WEBVTT - Give the gift of time

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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 consider how you can give the

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<v Speaker 1>gift of time. Far more than a gift card. The

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<v Speaker 1>gift of time can help nurture relationships and build community.

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<v Speaker 1>I decided to do an episode on this topic after

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<v Speaker 1>hearing from a Before Breakfast listener who had thoughts on

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<v Speaker 1>an earlier episode we did on having too much time.

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<v Speaker 1>The listener noted that people whose schedules open up because

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<v Speaker 1>they're between jobs or retired, or his children have grown

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<v Speaker 1>are often advised to volunteer. That's a great idea, but

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<v Speaker 1>the listener reminded me that volunteer opportunities don't have to

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<v Speaker 1>be formal. For instance, she decided to take on some

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<v Speaker 1>kid driving duties for a busy family. She knew the

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<v Speaker 1>kids got to spend special time, I'm with someone who

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<v Speaker 1>is like an aunt to them, and the parents got

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<v Speaker 1>a break. Time can be an incredible gift in many ways.

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<v Speaker 1>It's more valuable than money or things, because while you

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<v Speaker 1>can make more money, you cannot make more time. The

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<v Speaker 1>richest person on the planet still has just twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>hours in a day. Once a second is gone, all

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<v Speaker 1>the money in the world cannot buy it back. I

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<v Speaker 1>know that sounds daunting and maybe like we should hoard

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<v Speaker 1>our time, But as with money, having a mentality of

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<v Speaker 1>abundance can actually make us feel rich. While philanthropists are

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<v Speaker 1>technically giving their money away, they're building the world they

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<v Speaker 1>want to see, which makes them feel wealthier. Not everyone

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<v Speaker 1>has money, but all of us do have time. By

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<v Speaker 1>thinking of yourself as a time philanthropist, you can seek

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<v Speaker 1>out opportunities to invest your time in building the community

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to inhabit. So if you've got time, you

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<v Speaker 1>can give. Come a time detective. Who in your community

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<v Speaker 1>needs help, who's struggling to cope with their responsibilities in

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty four hours we have each day. Maybe a

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<v Speaker 1>single parent in your neighborhood could really use a break.

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<v Speaker 1>She might not ask, but you can offer. Maybe someone

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<v Speaker 1>with a new baby would welcome the opportunity to hand

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<v Speaker 1>over the other children for a few hours. Maybe a

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<v Speaker 1>family with two working parents facing the stress of making

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<v Speaker 1>a daycare pickup with the vagaries of traffic would love

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<v Speaker 1>to have you on call for those days when the

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<v Speaker 1>inner state is backed up For miles. Maybe a neighbor

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<v Speaker 1>who works an hour away would welcome your offer to

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<v Speaker 1>check on an aging parent if there's ever an issue

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<v Speaker 1>like that parent isn't picking up the phone. You could

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<v Speaker 1>offer to drive someone whose car is broken down to

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<v Speaker 1>the grocery store. There are plenty of needs when you look,

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<v Speaker 1>but you can also think about giving the gift of

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<v Speaker 1>time in general, perhaps as a substitute for more traditional gifts.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of giving a RelA of a sweater, take her

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<v Speaker 1>as your guest to the art museum for the afternoon.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of giving a friend a plant for her birthday,

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<v Speaker 1>offered to do a few additional carpool runs. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>pressed for time, this won't work. None of us can

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<v Speaker 1>give more than we actually have. But if you're in

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<v Speaker 1>a stage of life where there is more time, all

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<v Speaker 1>of these ideas will nurture your relationships and build your community.

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<v Speaker 1>And here's the even better part of gifts like these.

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<v Speaker 1>If you come into a time squeeze yourself, people will

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<v Speaker 1>remember and they'll pay it back. In that sense, the

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<v Speaker 1>gift of time isn't really a gift. It's more like

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<v Speaker 1>banking time for the future. In the meantime. This is

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<v Speaker 1>Laura thanks for listening, and here's to making the most

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<v Speaker 1>of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com

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<v Speaker 1>that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

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