Start a project, nurture a relationship

Goals can help any relationship grow stronger

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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 to build a friendship or make a
family relationship stronger by starting a project that you can
share with the other person. I've been thinking of this

(00:25):
topic lately because over the holidays, my ten year old
and I built a Lego gingerbread house together. And this
was quite an undertaking. We had a little help from others,
but mostly it was the two of us working through
two hundred some steps and one thousands some pieces. I
can't say it was something I would have done on
my own, but he likes his legos and this gave

(00:46):
us an opportunity to spend quite a bit of time
working toward a common goal. Other members of my family
have been doing similar things. My twelve year old and
eight year old, for instance, have been reading through the
Harry Potter series together. My twelve year old read all
the books on his own years ago and really enjoyed
him This project gave him a chance to share his

(01:07):
excitement with someone else well, having an excuse to reread
these stories. Or there's one of my favorite projects. My
other podcast, My Friends Sarah hart Unger and I had
been reading each other's blogs for years. Then we decided
to start a podcast together called Best of Both Worlds,

(01:28):
where we share our experiences and advice on working and
raising families. I've gotten together with Sarah and chatted on
the phone with her a few times before we started
the podcast, but we definitely spend a lot more time
together now, with our listeners expecting us to record a
conversation for publication every Tuesday. This is the genius of

(01:50):
a project. We all have people we say that we'd
like to spend more quality time with, and sometimes these
are people we already see a lot, like our immediate
family members, but the time is more focused on logistics
and homework nagging than anything else. Or sometimes the people
are friends or extended family members that we don't have

(02:11):
regular occasions to interact with. In either case, a project
provides structure as something with an end goal of its own,
It nudges relationship time higher up the priority list, and
that makes relationship time more likely to happen. Of course,
you don't actually have to start a podcast together to

(02:33):
do a project. It's just a matter of thinking about
something you and your friend or family member like to do,
and then seeing if there's a way you can take
it up a notch. How could you create a goal
or structure that would naturally increase the time you spend together.
Maybe you and your partner decide to train for a
half marathon together. You and a colleague you really like

(02:55):
decide to start a mentoring program in your company. Now
you have an excuse to have me meetings with a
colleague you really want to see. You and your teenage
child decide to do a one thousand piece puzzle. Aim
for something that will require regular interaction and take place
over a longer period of time. But when you do this,

(03:17):
you'll find that your relationship will grow stronger just through repeated,
purposeful interaction. So think today about who you might like
to spend more time with and how you could start
a project that would get you both excited. Make some
time to talk with the person about it, and soon
you'll see just how much fun it can be. In

(03:40):
the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd
love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

(04:01):
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 i heeart media
dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward to
staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I

(04:28):
heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit
the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.