WEBVTT - Be generous with time

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

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's tip is to consider being generous with your time.

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<v Speaker 2>While boundaries are wise, people are generally a good use

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<v Speaker 2>of time, so be generous with time when you can.

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<v Speaker 2>There is a famous passage from First Corinthians that has

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<v Speaker 2>read at weddings about love. You probably remember how this

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<v Speaker 2>starts from the last wedding you went to, with the

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<v Speaker 2>statement that love is patient. I was pondering recently what

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<v Speaker 2>it means for love to be patient, and I realized

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<v Speaker 2>that fundamentally, patience means being generous with time. When love

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<v Speaker 2>is patient, it means we aren't rushing off to the

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<v Speaker 2>next thing. We are giving people enough time to be

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<v Speaker 2>heard and seen. This plays out in all sorts of ways.

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<v Speaker 2>It can mean chatting.

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<v Speaker 1>With a teenager even though it is bedtime and you

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<v Speaker 1>are tired. It can mean listening to your spouse as

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<v Speaker 1>worries even though you are annoyed about something else here

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<v Speaker 1>she did. It can mean taking time to encourage a

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<v Speaker 1>direct report, even in the middle of a packed day.

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<v Speaker 1>It can mean graciously listening to your elderly neighbor tell

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<v Speaker 1>that same story about her grandchild. Again. Time is ultimately limited,

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<v Speaker 1>and so this generosity is costly in a way that

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<v Speaker 1>being profligate with money is not. You can make more money,

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<v Speaker 1>you cannot make more time. And so a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time management literature talks about saying no more often, and

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps there is something to that. But when we can

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<v Speaker 1>say yes to the people in our lives, it strengthens

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<v Speaker 1>those relationships in a way that little else can. I

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<v Speaker 1>fundamentally believe that people are a good use of time,

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<v Speaker 1>and the good news is that a few minutes invested

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<v Speaker 1>in generosity is often paid back in profound ways. I

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<v Speaker 1>love to get emails from listeners and readers, and I

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<v Speaker 1>respond to almost all of it. As a result of

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<v Speaker 1>spending just a few minutes on those emails here and there,

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<v Speaker 1>I have made some great friends and professional acquaintances over

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<v Speaker 1>the years because of those connections. Talk about a huge payback.

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<v Speaker 1>Many of us have had the experience of encouraging a

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<v Speaker 1>young person in our field. That young person then goes

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<v Speaker 1>on to become a total rock star and a font

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<v Speaker 1>of all sorts of opportunities. Again, that is a big

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<v Speaker 1>payback for what was probably not a huge investment of time. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>generosity doesn't need to be a blank check, and I

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<v Speaker 1>am sure that sometimes generosity is abused. But even if

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<v Speaker 1>being generous with time sometimes feels like a waste of time,

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<v Speaker 1>the truth is that we waste time on all kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of things. As it is. I doubt that listening to

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<v Speaker 1>a neighbor's story is a much worse use of time

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<v Speaker 1>than scrolling around online for a few minutes. The former

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<v Speaker 1>can spread some serious joy. Love is patient and we

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<v Speaker 1>all need more love in the world. In the meantime,

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

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our tak Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else.

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<v Speaker 2>Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod. You

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

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<v Speaker 1>at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled out

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

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

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