WEBVTT - Build it before you need it

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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 build it before you need it.

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<v Speaker 1>If you have a good support system in place, far

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<v Speaker 1>fewer woes turn into disasters. Long time listeners know that

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<v Speaker 1>I have five children, and any working parents soon learns

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<v Speaker 1>that even the best childcare won't be a dent available.

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<v Speaker 1>Your babysitter can get sick or have her own family emergencies.

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<v Speaker 1>Your kid might be slightly sick and thus not able

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<v Speaker 1>to go to school or daycare. Schools can close for weather,

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes there are half days for various reasons. You

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<v Speaker 1>need backup options. The absolute worst time to be figuring

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<v Speaker 1>out the backup option is when you realize that option

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<v Speaker 1>A is not available at seven thirty am and you

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<v Speaker 1>are giving a presentation to an important group of people

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<v Speaker 1>at thirty am. You need to create a backup system

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<v Speaker 1>at a time when you don't need it, so it

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<v Speaker 1>will be available when you do need it. So it

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<v Speaker 1>goes for many things in life. The whole point of

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<v Speaker 1>an emergency fund is to put away cash when you

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<v Speaker 1>don't desperately need it, so that when you do need

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<v Speaker 1>money you don't have to borrow at high interest rates.

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<v Speaker 1>The worst time to be networking and figuring out who

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<v Speaker 1>in your industry is hiring is when you have just

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<v Speaker 1>lost a job. You want to have those connections in

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<v Speaker 1>place before you need them. You want an emergency kit

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<v Speaker 1>in your car when your car is actually functioning, so

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<v Speaker 1>you have it in the event that the car stops functioning. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>this sounds like a lot of preparation, but that's just

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<v Speaker 1>how the world works. The good news is that if

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<v Speaker 1>you build systems before you need them, you will probably

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<v Speaker 1>be a lot more relaxed, or at least feel like

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<v Speaker 1>you are able to keep your commitments. I sometimes feel

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<v Speaker 1>like my spend my life thinking through logistics. But the

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<v Speaker 1>upside is that I gave a speech the other morning

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<v Speaker 1>when my family's regular full time nanny was on vacation

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<v Speaker 1>and my husband was traveling because I booked a very

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<v Speaker 1>reliable backup st are for the morning. I know I

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<v Speaker 1>need someone like that in my life, so I work

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure I have someone like that in my life.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you aren't dealing with the realities of childcare,

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<v Speaker 1>it helps to think this through. What could go wrong?

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<v Speaker 1>What support system do you need in place to allow

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<v Speaker 1>you to do what you need or want to do.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes the answer is pretty simple. If your car didn't

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<v Speaker 1>start and you couldn't get to work, you'd likely use

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<v Speaker 1>uber or lift or public transportation if it's available, or

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<v Speaker 1>you'd get a ride from a friend. Sometimes it's more involved.

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<v Speaker 1>If your largest client disappeared, what would you do to

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<v Speaker 1>make your revenue target for the quarter. I have gotten

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<v Speaker 1>stuck at O'Hare Airport due to canceled or late flights

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<v Speaker 1>often enough that I now have a set protocol I follow,

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<v Speaker 1>so I'm not floundering around. I immediately booked myself on

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<v Speaker 1>a six am or seven am flight the next morning.

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<v Speaker 1>Then I book a room at my favorite nearby hotel.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm still annoyed, but not as frantic as the folks

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<v Speaker 1>running around asking what on earth they are going to do.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps it seems like a paradox thinking about what could

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<v Speaker 1>go wrong allows you to be optimistic, But if you

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<v Speaker 1>think about it, it makes sense. When you think about

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<v Speaker 1>what could go wrong, you can make plans to deal

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<v Speaker 1>with those possibilities. Then if those things do happen, you

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<v Speaker 1>are prepared. You can stay on track with your goals

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<v Speaker 1>and obligations. Life feels a little more in control, even

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<v Speaker 1>when many things in life cannot be controlled. We control

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<v Speaker 1>what we can when we build it before we need it.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our talks. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from it. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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

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<v Speaker 1>of 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 listen to your favorite shows. Yea