WEBVTT - Happy hours, happy life

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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 take a good look at how

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<v Speaker 1>you are spending your hours. While overall life satisfaction matters.

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<v Speaker 1>It is hard to feel happy if you are not

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<v Speaker 1>spending at least some hours in enjoyable ways, so it

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<v Speaker 1>is worth getting this right. It is the human condition

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<v Speaker 1>to wonder why we aren't happier. On paper, someone's life

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<v Speaker 1>can look amazing, good job, a functional family, active kids,

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<v Speaker 1>nice house, and yet day to day life can still

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<v Speaker 1>feel like a slog. The alarm goes off too early.

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<v Speaker 1>You spend hours in traffic and work days in dull meetings,

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<v Speaker 1>You shuttle kids around, and then spend the later hours

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<v Speaker 1>tidying up that beautiful house. None of this is particularly enjoyable,

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<v Speaker 1>and so grumpiness ensues. Worse, you probably feel guilty about

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<v Speaker 1>that grumpiness. The only solution to this is to realize

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<v Speaker 1>that life is made up of hours. How we feel

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<v Speaker 1>about life stems from whether we enjoy those hours. That

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't get us out of our responsibilities, but it does

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<v Speaker 1>suggest really thinking about how more minutes could be spent

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<v Speaker 1>in more enjoyable ways. It is okay to start small.

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<v Speaker 1>How about a hobby you genuinely enjoy for a few

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<v Speaker 1>minutes instead of picking up the house at night. Even

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen or twenty minutes of reading or puzzles or crafting

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<v Speaker 1>can introduce a spot of pure fun into the schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>Then you can get more creative. How about calling a

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<v Speaker 1>friend during a kid's activity instead of scrolling through disturbing headlines.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you can go on a little adventure during your

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<v Speaker 1>lunch break. Maybe you can do real work sometimes during

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<v Speaker 1>your work day, you know, the stuff that drew you

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<v Speaker 1>to your job in the first place. Over time, you

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<v Speaker 1>can make bigger changes. We now know that many jobs

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<v Speaker 1>could be done at home. Commuting tends to make people miserable,

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<v Speaker 1>so make sure you skip the commute at least a

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<v Speaker 1>day or two a week if you can, and use

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<v Speaker 1>that time for something that doesn't have you wishing the

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<v Speaker 1>minutes away. Join a group that energizes you, a softball team,

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<v Speaker 1>a book club, a Friday morning breakfast group, and commit

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<v Speaker 1>to going every week. You'll have something to look forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>Make space for things you like. When you find yourself

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<v Speaker 1>wanting the clock to move faster, ask what you could

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<v Speaker 1>do that would make you want to slow time down.

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<v Speaker 1>If your kid loves those eternal swim meets on weekends, great,

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<v Speaker 1>But if no one enjoys it, maybe it's time to

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<v Speaker 1>let it go, or at least go at a long

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<v Speaker 1>hike during the swim meet. It's okay if you only

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<v Speaker 1>see some of the races. Life satisfaction does matter. We

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<v Speaker 1>want the big things in life, the good job, the

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<v Speaker 1>nice house, and so forth, but those things are not

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<v Speaker 1>all that matter. Ours and how we spend them matter

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<v Speaker 1>a lot too. So take a good look at your hours.

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<v Speaker 1>See what you can change, see what you can savor.

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<v Speaker 1>It might be more then you've imagined. In the meantime,

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>hear 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 E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i

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<v Speaker 1>heeart media 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 I heart Radio. For more podcasts from i heart Radio,

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

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.