise and

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<v Speaker 1>schedule time for celebratory feedback, but sometimes it's hard to

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<v Speaker 1>make the time to sit down with people to celebrate

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<v Speaker 1>what's going right. In between such celebratory meetings, you could

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<v Speaker 1>leave the occasional sticky note on a return document or

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<v Speaker 1>printed up note from a happy client, or even on

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<v Speaker 1>the person's desk, mention how pleased you are and call

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<v Speaker 1>out what the person did. Well. Yes, it's easy enough

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<v Speaker 1>to send an email saying the same thing, but we

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<v Speaker 1>get lots of email stuff gets buried. An actual note

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<v Speaker 1>we'll get noticed. I really like this idea. Sticky notes

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<v Speaker 1>are cheap and they're physically small, which means that even

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<v Speaker 1>if you wanted to, you couldn't write a novel on there.

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<v Speaker 1>There's space for just a few words. But fortunately a

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<v Speaker 1>few words is often all it takes to make someone's day.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you have the power to make someone's day,

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<v Speaker 1>well why wouldn't you. 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 E the number four, then

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast p O D. You can also shoot me an

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

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<v Speaker 1>com 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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