You get to choose

You do not need to stick with optional activities

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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 you get to choose how you spend
your time. In many cases, you do not have to

(00:23):
do things that are not paying off for you. With
the optional things in life, walking away is sometimes the
right call. Now. Today's episode is a bit of a
counterpoint to a recent one about how to stick with things.
I know that many people start big projects and then
abandon them because they don't work practically with their lives.

(00:48):
I think there are some smart strategies that can make
faithful execution more possible. Of course, I also know that
many people change their minds frequently about things. This can
be frustrating for everyone around them. But my hunch is
that the people who listen to this podcast quit things

(01:08):
less frequently than average. So today's episode is a friendly
reminder that you can stop doing things if you want.
You get to choose. For instance, if you start a
nonfiction book that has got some useful information, but you
are pretty sure you've got the gist by the second
chapter in feel free to stop reading. There is absolutely

(01:33):
no requirement to finish. You are not going to get
quizzed on the book. You are not going to get
detention if you decide to let it go. Likewise, if
you go to a professional development conference and have gone
to some useful sessions but the last day just doesn't
look that relevant, feel free to leave or spend the

(01:53):
day having one on one meetings with people that's useful too.
There is no requirement to go to sessions just because
you registered for the conference. If you go to a
movie and you are bored in the middle, you can
go ahead and walk out. You should be nice about it,

(02:14):
be careful walking past anyone. But there is no reason
to stick with something that is supposed to be entertaining
if it is not entertaining you now. Obviously, in some
cases it is worth sticking with things for a little
while longer because there will be an impact on other people.
You probably don't want to quit your softball team mid season,

(02:36):
or drop out of a musical ensemble right before a concert,
or bow out of a volunteer commitment a few weeks
before the culmination of a big project. Stick with it
to the natural endpoint, but then you definitely don't need
to re up for softball for next year, or start
the next concert cycle. You can end your volunteer work

(02:59):
after your big project is finished. You do not have
to stick with things forever. Expectations are infinite. Time is finite,
so everything is a choice. All we can do is
choose well for what we want our lives to look like.

(03:21):
You may feel that once you have started something, you
need to finish it, but that is not always true.
Sometimes no one else will know or care if you
don't finish That book. Won't be hurt if you skip
a few chapters. The actors will never know if you
walked out of their movie before it was over. Even

(03:43):
your softball teammates will get it. If you don't play
next year, life happens. You get to choose how you
spend your time, and making wise choices leads to being
happier with life overall. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

(04:08):
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 is a

(04:31):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, Please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.