WEBVTT - Imagine a change jar

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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 to use the image of a change

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<v Speaker 1>jar to inspire you to stick with good habits. We'd

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<v Speaker 1>all like to make good choices. The trouble is that

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<v Speaker 1>there's often no immediate benefit. Sure, choosing broccoli over potato

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<v Speaker 1>chips at lunch might have long term health benefits. But

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<v Speaker 1>when you're a grown up, no one is praising you

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<v Speaker 1>for this choice. But you can come up with ways

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<v Speaker 1>to praise yourself or at least picture this individual choice

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<v Speaker 1>as a meaningful part of a larger journey. That's what

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast listener Monica does. She writes that she has

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<v Speaker 1>created a mental image of a change jar. The change jar,

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<v Speaker 1>she says, is the person I want to be. Every

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<v Speaker 1>time I choose a glass of water over a piece

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<v Speaker 1>of candy, or do some inbox maintenance instead of opening Instagram,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm contributing to that change jar. It's a small investment

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<v Speaker 1>into a newer, better, smarter me. She writes that it's

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<v Speaker 1>been a powerful metaphor, and I can see why. Research

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<v Speaker 1>has found that a sense of progress is one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most powerful factors in motivation and engagement. People can

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<v Speaker 1>be working in chaotic organizations, but as long as they

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<v Speaker 1>sense steady forward motion and that they are achieving small,

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<v Speaker 1>regular winds, they can be quite content. So wise managers

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<v Speaker 1>naturally structure work to allow for these small victories. Each

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<v Speaker 1>is celebrated and you build toward the next. A metaphorical

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<v Speaker 1>change jar creates the same sense of progress. You eat

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<v Speaker 1>an apple with breakfast and another coin goes in. You

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<v Speaker 1>walk on your lunch break and you hear the clink

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<v Speaker 1>in the jar. If you'd like to stretch this metaphor

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<v Speaker 1>a little farther, you could actually make literal get a

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<v Speaker 1>jar and put it on your desk or your dresser.

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<v Speaker 1>When you think about little good choices you've made, you

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<v Speaker 1>can put in a coin. As the jar fills up,

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<v Speaker 1>you can see your progress. And of course, if you

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<v Speaker 1>really put change at a jar, you can use it

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<v Speaker 1>for something fun, to reward yourself for all these hundreds

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<v Speaker 1>of good choices. Not a round of drinks or a

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<v Speaker 1>pizza dinner these days, but maybe some new books or puzzles.

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<v Speaker 1>Those sound great. Ultimately, good choices have their own intrinsic rewards.

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<v Speaker 1>But in the meantime, some external ones can help, whether

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<v Speaker 1>metaphorical or literal. It's always good to see progress. Do

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<v Speaker 1>you have a strategy that helps you stay motivated towards

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<v Speaker 1>your goals? You can let me know about it at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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

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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 p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i

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<v Speaker 1>heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out

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

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

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