Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to know what you're into. Reminding yourself what
Speaker 1: you find intrinsically enjoyable is the key to spending leisure
Speaker 1: time better. So every kid I have met could reel
Speaker 1: off dozens of things that they are into, playing Minecraft,
Speaker 1: earning Girl Scout badges, doing gymnastics, playing with Golden Retrievers,
Speaker 1: listening to Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter, and so forth.
Speaker 1: But somehow, as we take on adult responsibilities, it can
Speaker 1: be easy to lose sight of what we are into
Speaker 1: and focus only on what we are committed to. Now,
Speaker 1: don't get me wrong, focusing on our commitments is good,
Speaker 1: but that doesn't have to mean giving up on our interests.
Speaker 1: My Best of Both World's co host Sarah hart Unger
Speaker 1: recently wrote about what she was into on her blog
Speaker 1: The shoebox dot Com, after being inspired by Jody Wellman
Speaker 1: on her blog four thousand Mondays. I love these posts
Speaker 1: where the authors listed various things that they truly enjoy.
Speaker 1: Following their leads, I would challenge you to try to
Speaker 1: list ten activities you are into, not ten things you
Speaker 1: spend your time doing or have to do. Ten activities
Speaker 1: you are truly into, as in you would look forward
Speaker 1: to them and genuinely enjoy them while doing them. It
Speaker 1: doesn't matter if you are currently doing any of these
Speaker 1: activities in your life or not. The first step is
Speaker 1: to know what you're into, because once you know what
Speaker 1: you're into, finding time for the activities will come more naturally.
Speaker 1: Are there hobbies you enjoy, perhaps something athletic, artistic, or musical.
Speaker 1: Are there authors you love to read, or musical groups
Speaker 1: you like to listen to, or sports teams that you
Speaker 1: like to watch. Do you love dining out? And is
Speaker 1: there a restaurant that delights you every time you're there,
Speaker 1: or perhaps a coffee shop or a particular drink that
Speaker 1: feels like a total treat. Is there a niece or
Speaker 1: nephew or godchild who brings you joy whenever you spend
Speaker 1: time together, or maybe you are devoted to a community
Speaker 1: cause or to a learning goal like learning Spanish fluently.
Speaker 1: If you are having trouble listing activities you are into,
Speaker 1: try brainstorming with a friend. You could take turns, come
Speaker 1: up with ideas and you'll each have your thinking inspired
Speaker 1: by the other person. It can also be helpful to
Speaker 1: think about what you were into when you were a kid.
Speaker 1: Our childhood passions can often point us toward pursuits we
Speaker 1: would enjoy an adulthood as well. When you know what
Speaker 1: you are into, you may find that you are ready
Speaker 1: to make the most of any unexpected free time. An
Speaker 1: hour at night after the kids go to bed would
Speaker 1: be perfect for needle point reading, a book of poetry
Speaker 1: you just bought, or yoga if you have ready ideas
Speaker 1: for spending the time. But if you have forgotten that
Speaker 1: you are into poetry, well that poetry book won't magically appear.
Speaker 1: I will also add that knowing what you're into can
Speaker 1: help with conversations in small talk in general. When people
Speaker 1: ask what you're up to these days, you will be
Speaker 1: able to talk about that new needle point project you
Speaker 1: are working on. If what you are into is well
Speaker 1: known among your friends and relations. For instance, if you
Speaker 1: love to travel, people will routinely ask if you've got
Speaker 1: any cool trips coming up. Makes it easier for them
Speaker 1: to make conversation. If you're into painting, your friends will
Speaker 1: ask about your art and so on. But they can't
Speaker 1: know these things if you don't know these things, So
Speaker 1: today list ten things you're into, and tomorrow you'll be
Speaker 1: ready to enjoy your leisure time more. If you come
Speaker 1: up with a list of ten things you are into,
Speaker 1: I would love to see that list. You can send
Speaker 1: it to me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for
Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.