Ask around

Take advantage of everyone else's experience

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that the world is full of people with
expertise on different matters. So if you need to make

(00:24):
a decision or plan for something new, no worries. Ask around.
You probably know someone who can offer an informed recommendation.
The good new is about there being eight billion people
on this planet says that very few of us are
ever doing something for the first time. It might be

(00:45):
the first time that you are choosing a school for
a kid with a particular learning challenge, or the first
time you are buying an electric car, or the first
time you are hiring a lawyer for something, but it
is absolutely not the first time humanity is encountering this issue.
Other people have done this, maybe they have been successful

(01:06):
or maybe they haven't, but they have experience that you
can take into account. So ask around. There may be
people who are obviously experts on a topic that you
know little about. I like to ask waiters for their
recommendations on things like cocktails. I never drink cocktails unless
I'm at a restaurant with an extensive fancy list, so clearly,

(01:30):
anyone who works there is going to know a lot
more about this topic than I do. If I list
some preferences, they will likely choose something better than I
would have by just hunting through the menu. The salesperson
at a knitting shop can help you choose a stocking
stuffer for your mother in law who loves to knit.
There's absolutely no reason for you to guess what she

(01:53):
would like. But it's not just professionals who have good advice.
Your third grade next door neighbor can probably suggest gift
ideas for your third grade nephew. Your stylish friend can
help you decide what dress to wear to a party.
Your friend with the green thumb may have ideas about
why your hydrangea isn't thriving and suggestions for what to

(02:17):
do about it. Of course, you could google all these
dilemmas and come up with solutions and recommendations too. The
internet can be an amazing place. I recently spent some
time looking at Reddit threads on where I should park
for Eagles games so I wouldn't get stuck in a
two hour traffic jam exiting the stadium area. But don't

(02:39):
overlook the potential benefit of asking an actual person who
knows you and can hear the details about your circumstances
to weigh in with advice. You may get a recommendation
that is well tailored to your needs. And here's the thing.
Sometimes we feel funny about asking around, and there are

(03:00):
situations where you shouldn't. Your casual acquaintances in medical fields
shouldn't give you real medical advice outside a situation where
they're getting your whole health history, better to call the
nurse's line at your practice or go into urgent care.
But for many other situations, the person you ask may

(03:20):
feel honored to help you. I always think it's fun
when I can recommend a book or a restaurant or
a summer camp to someone. So ask around. You will
probably get some advice that will help you as you
make a decision. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

(03:42):
for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,
or feedback, you can read at Laura at Laura vandercam

(04:02):
dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For
more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio, app, Apple podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.