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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning.

This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is to let people know why you are doing what you are doing,

especially when giving gifts or asking people for certain things.

That way they will feel honored by your thoughtfulness,

and perhaps a bit more inclined to see things through your eyes.

I think we have all received gifts that seemed random at best.

Playful catmintons. When you have a dog.

A Tom Clancy book. When you prefer literary fiction. Then there are the

reposts and shares we see on social media. What exactly did the person find interesting about this

content? Why do they think others would find it interesting? Then there are the invitations that don't quite land.

You're not sure why someone would think you would want to do whatever it is they invited you to do.

We have been in these situations and we would probably like to avoid other people thinking that

our requests are totally random.

So when you are trying to connect with someone,

make it plain exactly why you are doing or asking,

what you are doing or asking.

When you give a gift, in the card, explain why you chose it for the person. I got you this scarf because polka dots always make me think of you.

I know you love Karen Russell's books, so I thought you would like this book by Kevin

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