WEBVTT - Play the tape to the end

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to play the tape to the end. Responding

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<v Speaker 1>out of frustration or doing what feels good in the

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<v Speaker 1>moment may have downstream consequences, and it's good to at

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<v Speaker 1>least think of what those might be. Today's tip comes

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<v Speaker 1>from actor Don Cheadle. In an interview, he was asked

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<v Speaker 1>how he'd avoided scandal in his long acting career. His response,

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<v Speaker 1>play the tape to the end. In other words, he

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't do foolish things impulsively because he plays out what

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<v Speaker 1>would unfold as a result of those actions, and then

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<v Speaker 1>he realizes they are probably a bad idea and doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>do them. Behaviors that seem satisfying in the moment can

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<v Speaker 1>ultimately lead to negative outcomes. This is no surprise. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you're considering exaggerating on your resume a little bit.

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<v Speaker 1>You might be tempted to betray a friend's confidence because

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<v Speaker 1>the story is just so good. Play the tape to

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<v Speaker 1>the end. How is it likely to go? There may

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<v Speaker 1>be consequences to parts of your life that you care about,

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<v Speaker 1>so you want to think about those consequences and not

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<v Speaker 1>just the immediate situation. Even in more mundane situations when

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<v Speaker 1>emotions are high, it's wise to consider the downstream effects

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<v Speaker 1>of the actions you could take. If you send a

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<v Speaker 1>passive aggressive email to a colleague, it might feel good,

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<v Speaker 1>but what's likely to happen next and after that? What

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<v Speaker 1>if your daughter is late getting out the door for

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<v Speaker 1>swimming lessons yet again, and in your irritation, you tell

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<v Speaker 1>her she's just done for the season. Will you feel

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<v Speaker 1>later about the money you paid and the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>she's still not learning to swim, and about having lost

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<v Speaker 1>the one form of exercise she's even mildly interested in.

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<v Speaker 1>When you play the tape to the end, you may

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<v Speaker 1>realize that a behavior that would feel satisfying in the

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<v Speaker 1>moment is likely to lead to an outcome that you'd

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<v Speaker 1>rather avoid. So you can make a choice that will

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<v Speaker 1>leave you happier in the long run, even if it

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<v Speaker 1>requires you to bite your tongue. You can also offer

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<v Speaker 1>this strategy to others. The question isn't whether a particular

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<v Speaker 1>response is warranted or if an activity is fun, it's

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<v Speaker 1>what will result from it, which may not be what

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<v Speaker 1>you want. For kids, you might ask them to think

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<v Speaker 1>this through. What do you think will happen if you

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<v Speaker 1>stay out late the night before your calculus exam? How

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<v Speaker 1>do you think your friend will react if you don't

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<v Speaker 1>actively support her for student council. When we play the

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<v Speaker 1>tape to the end, we weigh our feelings in the

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<v Speaker 1>moment against downstream outcomes. When we do, we are positioned

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<v Speaker 1>to make a decision that our present selves and our

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<v Speaker 1>future selves will be okay with. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.