WEBVTT - Do the best job you can today

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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 for those days when nothing is going right,

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<v Speaker 1>you're tempted to give up and just try again tomorrow. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>it is true that tomorrow can look very different, but

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<v Speaker 1>you don't need to throw in the towel. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also decide to take a deep breath and just do

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<v Speaker 1>the best job you can today. We've all had those

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<v Speaker 1>days when, because of circumstances beyond our control, we're not

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<v Speaker 1>at our best. A lot of us are feeling that

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<v Speaker 1>way right now, with anxiety about the coronavirus epidemic and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. But even in normal times, things can go awry.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you're exhausted after being up much of the night

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<v Speaker 1>with the sick child. Maybe you're improvising on a call

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<v Speaker 1>from a random parking lot because a pile up on

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<v Speaker 1>the interstate kept you from getting to your desk and

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<v Speaker 1>you're no on schedule. Or maybe you lost your planning

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<v Speaker 1>period to cover for another teacher who's out and you

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<v Speaker 1>still have to teach your own class without the handouts

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<v Speaker 1>you plan to photocopy. Whatever the situation rather than getting discouraged.

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<v Speaker 1>It's helpful to recognize that the best we can do

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<v Speaker 1>today may not be our best ever, but we still

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<v Speaker 1>need to do the best job we can today. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>there are two insights baked into this tip. The first

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<v Speaker 1>and most obvious one is that when we're faced with

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<v Speaker 1>subpar circumstances, we can recalibrate our expectations. If you're listening

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<v Speaker 1>to this podcast, my guess is that you find it

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<v Speaker 1>challenging to be okay with good enough work. But sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>a B plus will do just fine. Lots of people

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<v Speaker 1>would be happy with a B plus. You can learn

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<v Speaker 1>to be happy too. The second insight in this tip, though,

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<v Speaker 1>is more profound. On rough days, you're best off not

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<v Speaker 1>letting yourself off the hook completely. Now, maybe this is

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<v Speaker 1>not the best call you'll ever have, or the best

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<v Speaker 1>lesson year will ever teach, or the best story you'll

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<v Speaker 1>ever write, but you still need to put in real

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<v Speaker 1>effort and do a good enough job. This is what

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<v Speaker 1>it means to be a professional. The athletes we admire

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<v Speaker 1>most are those committed to helping the team win, even

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<v Speaker 1>on the days they're not setting scoring records. A reporter

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<v Speaker 1>can turn in a decent article, whether he's inspired or not.

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<v Speaker 1>You can be your best self every day, even if

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<v Speaker 1>you acknowledge that sometimes that best self is less wonderful

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<v Speaker 1>than at other times. Distill the job down to the basics,

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<v Speaker 1>but get the basics done. So if you're feeling off

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<v Speaker 1>today and worried about the news, or on any day,

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<v Speaker 1>ask yourself what the best is that you can muster.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's only sending three emails, then send those emails

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<v Speaker 1>and then congratulate yourself on a job well done, because

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<v Speaker 1>three emails is better than nothing. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>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, I look forward to staying

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<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.

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

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows. A