WEBVTT - You don't have to finish

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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 if you're doing something for fun

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<v Speaker 1>and it turns out not to be fun, you can stop.

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<v Speaker 1>Just because you started doesn't mean you have to finish.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that Before Breakfast listeners are diligent and persistent people.

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<v Speaker 1>So my guess is that many folks listening to this

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<v Speaker 1>have started watching a movie and then realized five minutes

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<v Speaker 1>in that it was going to be a dud. Yet

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<v Speaker 1>you stayed until the end. You have finished books that

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<v Speaker 1>you didn't enjoy. You have eaten a whole order of

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<v Speaker 1>French fries, which from the first bite was irredeemably cold

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<v Speaker 1>and soggy. You have dutifully shown up at a book

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<v Speaker 1>club every month, even though you dreaded it. What's funny

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<v Speaker 1>about this is that people go to movies, read books,

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<v Speaker 1>eat French fries, and make social plans because these things

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<v Speaker 1>are supposed to be enjoyable. It's not like your soul

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<v Speaker 1>was going to be elevated by that action movie, or

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<v Speaker 1>that the French fries were going to have any nutritional value.

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<v Speaker 1>They are supposed to be fun, full stop. So why

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<v Speaker 1>do we continue doing things that we are supposed to

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy if they are not enjoyable. I've thought about this

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<v Speaker 1>a lot, and I suppose sometimes we go on autopilot.

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<v Speaker 1>We stick with what we started because we aren't really

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<v Speaker 1>noticing that we're not getting anything out of it. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>other times we are hoping against hope that it will

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<v Speaker 1>get better eventually, that next French fry will be hot,

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<v Speaker 1>or the next book club get together will be fun.

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<v Speaker 1>And then sometimes we may feel guilty or embarrassed or

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<v Speaker 1>silly that we've sunk time and money into something like

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<v Speaker 1>maybe that Flamenco dancing class that we thought we'd like

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<v Speaker 1>but we actually hate. But you know what, even if

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<v Speaker 1>you have bought the shoes and paid for the lessons,

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<v Speaker 1>you can still stop. Sunk Costs are sunk. If you

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<v Speaker 1>are not enjoying what you are doing for enjoyment, you

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<v Speaker 1>can walk away. Don't spend any more time in a

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<v Speaker 1>way that you aren't enjoying. As is so often true,

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<v Speaker 1>it is helpful to get clear on your purpose. Because,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, there are plenty of things in life that

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<v Speaker 1>we are obligated to persist in. You probably have to

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<v Speaker 1>persist in your job until you can find a new one.

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<v Speaker 1>You have to persist in a volunteer leadership role until

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<v Speaker 1>you can find a replacement. You have to persist in

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<v Speaker 1>parenting until your kids are grown, even if the little

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<v Speaker 1>angels can turn into little monsters with some regularity. There

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<v Speaker 1>are also things we choose to do for reasons beyond enjoyment.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you don't like to exercise, you may do

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<v Speaker 1>it anyway to keep your heart healthy. Driving a long

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<v Speaker 1>way to visit an elderly relative may not be fun,

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<v Speaker 1>but you love your relative and you value family, so

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<v Speaker 1>you do it. Perhaps you even hate chopping, but you

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<v Speaker 1>do have to get closed somehow. There are things we

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<v Speaker 1>do out of obligation and things we do for higher purposes.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you are doing something for enjoyment and you

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<v Speaker 1>are not enjoying it, then something is off. So remind

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<v Speaker 1>yourself that it is okay not to finish. You can

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<v Speaker 1>throw away the cold fries, you can quit the tedious

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<v Speaker 1>book club. You can shut the bad book or walk

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<v Speaker 1>away from the boring movie. When you are clear on

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<v Speaker 1>your purpose, you will be able to decide what to

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<v Speaker 1>stick with and what to let go of. Is there

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<v Speaker 1>anything that you think you'd be better off quitting. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear about it. You can let me know

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura at Laura Vanderkam 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>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Acebook

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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 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. Should I look forward

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.