If you can't get out of it, get into it

Acting enthusiastic tends to make an experience more fun

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 if there is something you have to
do that you are not excited about, try to get
excited about it. Sometimes we can opt out of things,

(00:26):
but when that is not possible, generating some enthusiasm might
make the experience less miserable. So there is a common
saying which some folks have attributed to outward Bound, that
if you can't get out of it, get into it.
Once you are out in the wilderness miles away from civilization,

(00:47):
you can't exactly refuse to sleep outside or refuse to
deal with the rain. So if you can't get out
of it, you're better off trying to enjoy what you can.
Nursing a sense of misery will just lead to more suffering,
whereas if you look for at least something good, you

(01:08):
can probably find it. I think if you can't get
out of it, get into it is a good motto
for lots of contexts. Once you are doing something, complaining
about it or sulking generally will make the next few
hours a lot less fun than if you at least
try to have fun. Now. I'm not saying you will

(01:30):
generate any future enthusiasm for the thing, or that somebody
shouldn't have behaved differently and not gotten you into this situation.
But given the situation, you have a choice about how
to approach the next stretch of time. So, for instance,
if your friend desperately wants to go bowling for her
birthday and this is truly not your thing, you could

(01:54):
feign having the flu to get out of it. But
if you are not doing that, once you are at
the bowlingen, you may as well act like bowling is
your favorite thing on the planet. Celebrate every time you
manage to knock down a pin, take lots of photos
of yourself hamming it up with those funny shoes. You
are going bowling because you love your friend, so you

(02:16):
may as well also give her the gift of seeming
to have a good time. Or maybe you are going
to Disney World with extended family, even though you dread
it because you don't like lines, humidity, or over stimulation.
Once you have decided to get on the plane to Orlando,

(02:37):
none of that dread matters. Put on your Mickey Mouse ears,
take a photo of all of you in your matching
family shirts in front of It's a small world. Go
on Space Mountain with your nephew and buy him a
commemorative flashlight. It will all be over soon enough. This
can even be a good motto in a professional context.

(02:59):
Maybe you are staffed on a project in a city
you don't particularly wish to spend any time in. Be
that as it may. I'm sure it has some charms,
So try the best restaurants in town and see the
tourist attraction during a break from work. I mean, your
clients live there, so it might be good to at

(03:19):
least try to generate some enthusiasm for the place. Now.
There is no point in suffering if you don't need to.
If you can opt out of something without causing harm
or deep disappointment, then you can do so. But once
you are in, you may as well be in. You
will probably have a better time if you go all in.

(03:43):
Then if you devote your energy to nursing your distaste
for the activity afterwards, maybe you can figure out something
where you never have to do this thing again. But
for now, best to embrace it. In the meantime, this
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

(04:05):
most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(04:29):
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.