WEBVTT - Put good things on repeat

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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 put good things on repeat. If you

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy something, notice that and figure out how to build

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<v Speaker 1>it into your life frequently. That way, normal everyday time

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<v Speaker 1>can be as enjoyable as possible. So this episode is

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<v Speaker 1>first airing around Groundhog's Day, a somewhat made up holiday

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<v Speaker 1>in the US where we see whether there will be

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<v Speaker 1>six more weeks of winter based on whether a groundhog

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<v Speaker 1>here in Pennsylvania sees his shadow. All very silly, however,

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<v Speaker 1>Groundhog Day was also a famous movie about a not

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<v Speaker 1>so nice gentleman forced to live the same day over

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<v Speaker 1>and over again. The question the movie poses, in its

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<v Speaker 1>own way, is how one should live if you were

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<v Speaker 1>going to live a day on repeat. Longtime listeners know

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<v Speaker 1>that I like this question, which is why I do

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<v Speaker 1>an episode just about every Groundhog's Day. On this topic,

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<v Speaker 1>I love putting.

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<v Speaker 2>Big bucket list type activities like traveling to the Galopagos

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<v Speaker 2>into my schedule. But much of our happiness in life

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<v Speaker 2>is determined by how we are spending the hours on

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<v Speaker 2>a normal day. If we can figure out how to

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<v Speaker 2>upgrade these everyday minutes and hours, then life will be

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<v Speaker 2>more enjoyable. Basically, we want to create normal days that

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<v Speaker 2>we could live over and over again and that would

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<v Speaker 2>continue to make us happy as we did so. So

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<v Speaker 2>today's tip is to figure out what small things create

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<v Speaker 2>bits of joy in your schedule, and then figure out

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<v Speaker 2>how you can make them happen a little more often.

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<v Speaker 2>For instance, and it's on a recent weekend day, I

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<v Speaker 2>invited one of my kids to go to our local

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<v Speaker 2>Panera with me to work. It was a snowy day

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<v Speaker 2>and our local Panera has a nice fireplace. I got

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<v Speaker 2>some work done, my kid got some studying done, and

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<v Speaker 2>we spent time together.

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<v Speaker 1>I enjoyed it. This is something I can probably do

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<v Speaker 1>with some of my older kids more frequently. A friend

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<v Speaker 1>and I have enjoyed hiking together on a local trail,

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<v Speaker 1>so now we aim to do this most weeks. It's

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<v Speaker 1>good to catch up, get some exercise, and spend time outside.

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<v Speaker 1>I have also had some success squeezing bits of pleasure

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<v Speaker 1>and two kid activities. When I take my daughter to tennis,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a lovely little neighborhood nearby that I can walk

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<v Speaker 1>or run around. If I am picking my six year

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<v Speaker 1>old up at choir. I can stock buy the library

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<v Speaker 1>near there and have enough good books to make my

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<v Speaker 1>reading life better. If I turn on the gas fireplace

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<v Speaker 1>in my office, I can make my work hours a

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<v Speaker 1>way little more cozy and pleasant. What little things do

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<v Speaker 1>you enjoy? Think back to the last few days, or

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<v Speaker 1>the last week or two. Was there anything that stood

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<v Speaker 1>out as pleasant? Was there anything that made you smile?

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<v Speaker 1>I think it is also worth experimenting with things, trying

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<v Speaker 1>new stuff out to see what you like. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have never tried that deli that is slightly farther away

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<v Speaker 1>from your office, you might not know that this is

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<v Speaker 1>the perfect place for you and your best work friend

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<v Speaker 1>to start getting lunch every Thursday. But if you try

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<v Speaker 1>something like that and enjoy it, you can start to

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<v Speaker 1>make a habit of it. It can become a part

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<v Speaker 1>of your groundhog day life, or at least your groundhog week.

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<v Speaker 1>How would you structure a week that you would want

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<v Speaker 1>to live over and over again? I don't know, but

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<v Speaker 1>asking the question might make a better life possible. In

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

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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