WEBVTT - Connect, connect, connect

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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 people are a good use of time.

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<v Speaker 1>On this Valentine's Day, we think of romantic love, but

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<v Speaker 1>there are lots of forms of love, and all these

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<v Speaker 1>forms of love benefit from frequency in expressing them. So

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<v Speaker 1>for those you are closest to, aim to create three

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<v Speaker 1>moments of genuine connection each week. You will make your

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<v Speaker 1>loved ones feel good and you will probably be happier too.

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<v Speaker 1>Long time listeners know that one of my favorite time

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<v Speaker 1>management rules is that three times a week is a habit.

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<v Speaker 1>Anything we do three times a week is a regular

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<v Speaker 1>part of our lives. This can be a helpful mindset

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<v Speaker 1>in situations where it might be difficult or impossible to

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<v Speaker 1>do something daily. If you travel frequently for work, you

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<v Speaker 1>might not be able to read to your kids every night,

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<v Speaker 1>but you probably can read to them three times per week.

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<v Speaker 1>So rather than lament that you often aren't there on

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<v Speaker 1>Tuesday night, you can make the most of the nights

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<v Speaker 1>you are there and relish your identity as a dedicated

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<v Speaker 1>bedtime literary guide. I find this is also a helpful

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<v Speaker 1>mindset for connecting with friends and family members who you

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<v Speaker 1>might not spend huge amounts of time with every single day.

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<v Speaker 1>With my kids, for instance, I spend a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time with a toddler by virtue of him being little

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<v Speaker 1>and needing constant care. The four older kids, on the

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<v Speaker 1>other hand, are in school all day and they have activities,

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<v Speaker 1>and when they are home, they can often disappear into

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<v Speaker 1>their rooms seemingly for days, emerging only when required to

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<v Speaker 1>or to eat. So as I think about my time

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<v Speaker 1>and think about my weeks, I try to engineer at

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<v Speaker 1>least a handful of moments where connection might be possible.

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<v Speaker 1>Often this involves driving a kid somewhere. They don't always

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<v Speaker 1>want to talk in the car, but sometimes they do.

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<v Speaker 1>I like Legos for their own sake, but I definitely

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy the fact that I can do complicated sets with

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<v Speaker 1>my older kids. I find the pieces for each step,

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<v Speaker 1>they put the pieces together. I think about this with

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<v Speaker 1>my husband as well. Even on weeks when we don't

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<v Speaker 1>have a date night, we might be able to eat

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<v Speaker 1>lunch together three times while we are both working from home.

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<v Speaker 1>During the busy years when people are building careers and

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<v Speaker 1>raising families, getting together with friends can be really challenging.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you broaden your actions to connecting in some

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<v Speaker 1>form or another, perhaps you can aim for three moments

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<v Speaker 1>of connection during the week with at least your closest friends.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you get together once and have one call and

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<v Speaker 1>one text conversation, or maybe it's three texts if it

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<v Speaker 1>is that sort of week, but at least it is frequent.

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<v Speaker 1>So as you think about how you spend your time,

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<v Speaker 1>think about the people you feel closest to. Would it

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<v Speaker 1>be possible to connect in some way three times per week.

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<v Speaker 1>The forms of connection might be front for different people,

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<v Speaker 1>but with three as your target, you will generally be

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<v Speaker 1>aiming for a little more than might naturally happen with

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<v Speaker 1>folks who are harder to connect with, but it will

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<v Speaker 1>still feel doable. And when things feel doable, we do them.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I realized for some folks listening to this, it

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<v Speaker 1>might sound a little funny to put numbers on connecting

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<v Speaker 1>with people, or to set targets at all. In this area.

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<v Speaker 1>We should just do what feels authentic. We should seize

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<v Speaker 1>the moment, and that's a great idea. I certainly take

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<v Speaker 1>opportunities to connect when they arise, but in our distracted world,

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<v Speaker 1>it is easy to do other things. Love is shown

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<v Speaker 1>in ours. Relationships are built on frequency. There are many

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<v Speaker 1>things in life outside our control, but some things are

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<v Speaker 1>in our control. We can't control how people will respond,

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<v Speaker 1>but we can control our actions. Thinking through and planning

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<v Speaker 1>connection helps to make it happen. 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 the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at i heeart media

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows. Yea