WEBVTT - Choose your Joneses

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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 choose who you are comparing yourself to.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe comparing ourselves to others is unavoidable, but at least

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<v Speaker 1>we can be intentional about the bars we are setting.

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<v Speaker 1>So it is probably inevitable to feel pressure to keep

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<v Speaker 1>up with the Joneses, as the saying goes. But what's

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<v Speaker 1>interesting about this is that the Joneses tend almost universally

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<v Speaker 1>to be people who have a little bit more than us.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe their clothes, they are a little nicer, they take

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<v Speaker 1>swankier vacations, they have more interesting jobs, and their kids

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<v Speaker 1>look a little less disheveled. It's interesting because if you

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<v Speaker 1>are listening to this podcast, the odds are good that

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<v Speaker 1>the proportion of the world's population that has less than

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<v Speaker 1>you is huge. We might be ninety eight out of

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred in terms of resources. Yet rather than looking

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<v Speaker 1>at the ninety seven folks with less, we are looking

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<v Speaker 1>at the one or two with more. It is fascinating

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<v Speaker 1>and says a lot about human nature. But when you

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<v Speaker 1>realize this tendency, then you can choose different Joneses to

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<v Speaker 1>help motivate you toward a better life. For instance, you

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<v Speaker 1>can choose Joneses whose values, habits, and interests you admire.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, you can be inspired to improve in those areas.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you want to have a good relationship with

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<v Speaker 1>your teen and young adult children, look for parents who

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<v Speaker 1>are just a little bit ahead of you on the

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<v Speaker 1>parenting journey and who seem to be doing a good

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<v Speaker 1>job with this. What are they doing, what can you replicate?

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<v Speaker 1>What can you learn from them? If you are a

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<v Speaker 1>spiritual person, maybe you admire someone at your house of

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<v Speaker 1>worship who seems to have a calm and confident faith.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you can arrange to hang out more with this person,

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<v Speaker 1>join a small group with him, volunteer with him. See

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<v Speaker 1>what he does and how he responds to things in

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<v Speaker 1>his habits, and see what you might emulate. Or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you have a friend who has recently made a big

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<v Speaker 1>career change. You have been thinking of one too, but

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<v Speaker 1>it seems out of reach. Start considering this friend your Jones's.

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<v Speaker 1>If she can do it, maybe it's not out of

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<v Speaker 1>the realm of possibility for you either. Spend more time

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<v Speaker 1>with her, ask questions, follow her journey some of her

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<v Speaker 1>courage may rub off on you. When you seek out

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<v Speaker 1>people you admire and want to be more like, and

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<v Speaker 1>people whose values and animating questions connect with yours, the

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<v Speaker 1>inevitable comparisons will nudge you toward becoming the person you

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<v Speaker 1>want to be, rather than turn your focus to things

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<v Speaker 1>you don't really care about. I mean, yes, those people

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<v Speaker 1>on Instagram do have nice outfits, but if we are

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<v Speaker 1>going to feel envy, let's turn that envy towards something constructive.

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<v Speaker 1>Choose the right joneses to keep up with, and that

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<v Speaker 1>just might be possible. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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