Make your own magic

You have the power to create more fun and more connection in your life

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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 to make your own magic. If there is
something special you would like to see happen in your life,

(00:24):
you don't have to wait around hoping it will happen.
You can make it happen yourself. Today's tip comes from
Kate Strickler, author of the book I Just Wish I
had a bigger kitchen and Other Lies I Think will
make Me Happy. Kate was a guest on my other podcast,
Best of Both Worlds, and she talked with my co

(00:47):
host Sarah Hart Hunger about how to avoid comparing yourself
to others in ways that are highly likely to make
you miserable. Sometimes people feel discouraged because they think that
others have more active social lives or more satisfying friendships
than they do, and you know what, they might. But

(01:09):
if you want to spend more time socializing and connecting,
you are best off not viewing these activities as magical
things that simply appear in people's lives. You don't have
to wait for others to invite you to do things. Instead,
Kate advises, make your own magic, as in, you can

(01:32):
invite people to do whatever you are hoping others will
invite you to do. If you want to go out
for brunch with friends, pick a date, pick a restaurant,
and text a handful of people you would enjoy spending
time with. Hopefully you will be able to rally a
few folks to join. Or maybe you've always thought it

(01:54):
would be fun to be in a book club. You
don't have to plan a year long curriculum and schedule
get botherings for every fourth Wednesday from now to the
end of time, though, If that is your style, feel
free to go for it. For a lot of us,
it would be easiest just to ask a few book
loving friends if they would like to come over in
a few weeks to discuss good people with you, then

(02:17):
see what unfolds from there. If you've got an old
friend that you don't see often, suggest meeting up for
a drink one night after work. Suggest three nights or
so in the next few weeks, and hopefully one will
work for your friend. If not, my guess is that
your invitation will spark something in your friend's brain. Chances

(02:38):
are he or she will suggest a different get together
in the next few weeks. It kind of is like
magic that way. You can make your own magic romantically too.
Do you wish your partner would send you flowers? If
it's flowers, you want, buy some for yourself. And if

(02:59):
it is, what's the act of your partner sending you flowers?
Then let your partner know that is your desire. If
you are dreaming of a fabulous anniversary dinner, make a reservation.
You can also make your own magic at work. Maybe
you wish your team socialized more. Guess what you have

(03:21):
the power to make this happen. Stick your head in
your colleague's offices when you're headed to the break room
to eat your lunch. Invite them to join you. After
a department meeting, you might ask if anyone would be
up for a happy hour that night. Invite new or
younger colleagues out to coffee to share tips on how
the office works. Many of these people will turn into friends.

(03:46):
If you want to travel but don't have a ready
travel companion, travel solo. You can also participate in a
group trip, like with your college alumni association or various
commercial companies. If you have got the time and the money,
don't let other people's willingness to go be the limiting factor.

(04:07):
You can make your own magic. With all sorts of
things in life, if you want something special, you can
plan it in yourself. I mean, you can hope that
someone else will plan it, but if so, you might
be waiting for a while. Whereas if you make your
own magic, the magic will happen, and I think that

(04:31):
is a better outcome. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

(04:51):
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam 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

(05:13):
your favorite shows.