WEBVTT - Build a gratitude practice

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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 how practically to build a gratitude

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<v Speaker 1>practice well. It's easy to get distracted by what's hard

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<v Speaker 1>or frustrating. Things tend to go better and we tend

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<v Speaker 1>to be happier when we focus on what's going well.

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<v Speaker 1>In his book Flourish, psychologist Martin Seligman, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>founders of the field of positive psychology, proposes a daily

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<v Speaker 1>routine he calls what went Well or the Three Blessings.

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<v Speaker 1>Every day, he advises write down three things big or small,

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<v Speaker 1>that went well. Some examples might be things like my

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<v Speaker 1>top choice candidate accepted our job offer, I had a

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<v Speaker 1>great lunch with a new colleague, and my spouse offered

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<v Speaker 1>to handle the grocery shopping for the cook out we're

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<v Speaker 1>having with neighbors this weekend. The second part of the exercise,

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<v Speaker 1>which Seligman says is essential, is to articulate why each

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<v Speaker 1>of these things went well. So, for example, you might

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<v Speaker 1>note that the top choice candidate accepted the job offer

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<v Speaker 1>because she valued the mentoring your firm offers. As for

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<v Speaker 1>that great lunch. It happened because you appreciated spending time

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<v Speaker 1>with colleagues when you were new, so you make sure

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<v Speaker 1>to invite new hires to things, and your spouse offered

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<v Speaker 1>to handle the grocery shopping because he values your time

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<v Speaker 1>well and because he loves a reason to go to costco.

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<v Speaker 1>Writing down what went well helps us focus on all

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<v Speaker 1>the things that we have to be grateful for, and

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<v Speaker 1>talking about why these things went well helps us acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>the positive role others play and making things go well

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<v Speaker 1>in our life, like the spouse who values and equal partnership,

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<v Speaker 1>or the colleagues who welcomed you when you were new.

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<v Speaker 1>We pause and appreciate these people rather than taking them

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<v Speaker 1>for granted. Writing down why things went well also helps

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<v Speaker 1>us notice what we ourselves do to make things turn

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<v Speaker 1>out well, like paying attention to what a job applicant

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<v Speaker 1>wants and highlighting how our firm offers it. What we

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<v Speaker 1>do in our lives matters, and connecting our past actions

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<v Speaker 1>to positive outcomes builds our sense of agency and our

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<v Speaker 1>motivation to make smart choices in the future. Now, obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>it makes the most sense to write down what went

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<v Speaker 1>well as an end of day ritual. The whether that's

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<v Speaker 1>the end of the work day or the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the actual day is up to you. You could make

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<v Speaker 1>something like this a daily ritual in your family, with

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<v Speaker 1>everybody logging what went well in a family notebook as

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<v Speaker 1>you're gathering for dinner or to say goodnight. Today is

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<v Speaker 1>Thanksgiving Day in the United States, in which the whole

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<v Speaker 1>day is theoretically focused on giving thanks and that's great,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's noticing the day to day good stuff of

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<v Speaker 1>life that really makes us happier and ultimately more grateful.

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<v Speaker 1>So by all means, count your blessings as you cut

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<v Speaker 1>the turkey, but take a moment to notice what goes

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<v Speaker 1>well tomorrow too, and the next day and the next day,

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<v Speaker 1>and pretty soon you'll be seeing a lot more of

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<v Speaker 1>these positive things. In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcast at I heeart media dot Com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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