WEBVTT - Kindness cascades

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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 that kindness cascades. When you are kind to someone,

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<v Speaker 1>it's highly likely that that person will be just a

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<v Speaker 1>little kinder to others too. Those folks might then show

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<v Speaker 1>more kindness to the other people in their lives. The

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<v Speaker 1>kindness keeps rippling down, which is much better than this

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<v Speaker 1>working in the opposite direction. So, if you've ever been

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<v Speaker 1>driving through roadwork that necessitated one lane merging into another,

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<v Speaker 1>you may have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Now, ideally this

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<v Speaker 1>would be a zipper merge sort of situation, but not

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<v Speaker 1>everyone knows to do that. So in the normal run

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<v Speaker 1>of things, where one lane of traffic feels like they

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<v Speaker 1>have possession of the continuing lane, if you let someone

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<v Speaker 1>merge in front of you, that person is more likely

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<v Speaker 1>to let someone else merge in front of them, and

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<v Speaker 1>that means you don't wind up with stopped cars in

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<v Speaker 1>one lane, with people honking and frustrated. Who knows exactly

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<v Speaker 1>why this happens. Maybe when someone lets you merge, you're

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<v Speaker 1>so relieved that you want to let someone else feel

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<v Speaker 1>that relief too. Or maybe you realize you had to

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<v Speaker 1>rely on someone else's kindness to get out of the

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<v Speaker 1>traffic jam, and so you feel less self protective and

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<v Speaker 1>more gracious you are inclined to let others merge too.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe it's just that a new norm is established

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<v Speaker 1>for a moment and everybody accepts for a time that

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<v Speaker 1>this is the community expectation. Whatever the specifics of our

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<v Speaker 1>thought process, one person's kindness can spark a chain reaction

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<v Speaker 1>of kindness from other people too. Kindness cascades. Sometimes the

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<v Speaker 1>cascade of kindness is similar and kind to the first kindness.

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<v Speaker 1>Other times, though one kindness paves the way for something

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<v Speaker 1>of a different flavor. Someone lets you merge in front

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<v Speaker 1>of them, and you arrive at your workplace and notice

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<v Speaker 1>a colleague carrying a heavy load into the building. You

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<v Speaker 1>offer to help out. Then that person sees there's very

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<v Speaker 1>little coffee left and makes a new pot. The generosity

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<v Speaker 1>and community mindedness continue. Or perhaps your partner makes the

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<v Speaker 1>bed even though that's your job, and you decide to

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<v Speaker 1>unload the dishwasher even though that's your partner's job. Or

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you end your team meeting with praise and gratitude

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<v Speaker 1>for all your team has accomplished in the past week.

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<v Speaker 1>They leave feeling good, and they go back to their

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<v Speaker 1>desks much more inclined to be appreciative of the people

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<v Speaker 1>they interact with. When you do something kind, you may

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<v Speaker 1>be benefiting not only the direct beneficiary of your kindness,

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<v Speaker 1>but also the next few people that person interacts with.

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<v Speaker 1>You may not see all the wonderful ripples flowing out

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<v Speaker 1>from your act of kindness, but it feels good to

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<v Speaker 1>imagine what you might have set in motion. It's kind

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<v Speaker 1>to let others imagine that too, So when you are

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<v Speaker 1>a recipient of a kindness, see what you can do

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<v Speaker 1>to pass it on. It really doesn't take much. We

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<v Speaker 1>all want to live in a kind world, and one

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<v Speaker 1>little act of kindness may set in motion myriad kindnesses.

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<v Speaker 1>That is a much better scenario than all of us

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<v Speaker 1>getting increasingly miffed at each other. 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 E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com

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<v Speaker 1>that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

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

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