Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is about one efficient way to add happiness into
Speaker 1: your life. Become a regular somewhere, ideally with good company.
Speaker 1: In a recent episode, we talked about adding more serendipity
Speaker 1: into our daily schedules. This can require new inputs, but
Speaker 1: sometimes we can boost happiness by doubling down on existing
Speaker 1: inputs and going all in to make these a regular
Speaker 1: part of our lives. People my age and older no
Speaker 1: doubt remember the theme song from the TV show Cheers.
Speaker 1: Cheers was a place where everybody knows your name and
Speaker 1: they're always glad you came. It's certainly an appealing concept
Speaker 1: and one reason some surveys show increased loneliness that isolated
Speaker 1: with our cell phones, we spend less time going to
Speaker 1: local watering holes or other places we can become part
Speaker 1: of a community, houses of worship, civic organizations, even organized
Speaker 1: playgroups for kids where parents can commiserate together. We know
Speaker 1: that social ties tend to make people happier, but when
Speaker 1: people are busy, arranging specific times to get together can
Speaker 1: feel like a ton of work. When you always go
Speaker 1: somewhere at a particular time, though, and other people do too.
Speaker 1: You don't have to do the planning and scheduling. You
Speaker 1: get the relationships without the hassle. And by the way,
Speaker 1: these relationships don't have to be deep, soulful sorts of things.
Speaker 1: Most people will, in fact feel happier when the local
Speaker 1: postal clerk addresses you by name and asks about your family.
Speaker 1: As with all things in life, there has to be
Speaker 1: a balance. You can become a regular at a grocery store,
Speaker 1: but maybe you're in a stage of life we're getting
Speaker 1: groceries delivered makes more sense. Too much sameness and routine
Speaker 1: can be a problem too, so I prefer to look
Speaker 1: at opportunities to become a regular somewhere that would happen
Speaker 1: about once a week or so, rather than daily. Fortunately,
Speaker 1: there are lots of opportunities for this. As I look
Speaker 1: at my life, I can see a few places where
Speaker 1: I might become a regular. Most days I make my
Speaker 1: own coffee, but I pop by my neighborhood coffee shop
Speaker 1: when I'm in the mood for a cappuccino. There are
Speaker 1: two casual restaurants in my area where I've realized after
Speaker 1: a lot of experimentation that everyone in my family will
Speaker 1: be happy. So when my family is going out to dinner,
Speaker 1: we go to those two places. Over time, you get
Speaker 1: to know individual waiters and specials. Same for the nice
Speaker 1: adult focused restaurant downtown where my husband and I make reservations.
Speaker 1: When we plan to entertain people, it's nice to know
Speaker 1: exactly where to park our guests introduce the novelty. We
Speaker 1: know the venue will be good. Maybe you've got some
Speaker 1: places like this too, or other things you do semi
Speaker 1: regularly in life. There's a particular teacher at your gym
Speaker 1: that you always enjoy when you manage to get there,
Speaker 1: or there's a lunch spot in your work that you
Speaker 1: always like when you go. To become a regular, and
Speaker 1: to get the most out of this experience, do a
Speaker 1: few things. First, look at your schedule and see if
Speaker 1: you could build visiting this place into your life consistently.
Speaker 1: The exercise teacher might teach on three different days, and
Speaker 1: sometimes each of these is a possibility, but Tuesday nights
Speaker 1: tend to work the best. Could you commit to going
Speaker 1: the vast majority of Tuesday nights? I mean, there's always
Speaker 1: a reason one week here and there, won't work. But
Speaker 1: what if you started telling yourself that Tuesday is Pilate's night.
Speaker 1: You'd start constructing your life to make it possible, and
Speaker 1: you also wouldn't have to think about it. At least
Speaker 1: one day a week, you'd know exactly what you do
Speaker 1: for exercise. That's a great outcome, But to truly get
Speaker 1: the most out of being a regular, don't stop there.
Speaker 1: You can invite other people to join you. It can
Speaker 1: be casual you tell a friend about your great Tuesday
Speaker 1: night exercise class, or it can be more formal. Maybe
Speaker 1: you commit to taking a different direct report out to
Speaker 1: lunch at your favorite place every Monday. You can rotate through,
Speaker 1: but you get to know the restaurant and you build relationships.
Speaker 1: And of course, once you've decided to become a regular,
Speaker 1: you can pay more attention to the people who are
Speaker 1: already there. At the restaurant, you get to know the
Speaker 1: hostess and the weight staff. Maybe at a bar, as
Speaker 1: with Cheers, you've got your own favorite bartender who you
Speaker 1: can chat with. You notice someone else comes most Tuesday
Speaker 1: nights to the same exercise class. Since you've committed to coming,
Speaker 1: you know it's worth introducing yourself and building at least
Speaker 1: a casual friendship. You might not become terribly entwined with
Speaker 1: each other's lives, but it's nice that when you're out
Speaker 1: sick for a week, someone notices and says, we missed
Speaker 1: you when you come back. So look at your life.
Speaker 1: Where could you become a regular? When could you make
Speaker 1: that happen? Who could join you? Or who would you
Speaker 1: like to meet? Answering these questions can bring a lot
Speaker 1: of happiness to your life. In the meantime, This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number four then Breakfast pod.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
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