WEBVTT - People did that

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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 marvel at the amazing things that people

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<v Speaker 1>have accomplished. You can take encouragement from these wonders that

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<v Speaker 1>you can do great things too. Today's tip, like some

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<v Speaker 1>others I've talked about recently, comes from Oliver Berkman's book

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<v Speaker 1>Meditations for Mortals. If you've read anything by Berkman, you

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<v Speaker 1>know that he urges people to acknowledge their finitude and limitations.

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<v Speaker 1>He's quick to point out all the things that we

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<v Speaker 1>just can't do. You can't be in two places at once.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't have unlimited time. You can't render yourself so

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<v Speaker 1>efficient that no incoming volume of work could ever overwhelm you,

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<v Speaker 1>he writes. But when we recognize our true limits, we

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<v Speaker 1>can make smart choices about how to use the time

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<v Speaker 1>and capacity we do have. As he explains, the relationship

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<v Speaker 1>between the two kinds of impossible, is actually an adverse one.

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<v Speaker 1>The more you are willing wholeheartedly to acknowledge the hard

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<v Speaker 1>limitations of human finitude, the easier it gets to do

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<v Speaker 1>what others might dismiss as impossible, he continues. Once you

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<v Speaker 1>stop struggling to stay on top of everything or to

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<v Speaker 1>make everything perfect, you are rewarded with the time, energy,

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<v Speaker 1>and psychological freedom to accomplish the most of which anyone

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<v Speaker 1>could be capable. When you stop trying to do everything perfectly,

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<v Speaker 1>you can perhaps do something more meaningful and grand than

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<v Speaker 1>you could have imagined. You can stand in awe of

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<v Speaker 1>the wonderful things other people have done and be encouraged

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<v Speaker 1>and inspired to do something great yourself. And let's be clear,

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<v Speaker 1>people have done some amazing things and then rebuilding Notre

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<v Speaker 1>Dame composing the B minor mass or think about Beethoven's

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<v Speaker 1>Ninth Symphony, which he composed after losing much of his hearing.

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<v Speaker 1>I think the near complete eradication of smallpox is pretty exciting,

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<v Speaker 1>where that infant and maternal mortality has plummeted over the

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<v Speaker 1>last one hundred and fifty years. I mean, hey, we

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<v Speaker 1>get pictures sent back from the far reaches of outer space.

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<v Speaker 1>How cool is that people, working both individually and together

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<v Speaker 1>accomplish these things. And while plenty of people are more

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<v Speaker 1>talented or skilled than the rest of us, we all

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<v Speaker 1>have twenty four hours in a day when we use

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<v Speaker 1>that time well, we can accomplish some pretty amazing things too,

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<v Speaker 1>se Fe pardue Monde. According to Berkman, that's an old

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<v Speaker 1>fashioned French Canadian saying that essentially means people did that,

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<v Speaker 1>and we are people too. If you decided to carve

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<v Speaker 1>out time every day for the next year to write

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<v Speaker 1>your family's story, you would end the year with something

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<v Speaker 1>pretty solid. It might need work, but it would exist.

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<v Speaker 1>If you took pictures every day for the next year

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<v Speaker 1>and studied how to use light and frame things well,

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<v Speaker 1>by the end of the year, you would no doubt

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<v Speaker 1>have a few images you would be quite proud of.

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<v Speaker 1>I bet you could team up with other people in

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<v Speaker 1>your community to make sure that every kid at your

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<v Speaker 1>local elementary school had books to read over the summer,

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<v Speaker 1>or that your local food brink had lots of ken

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<v Speaker 1>friendly food for the summer season as well. As Berkman argues,

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<v Speaker 1>when we accept our limitations and finitude, paradoxically, we are

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<v Speaker 1>able to accomplish much more than we would if we

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<v Speaker 1>were overly focused on perfection. Recognizing what is literally impossible

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<v Speaker 1>paves the way to do something great that only seems impossible.

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<v Speaker 1>So what Moonshot could you tackle. If you let go

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<v Speaker 1>of the pressure to answer every email, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear about it. You can reach me at Laura at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.