Don't be just a spectator

Use social media for inspiration, not escapism

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is for being a smarter, happier consumer of
social media, h G, t V, blogs and the like.

(00:26):
See what others do as inspiration, a kick in the
pants to see what you can do. Don't be just
a spectator. So I don't watch a lot of TV,
but sometimes when I'm in a hotel, I'll turn on
a decorating show and soon one is blending into the other,

(00:47):
and I wind up watching hours of house hunting and
makeover triumph, watching feel satisfying beautiful spaces, likable people, and
a tidy resolution to every problem them in minutes or so.
Yes please. Instagram, likewise, makes it easy to spend entire

(01:07):
evenings pouring over pitty pictures. That's what it's designed for.
And even though most Americans cook a lot less than
their grandmothers did, cookbook sales are booming and there are
scores of food blogs and cooking shows. It can be
fun to see people who are on top of their games.
But don't let this peek into others lives be an

(01:31):
escape from your own. Use their creations to motivate yourself
to try cool things. So rather than just looking at
photos of amazing food and magazines, try making that dish
that caught your eye. Instead of just watching other people
renovate their homes, take on a project in yours. When

(01:53):
your friend posts pictures of a charming vacation house she
stayed in, look into whether you could go there for
fall break. That could be you sitting by the fire pit,
taking in the breathtaking sunset through the mountains. Now to
be sure your efforts might not go perfectly. I recently

(02:14):
made a dish that I saw in Cooking Light, and
let's just say that their food stylists can make black
lintels and cooked orange carrots look a lot more crisp
than the mushy colors I wound up with. But so what.
I posted a photo of my dish next to the
cooking white one on Instagram so people could laugh. It's

(02:35):
still tasted pretty good. It helps to remember that most
projects are pretty low stakes. If you refinish an old
table from your attic and it still looks like well,
an old table from the attic, no big deal. If
your chocolate mouse has the consistency of pudding. Enjoy your
pudding and try making moose another day. And when you

(02:57):
succeed savorite you could even tell your friends about your
triumphs and inspired them to get involved too. So the
next time you see someone else's awesome accomplishment on Instagram
or social media, draw inspiration and motivation to try something
similar yourself. Resolve to get into the game rather than

(03:22):
staying on the sidelines. You'll have a lot more fun
and feel proud of what you do. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

(03:44):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the number
four then breakfast p o D. You can also shoot
me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com.

(04:05):
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

(04:26):
favorite shows.