WEBVTT - Close the loop

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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 close the loop. If someone suggests

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<v Speaker 1>something and you do it, let them know you did.

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<v Speaker 1>It's an easy way to create connections and make someone

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<v Speaker 1>else feel useful. In life, we have to figure out

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of things that aren't necessarily life changing, but

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<v Speaker 1>are important in their own way. Where to send the

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<v Speaker 1>kids to summer camp, Tasty dessert options for people who

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<v Speaker 1>can't eat dairy products, where to find a good pair

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<v Speaker 1>of black pants. If you are wise, you no doubt

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<v Speaker 1>ask friends and acquaintances for ideas, and they are no

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<v Speaker 1>doubt eager to help. And perhaps you try some of

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<v Speaker 1>these suggestions out. If you do take the next step,

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<v Speaker 1>tell whoever made the recommendation that you tried it. Close

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<v Speaker 1>the loop. Even if you wound up going in a

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<v Speaker 1>different direction, letting the other person know that you tried

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<v Speaker 1>their idea can make them feel quite useful. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>the recommendation on the theory black pants. I wound up

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<v Speaker 1>trying them on and a few others, and I bought

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<v Speaker 1>some from M. M le Fleur, but I thought they

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<v Speaker 1>were all great, your suggestion was really helpful. Who wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>want feedback like that? Now, I will admit that there

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<v Speaker 1>is a personal reason I am bringing this topic up today.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode is first airing on March eighteen, twenty two,

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<v Speaker 1>and the first episodes of Before Breakfast ran on March eighteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>twenty nineteen, three years ago today. Since then, I have

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<v Speaker 1>produced over seven hundred fifty of these little bite sized

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<v Speaker 1>episode It's and I love hearing from people, So I

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<v Speaker 1>am curious if you have tried one of the Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast suggestions? Would you let me know how it went.

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<v Speaker 1>You can tell me if it was helpful and what

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<v Speaker 1>came from trying it. And if you tried something and

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<v Speaker 1>it didn't work for you, you can let me know

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<v Speaker 1>that too. I am always looking to figure out what

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<v Speaker 1>is helpful for people and what might be trickier to

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<v Speaker 1>implement or is just less helpful than I thought it

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<v Speaker 1>might be. You can always email me at Laura at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura Vanderkam dot com. I love to hear from people

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<v Speaker 1>about the Before Breakfast suggestions, and in that spirit, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to list just a few suggestions that I have

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<v Speaker 1>found helpful that I've featured on this show in the past.

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<v Speaker 1>Just little ones here, but one very practical one is

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<v Speaker 1>Erika Dewan's idea from her book Digital Body Language that

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<v Speaker 1>using one exclamation point is enough. We now know that

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<v Speaker 1>emails are perceived more negatively than the human voice, so

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<v Speaker 1>putting in some exclamation points is okay to show emphasis

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<v Speaker 1>or excitement, but one is enough. More than that can

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<v Speaker 1>come across as a wee bit much. I think that

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<v Speaker 1>is a great rule, and it is definitely running through

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<v Speaker 1>my mind before I hit send. Likewise, I love Dorri

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<v Speaker 1>Clark's rule from her book Playing the Long Game of

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<v Speaker 1>no Asks for a year. Don't ask for a favor

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<v Speaker 1>requiring someone to use their social or career capital for

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<v Speaker 1>at least a year after meeting them and building a

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<v Speaker 1>genuine relationship. Not only do you feel less transactional, you

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<v Speaker 1>build better relationships. Sounds like a win to me, and

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<v Speaker 1>I keep remembering Shasta Nelson's admonition that relationships are based

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<v Speaker 1>on frequency, vulnerability, and positi ativity. Of those frequency tends

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<v Speaker 1>to be the foundational piece. You feel closer to people

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<v Speaker 1>you see a lot, and you can add the other

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<v Speaker 1>pieces after that. So come up with ways to see

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<v Speaker 1>people more often. Any regular get together with friends is

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<v Speaker 1>almost always a good idea. There are a great many

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<v Speaker 1>more tips like that if you scroll back through the

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<v Speaker 1>podcast feed. One of the wonderful things about doing this

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<v Speaker 1>show is that I get to learn all sorts of

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<v Speaker 1>strategies and try them out myself. Life is such a

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<v Speaker 1>gift already, and one of the best ways I know

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<v Speaker 1>to express that is to keep finding ways to enjoy

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<v Speaker 1>it more and to stop overthinking things that aren't worth overthinking.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me know what worked for you or didn't

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<v Speaker 1>work for you again. You can reach me at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening these past three years, and here's to

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

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<v Speaker 1>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, Facebook,

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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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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I 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 list into your favorite shows. H