Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to use the image of a change
Speaker 1: jar to inspire you to stick with good habits. We'd
Speaker 1: all like to make good choices. The trouble is that
Speaker 1: there's often no immediate benefit. Sure, choosing broccoli over potato
Speaker 1: chips at lunch might have long term health benefits. But
Speaker 1: when you're a grown up, no one is praising you
Speaker 1: for this choice. But you can come up with ways
Speaker 1: to praise yourself or at least picture this individual choice
Speaker 1: as a meaningful part of a larger journey. That's what
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast listener Monica does. She writes that she has
Speaker 1: created a mental image of a change jar. The change jar,
Speaker 1: she says, is the person I want to be. Every
Speaker 1: time I choose a glass of water over a piece
Speaker 1: of candy, or do some inbox maintenance instead of opening Instagram,
Speaker 1: I'm contributing to that change jar. It's a small investment
Speaker 1: into a newer, better, smarter me. She writes that it's
Speaker 1: been a powerful metaphor, and I can see why. Research
Speaker 1: has found that a sense of progress is one of
Speaker 1: the most powerful factors in motivation and engagement. People can
Speaker 1: be working in chaotic organizations, but as long as they
Speaker 1: sense steady forward motion and that they are achieving small,
Speaker 1: regular winds, they can be quite content. So wise managers
Speaker 1: naturally structure work to allow for these small victories. Each
Speaker 1: is celebrated and you build toward the next. A metaphorical
Speaker 1: change jar creates the same sense of progress. You eat
Speaker 1: an apple with breakfast and another coin goes in. You
Speaker 1: walk on your lunch break and you hear the clink
Speaker 1: in the jar. If you'd like to stretch this metaphor
Speaker 1: a little farther, you could actually make literal get a
Speaker 1: jar and put it on your desk or your dresser.
Speaker 1: When you think about little good choices you've made, you
Speaker 1: can put in a coin. As the jar fills up,
Speaker 1: you can see your progress. And of course, if you
Speaker 1: really put change at a jar, you can use it
Speaker 1: for something fun, to reward yourself for all these hundreds
Speaker 1: of good choices. Not a round of drinks or a
Speaker 1: pizza dinner these days, but maybe some new books or puzzles.
Speaker 1: Those sound great. Ultimately, good choices have their own intrinsic rewards.
Speaker 1: But in the meantime, some external ones can help, whether
Speaker 1: metaphorical or literal. It's always good to see progress. Do
Speaker 1: you have a strategy that helps you stay motivated towards
Speaker 1: your goals? You can let me know about it at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the
Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i
Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out
Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.