WEBVTT - Plans create possibilities

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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 that plans create possibilities when we spend

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<v Speaker 1>some time thinking about what we'd like to do, and

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<v Speaker 1>when we open up more options than if we see

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<v Speaker 1>what we feel like in the moment. I was thinking

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<v Speaker 1>about this episode on a recent weekend when we had

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of kid activities on the calendar. That's not

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<v Speaker 1>unusual for a family with five kids, but the fall

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<v Speaker 1>leaves were also at their peak. We wanted to go

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<v Speaker 1>explore and hike in the mountains a little more than

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<v Speaker 1>an hour away, so I spent some time studying the

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<v Speaker 1>weekend landscape. Saturday was going to be challenging, but if

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<v Speaker 1>we decided not to do one optional thing on Sunday,

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<v Speaker 1>then the first activity was going to be at two pm.

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<v Speaker 1>If we made sure to get up on time, we

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<v Speaker 1>could be in the car at eight thirty am, drive

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<v Speaker 1>to the Poconos, hike for the two hours our kids

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<v Speaker 1>are willing to tolerate, and then get back to the

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<v Speaker 1>house before the appointed time, and so we did. We

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<v Speaker 1>had a family waffle breakfast and then loaded everyone up

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<v Speaker 1>the fall color was so beautiful, and I was so

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<v Speaker 1>happy to have seen the mountains and the trees and

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<v Speaker 1>walked in the cool mountain air. I also realized that

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<v Speaker 1>there was absolutely no way we could have gotten up

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<v Speaker 1>on Sunday morning and just decided to do that walk.

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<v Speaker 1>We likely would have missed the window by waking up

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<v Speaker 1>thirty minutes later, and it would have been hard to

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<v Speaker 1>make a decision. In other words, our plans created a

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<v Speaker 1>possibility that wouldn't have been there otherwise. I find this

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<v Speaker 1>a little ironic, as often when people resist making plans,

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<v Speaker 1>it's because they want to leave possibilities open. When we

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<v Speaker 1>commit to things, at least in theory, we are saying

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<v Speaker 1>we won't do other things. But the issue is that

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<v Speaker 1>by failing to plan, we cut ourselves off from options.

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<v Speaker 1>There are so many things in life that absolutely won't

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<v Speaker 1>happen if you don't plan them. This becomes more true

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<v Speaker 1>as life features more moving parts. People lament that with

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<v Speaker 1>kid activities, or work commitments and all sorts of other things,

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<v Speaker 1>it is impossible to find time for fun. But that's

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<v Speaker 1>not true. There is space for fun, but you do

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<v Speaker 1>have to think about what sort of fun you'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to have. You have to think about when you might

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<v Speaker 1>do these fun things. You have to think through the

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<v Speaker 1>logistics when you do those things, though, then all sorts

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<v Speaker 1>of possibilities open up. All family members can do the

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<v Speaker 1>things they want to on the weekends. You can do

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<v Speaker 1>the things you have to do and the things you

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<v Speaker 1>want to do. You can find space for hobbies and

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<v Speaker 1>family adventures even in the middle of a full life.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you've got things you've been thinking that you'd

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<v Speaker 1>like to do, don't wait to see what you feel

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<v Speaker 1>like in the moment, don't wait to see what fits,

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<v Speaker 1>and definitely don't wait until Saturday morning to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>what you'll do Saturday. By the time you make a decision,

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<v Speaker 1>you might have cut off possibilities that might have involved

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<v Speaker 1>getting going when you got up instead of figuring everything out.

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<v Speaker 1>Plans create possibilities, they don't cut them off. I love

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<v Speaker 1>serendipity as much as the next person, but I have

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<v Speaker 1>also noticed something I encounter more wonderful serendipitous things when

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<v Speaker 1>I in situations like hiking in the mountains that I

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<v Speaker 1>am sitting at home doing nothing. In other words, plans

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<v Speaker 1>lead to serendipity as well. That isn't a paradox. 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 moose of our time. Hey everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B 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 iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit

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